Scottie Scheffler

Last year's Masters winner and PGA Tour Player of the Year is back on fire again and back in the public eye. But would he trade it all for pickleball?

- Dylan Dethier

Dylan Dethier: By now, a lot of people know you looked up to Tiger Woods as a kid. Who else were your role models?
Scottie Scheffler: I grew up at Royal Oaks [in Dallas], and there were a lot of guys there because of Randy Smith, my coach. Justin Leonard was there, Colt Knost, Anthony Kim—other guys too. Randy molded me, but there were a lot of players out there, and I learned a lot by watching.

DD: Being around those guys made being a pro golfer seem like an attainable profession.
SS: Yeah, it wasn’t a faraway thing. I saw what those guys were like and how good they were, and I guess I always thought I could do it. I didn’t know for sure, but it was a possibility. 

DD: When did you know?
SS: I’m not sure there was one moment. I always wanted to play pro golf, but I never 100 percent believed that I’d be out here. But I never had a backup plan, either.

DD: When things are going well, you look completely unflappable. Are you? What golf situations make you nervous?
SS: Look, I get nervous all the time.

DD: But you don’t necessarily play bad when you’re nervous.
SS: No. I think, when I’m nervous, it actually helps me focus. If I’m not nervous, something’s wrong. One of the things I’ve learned since I started wearing my Whoop is that when I play really bad my strain levels are their lowest, and when I play good my strain levels go up—you start getting excited. The stress can help me focus.