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.
This story is from the April 2023 edition of Golf US.
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This story is from the April 2023 edition of Golf US.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
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