There was an awkward exchange in the media room ahead of the 2022 Masters, with a European reporter stumbling upon a question asked to Scotty Scheffler: “I’ve been asked a lot, like, ‘What do you like?…No idea but to be a very good golfer.'”
You know Schaeffler is a brave competitor on the course, but you probably still don’t know much about him off the track. Leave it to us to tell you all about the new golf star.
1. Scotty Scheffler grew up in Texas but lived in northern New Jersey until he was six years old.
Although he was raised in Texas most of his life, he has strong roots in Jersey. His mother, Diane, was a high school classmate of the late actor James Gandolfini at Park Ridge High School. His father Scott attended St. Cecilia High School in Englewood, New Jersey (where legendary football coach Vince Lombardi was a gym teacher).
When Diane got a job as COO at a Dallas law firm, the Scheffler family moved.
The new Masters champion recalled shots in his backyard when asked about growing up in Jersey during Masters Week. Schaeffler calls himself a Bruce Springsteen fan thanks to his Jersey roots.
2. The Scheffler family borrowed money to join the Royal Oaks Country Club in Dallas, mostly so that Scotty would have a place to exercise. He started working with his swing coach, Randy Smith, at the age of six.
Schaeffler is still a member of the Royal Oaks and plays most golf there while at home.
Smith recalls: “I got off, and his parents were there and introduced him, and he took off his hat, shook hands with me, and then came back to hit the balls.”
Schaeffler grew up dreaming of being able to make it to the side of the Royal Oaks group where touring professionals train. Now… Watch the video below as we explore Scheffler’s life at home in a recent video.
3. Until high school, Schaeffler played many sports, including lacrosse, basketball, baseball, and soccer.
Schaeffler was short for his age until he hit a growth spurt in his sophomore year of high school. He still loves basketball — he told Golf Digest in 2014 it’s his favorite sport to watch on TV — and while shooting, he once made 30 straight three-pointers.
He always knew golf was his sport. As Keely Levins told us in 2018, “In high school, I reduced it to just basketball and golf. I’ve known all my life how much I love golf. It was the one sport I’ve always wanted to play, no matter the class.”
4. Schaeffler attended Highland Park High School in Dallas, the same high school where Los Angeles Dodgers player Clayton Kershaw and LA Rams quarterback Matt Stafford went (although Schaeffler is younger than them).
Schaeffler’s first PGA Tour victory in the Super Bowl came on Sunday at the WM Phoenix Open — the same day Stafford won the career-changing Super Bowl for the Rams.
5. In high school, Schaeffler began dating his wife, Meredith, and they have been together ever since.
Meredith was new to Highland Park in her sophomore year, and she remembers sitting next to Scotty in math class. They started dating as old people.
In the “At Home” video above we did with the Scheffler family, Scotty calls Meredith to his best friend. It was clear that she had a great influence on him.
Ahead of the final round of the Masters, Scotty admitted he was “crying like a baby” on Sunday morning, unsure if he could handle the pressure. It was Meredith who assured him that he was himself and trusted the game that had brought him to this position.
6. He won the American Junior Amateur Award and got invited to play in his first PGA Tour event at the age of 17.
Among the many amateur achievements, this was the largest. Schaeffler defeated current PGA Tour player Davis Riley, 3 and 2, at Martis Camp in Truckee, California.
7. In his first PGA Tour event as an amateur, he punched a hole in one.
With the American Junior Amateur title, he earned an exemption in the 2014 Byron Nelson Championship. The Dallas native made the cut at the 2014 Championship by Byron Nelson — then bypassed the 221-yard second hole with a five-iron. He had three rounds in the 1960s and finished the T-22.
8. A respected college career at the University of Texas set high expectations for Schaeffler when he turned professional.
Scheffler won National Student of the Year after winning back-to-back events (Big 12 Championship and Western Intercollegiate) and was named to the 2017 Ben Hogan Award watchlist.
9. Might be time for a car update: Schaeffler still drives the same car he drove in college, a Chevrolet Suburban with over 175,000 miles.
Schaeffler’s father handed his old car to Scotty when he was in college. We were guessing he might be splurge on a new ride, given all the money he’s got this season.
10. Schaeffler represented the United States at the 2017 Walker Cup, as part of a star-studded team.
The team, which consisted of current PGA Tour pros Colin Morikawa, Will Zalatores, Maverick McNeely, Cameron Champ, Doug Game and Doc Redman, crushed the GB&I Team, 19-7, at Los Angeles Country Club.
11. In the 2020 Northern Trust competition, Schaeffler shot 59 in the second round.
He became the 12th player to have a run under 60 on the PGA Tour – and was the second youngest player to do so.
12. Big-slam success came early for Scheffler – even when he was an amateur.
He was the first round leader at the 2016 US Open in Oakmont when he was a 19-year-old sophomore in college, which his sister Callie wore. (I played golf at Texas A&M University.) Schaeffler said that week, “I’m glad she was able to get the week off to help me. She’s been on an internship for a week, and she’s already asking for a week off. I hope she doesn’t get into trouble.”
Schaeffler will also finish in the amateur low role at the 2017 US Open in Erin Hills (below).
Texas had three consecutive Top 10 majors in the majors leading up to the 2022 Masters Championships. And at the 2020 PGA Championship in Harding Park, Schaeffler was in the final group with Dustin Johnson. (He hit two Under-68s on Sunday, but Colin Morikawa’s Final 64 resulted in a two-stroke win.)
13. Schaeffler switched to a new racket before winning the WM Phoenix Open.
After a trip to Scotty Cameron’s California overseas studio, Texas turned into Scotty Cameron by Titleist Special Select Timeless Tourtype GSS – and went on to win his first event of the week.
He also noticed that the racket was a bit off for Masters week, so he asked the Titleist Tour reps to take a look. They noticed that the loft and reclining angles were off too much – so they adjusted the racket to Scotty’s liking the day before the Masters began.
14. By winning the Masters title, Schaeffler joined Ian Wasnam as the only players to win the Masters title on their next start after becoming the world’s number one.
Schaeffler also joins Woosnam, Fred Couples, Tiger Woods and Dustin Johnson as the only players to have won the Masters title while being #1 worldwide.
15. With a No. 1 win of $2.7 million, Schaeffler has now made over $10 million in the 2021-22 season alone.
Of course, this is just earnings per course. Chances of endorsement will come quickly for Scheffler, who wears Nike clothes and just signed a deal with TaylorMade.
