Professional golf is a sport that’s both divided and threatened. Amidst a murky ceasefire between the PGA Tour and LIV Golf, the upstart, Saudi-funded contingent that pledged to join forces in June 2023, and a seemingly endless narrative of player contracts, payouts, and greed, its fans have simply tuned out.
PGA viewership suffered a 20% year-over-year decline through April 2024, including the lowest-watched final round at The Masters Tournament since 2008.
Enter Scottie Scheffler, a refreshingly modest player with superb ball-striking ability. Known as the most dominant golfer on the PGA Tour, he has won six PGA events in 2024 as of Early July, including the Arnold Palmer Invitational, the Players Championship, The Masters Tournament (which he also won in 2022), RBC Heritage, The Memorial Tournament and the Travelers Championship — a winning streak not seen since the peak days of Tiger Woods.
Currently ranked as the world’s number-one player, a position he’s held since March 2022, Scheffler’s modest and mild-mannered demeanor brings a breath of fresh air to pro golf — and may well be the sport's best shot at redemption.
Scheffler may be worth tens of millions, but it hasn’t gone to his head: He married his high school sweetheart, loves Bruce Springsteen, and has been under the tutelage of the same swing coach, Randy Smith, since he was seven years old.
He even drives the same car that he owned while he wa student at the University of Texas in Austin: A 2012 GMC Yukon.
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Why was Scottie Scheffler arrested?
Improbably, it took a scandal of Scheffler’s own to cause a spike in PGA ratings. On the morning of Friday, May 17, 2024, a retired security guard who had volunteered to work at the PGA Championship at the Valhalla Golf Club in Louisville, KY was tragically struck and killed by a shuttle bus just outside the entrance gates, causing a delayed start to the tournament’s second round.
Around 6:00 AM, Scheffler attempted to drive through the entrance gates only to be arrested by Louisville Police. He faced a felony charge of second-degree assault along with lesser charges of criminal mischief and reckless driving for allegedly disregarding traffic instructions and dragging a police officer to the ground with his car. He was released later that morning.
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The officer later received corrective action for not having his body camera turned on, and all charges were dropped two weeks later. In a statement, Scheffler called the whole incident a “big misunderstanding” and said he “never intended to disregard any of the instructions” and was “hopeful to put this to the side and focus on golf today” — although the incident made for riveting television.
ESPN reported that it saw an 18% boost in year-over-year viewership, while CBS Sports' final-round tournament ratings grew by 11%. While the incident understandably rattled Scheffler’s focus (he eventually finished inside the top 10), he wasn’t off his winning streak for long, taking home first prize at the Memorial Tournament three weeks later — which came with a $20 million purse.
What is Scottie Scheffler’s net worth?
According to Forbes, Scheffler has a net worth of $61 million. Other online sources peg his wealth even higher, with some estimating he could be worth as much as $90 million, but specifics are vague.
The $61 million attributed to Scheffler by Forbes, however, was broken down into two categories: $41 million through on-course earnings and $20 million via endorsements from the likes of Nike, TaylorMade, and Veritex Bank. Scheffler’s riches earned him the #4 spot on Forbes’ list of 2024 “Highest Paid Golfers,” just below Tiger Woods, Rory McIlroy, and Jon Rahm.
Here’s how much Scheffler’s tournament winnings amounted to in 2024, according to The Sporting News:
Scottie Scheffler's 2024 tournament winnings
| PGA Tournament | Purse |
|---|---|
Arnold Palmer Invitational |
$4 million |
The Players Championship |
$4.5 million |
The Masters |
$3.6 million |
RBC Heritage |
$3.6 million |
The Memorial Tournament |
$4 million |
Travelers Championship |
$3.6 million |
Total |
$23.3 million |
This total doesn’t include prizes from other tournaments Scheffler placed in but didn’t win, and, let’s remember, the year is only halfway through, so you can expect to see his net worth numbers soaring even higher before the FedEx Cup is over.
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Scottie Scheffler’s early life and amateur career
Scott Alexander Scheffler was born on June 21, 1996, in Ridgewood, New Jersey. His mother was the chief operating officer at Thompson & Knight, a law firm, while his father stayed at home to raise Scheffler and his three sisters: Callie, Molly, and Sara.
After the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, the Scheffler family relocated to Dallas. Young Scottie showed an aptitude for golf, and his parents stretched their resources in order to provide him with the opportunity to take lessons at the Royal Oaks Golf Club, a private club considered to be one of the best in Texas.
Coach Smith said that from an early age, Scheffler demonstrated an aptitude for the sport, along with his legendary tenacity, which enabled him to literally wear other players down as well as play through injury.
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Scheffler was simply unstoppable as a young player, winning 75 junior events between 2004 and 2010. Short for his age (under five feet tall) as he entered West Highland Park High School, Scheffler experienced a growth spurt that added more than a foot to his height (he now stands at 6 '3”) and power to his stroke. He won three state titles between 2012 and 2014 as well as the U.S. Junior Amateur Tournament in 2013.
By 2014, Scheffler was the country’s top junior golfer; he made his first PGA appearance in 2014 at just 17 years of age with his sister Callie as his caddie. She advised him to use a five iron off the tee at the second hole, and he scored a hole-in-one.
Scheffler joined the golf team at the University of Texas in 2014 and was a member of the U.S. team that won the Walker Cup in 2017. In 2018, he graduated from UT with a degree in finance.
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Scottie Scheffler’s PGA career
Scheffler turned pro in 2018 and joined the PGA Tour for the 2019–2020 season. In 2019, he was named Korn Ferry Tour Player of the Year and PGA Tour Rookie of the Year.
His first PGA Tour win wouldn’t come until 2022, however, at the WM Phoenix Open, where Scheffler beat Patrick Cantlay in a sudden-death playoff.
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However, Scheffler started missing putts at the end of 2022, which caused a brief identity crisis for one of the world’s most consistent players. True to form, Scheffler didn’t capsize under pressure and instead tried out several different putters, switching to the TaylorMade Spider, a club he still uses today.
Scheffler also parted ways with Scott McGuinness, his caddie at the time, enlisting the help of veteran looper Ted Scott, who previously worked with Bubba Watson, a PGA Pro who later defected to the LIV.
Scheffler has won a total of 11 titles, including two Masters, two Arnold Palmer Invitationals (2022 and 2024), and two Player Championships (2023 and 2024).
He also reportedly turned down a $150 million offer to play with LIV.
“I never dreamed about playing for this much money,” Scheffler told SiriusXM PGA Tour host Jason Sobel, “I don’t know how much I’ve made this year, but it’s definitely too much for hitting a little white ball around.”
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Scottie Scheffler’s personal life
With Scheffler in the lead, golf seems a little nicer.
Off the greens, Scheffler is known for his faith (he’s Christian) and actually met caddie Scott at a Bible study group.
He married his longtime girlfriend, Meredith Scudder, on December 4, 2020. She previously worked at Behind Every Door, a Christian community center, before joining her husband full-time on the road. On May 8, 2024, the family welcomed their first child, a son they named Bennett. They currently reside in Dallas.
Scheffler is set to lead the U.S. Men’s Golf Team at the 2024 Paris Olympics alongside his friends, Tokyo 2020 Olympic champ Xander Schauffele, Collin Morikawa, and Wyndham Clark.
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