Scottie Scheffler is not focused on accolades.
Despite being ranked the No. 1 golfer in the world four times since turning pro in 2018, Scheffer says he’s just as excited about the prospect of sleeping in his own bed and playing in a golf tournament not far away from his home in Dallas.
“I don’t think too much about rankings and stuff like that, you know, it’s nice to be back at home and be able to play an event,” Scheffler said.
Scheffler is a local talent who grew up in Dallas and attended Highland Park High School, where he won three straight individual state titles — a feat matched only by Jordan Spieth — before starring at the University of Texas.
Scheffler is currently the No. 1 ranked golfer in the world ahead of the Charles Schwab Challenge at Colonial Country Club in Fort Worth. The event begins on Thursday.
Scheffler dominated the PGA Tour in the 2021-2022 season and after an 11-match run in which he finished in the top ten seven times, including two wins, he was named the No. 1 player in the world after winning the World Golf Championships in 2022- Dell Technologies Match Play.
Scheffler would validate his ranking at his next tournament and become the fifth golfer in PGA Tour history to enter the Masters ranked No. 1 in the world and win the tournament.
Scheffler begins his first round at 8:04 a.m. on the 10th tee with a group that includes Sam Burns, last year’s winner, and Davis Riley. Speaking to the media on Wednesday, Scheffler was excited to get started.
“It’s nice to be back at home and be able to play an event … being able to sleep in my own bed this week and just being able to be at home the last two days was important in terms of rest and then playing in front of a home crowd, as the week goes on, it’s always really fun.”
Scheffler grew up participating in the Charles Schwab Challenge and had fond memories of participating in the event.
“I definitely remember showing [up] with my dad and just come out here and watch. My dad loved watching golf and when I got older I got a chance to watch the PGA Tour, it was pretty cool,” Scheffler said.
Going to the event as a kid, Scheffler was more interested in learning from the pros than anything else.
“It wasn’t so much about the atmosphere, it was more just me watching and learning from those guys,” Scheffler said, “All the pros were always pretty nice, which is always a nice bonus.”
Scheffler was regularly exposed to professional golfers in his youth while learning the game at Royal Oaks Golf Club under legendary coach Randy Smith and reflects on what those experiences brought him.
“Ryan Palmer is one of those guys that I grew up watching and now we’re out here competing,” Scheffler said, “I grew up with different guys competing here [Charles Schwab Challenge] and to follow in their footsteps is very special.”
Scheffler has been a big earner during his career, winning $54,917,549 according to Spotrac including $14,774,995 during the current season. Scheffler has six wins during his career, including two during the current season.
In Scheffler’s three appearances at the Charles Schwab Challenge, he has missed the cut once, ranked 55th in 2019 and was last year’s runner-up.
