Scottie Scheffler stands behind his PGA Championship trophy with his wife, Meredith, and son, Bennett, May 18, 2025. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
Scottie Scheffler further secured his spot as the best golfer in the world on Sunday, as he closed out a five-stroke victory in the PGA Championship at Quail Hollow Club in Charlotte, North Carolina.
After shooting a blistering 6-under 65 on Saturday to propel him to the lead, Scheffler’s even-par 71 on Sunday was enough to keep his opponents at bay and capture his third career major tournament win (to go with the 2022 and 2024 Masters). Harris English, Bryson DeChambeau and Davis Riley all tied for second at 6-under.
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The 28-year-old Scheffler admitted in his post-round press conference that it was a long and challenging week, but also that the opportunity to play golf at the highest level is one of the great joys of his life.
“I’ve prepared my entire life to become decent at this game, and to have a chance to win a tournament that I dream about as a kid is a pretty cool feeling,” he said. “When you step out on the 1st tee, it’s pretty dang cool. There’s definitely stress. It’s definitely challenging, but at the same time, I mean, it’s a lot of fun.”
Last year’s PGA Championship experience for Scheffler was memorable for a different reason. In what became national news, Scheffler was detained near Valhalla Golf Club in Louisville, Kentucky, as he attempted to enter. The charges were later dropped and police said “Scheffler’s actions and the evidence surrounding their exchange during this misunderstanding do not satisfy the elements of any criminal offenses.”
After this year’s tournament win, Scheffler’s celebration prominently featured his wife, Meredith, and his son, Bennett, born just before last year’s PGA Championship. The victory marked his first major win as a dad.
Scheffler said later in his press conference that life as the No. 1 player in the world actually doesn’t look much different than it would otherwise.
“I’ve got a great family, a great wife and a wonderful son,” he said. “I feel like off the golf course, my life is wonderful. We live what I would feel like is a pretty simple life at home.
“Life on the golf course has been great as well. I’ve been able to win some tournaments. When we go home, sometimes I think Meredith and I still feel like we’re in high school (when they met). We have great friends, and we’re looking forward to getting home this week and doing normal stuff with our friends, celebrating a nice win.”
Part of that “simple life” for Scheffler includes walking faithfully as a follower of Christ. In an interview that aired during the broadcast on Thursday, Scheffler offered some perspective.
“I feel like I’ve been given a gift to play golf, but at the end of the day, the golf tournament is over,” Scheffler said. “You take your hat off, shake hands, and you move on. And so, my faith is such an important part of my golf game because it’s not only an important part of my life but it’s what helps me kind of realize that it’s not that big of a deal. I’m called to compete; I’m not called to go win every single golf tournament. Do I want to win every single golf tournament? Of course. But at the end of the day, that’s not what’s gonna satisfy my soul.”
The morning after capturing his Masters title last year, Scheffler appeared on the “Bible Caddie Podcast,” where he discussed how he lives out his faith in light of a busy PGA Tour schedule.
“It’s a battle every day not to view yourself as your golf score, not to get too caught up in what we’re doing out there, and focus on things that are true and what is good,” he said. “I think community is also really, really important. I’ve found some great community out there on the road that is really nice to have. … Walking with the Lord can be really tough sometimes if you’re out there doing it all by yourself. We were designed to live in community with other believers, and I’ve been fortunate to be able to find that on tour.”
He continued later: “When I started really prioritizing quiet time in the morning — reading Scripture — and setting my mind each morning to things that are true and things that are good, that was really when I could see significant change in my life. And that’s why I talk about [the Christian life] being a daily battle, because if I go a couple days where I’m walking around trying to do things on my own, I can feel a difference and my wife can definitely see a difference. … Getting the Word in first thing in the morning, reading God’s Word and just trying to live like Jesus did the best way we can.”
The next opportunity for Scheffler to win a major will come in less than a month’s time, at the U.S. Open from Oakmont Country Club in Oakmont, Pennsylvania, June 12-15. He wants to win it as badly as anyone, but he can have peace, knowing that whether he walks away a winner or not, his victory is secure. It’s a message he delivered on the podcast for golf fans who don’t yet believe in Christ.
“We have a Creator. God created the earth, and He sent His Son to save us,” Scheffler said. “The Lord covered our sins on the cross and victory was secured over death. We will live forever with Christ when we eventually pass on from this earth, and Jesus died and saved us from our sins. It’s really just as simple as that.”
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