Scottie Sheffler’s Big Win

By: Chris Johnson

Scottie Sheffler and I have a lot in common. We’re both men; we both have beards; we both have babies; we’re both conservative Presbyterians; and we both have some pretty good golf stories.

Most of mine happened before adolescence, like the time I drove a golf cart into a creek my first time behind the wheel. Once when I was at a driving range the golf club slipped out of my hands and went flying over a pretty good-sized pole barn – the club went farther than the ball if I remember correctly. Another time, as I explored a water hazard a goose came charging at me out of the reeds and I only kept it at bay by swinging my 9-iron at its neck. Scottie Sheffler’s golf stories trend in a more positive direction.

He’s won the Masters Tournament twice, in 2022 and 2024; just this year he won the PGA Championship and, most recently, the Open Championship. He’s had 17 PGA tour wins, won the Players Championship back-to-back in 2023 and 2024, and won the gold medal in the men’s individual competition in the 2024 Paris Olympics.

The golf world knows Scottie Scheffler very well, but what brought Scheffler onto my radar (I’ve never been a part of the golf world, for obvious reasons) wasn’t his wins, but the statements he made in press conferences after those wins.

In a conference going into the British Open a few weeks ago, he was asked about how he celebrated after a big win. Here’s his response:

“[I]t feels like you work your whole life to celebrate winning a tournament for a few minutes. It only lasts a few minutes, that kind of euphoric feeling… And you win it, you celebrate. You get to hug your family… It’s such an amazing moment. And then it’s like, O.K., now what are we going to eat for dinner?”

“To get to live out your dreams is very special, but at the end of the day, I’m not out here to inspire the next generation of golfers. I’m not out here to inspire someone to be the best player in the world, because what’s the point?”

“This is not a fulfilling life. It’s fulfilling from a sense of accomplishment, but it’s not fulfilling from a sense of the deepest places of your heart. There’s a lot of people that make it to what they thought was going to fulfill them in life. And then you get there, then all of a sudden you get to No. 1 in the world, and they’re, like, “what’s the point?’”

So, if Sheffler’s not just chasing the status and title of THE BEST, why does he compete? He explained after winning the 2022 Masters, “The reason why I play golf is I’m trying to glorify God and all that He’s done in my life. So for me, my identity isn’t a golf score. … All I’m trying to do is glorify God and that’s why I’m here and that’s why I’m in this position.” He reiterated this after the 2024 Masters, stating, “I have been given a gift of this talent, and I use it for God’s glory. That’s pretty much it.”

What a great example for his son to grow up with, seeing his dad dominating the golf world, but still keeping his priorities straight. Scottie also said this after his latest win, “I’m blessed to be able to come out here and play golf. But if my golf ever started affecting my home life or it ever affected the relationship I have with my wife or with my son, that’s going to be the last day that I play out here for a living. … I would much rather be a great father than I would be a great golfer.”

On the other hand, another father who dominated the world in a more literal sense also had some surprising things to say about fatherhood.  Barack Obama recently made an appearance on his wife’s podcast and said this, “…that’s one of the things that I think a lot of times boys need, is, not just exposure to one guy, one dad, no matter how good the dad. He can’t be everything. And that boy may need somebody to give the boy some perspective on the dad, right? One of the most valuable things I learned as a guy was, I had a gay professor in college at a time when openly gay folks still weren’t out. Who became one of my favorite professors and was a great guy, and would call me out when I started saying stuff that was ignorant. You need that to show empathy and kindness. And by the way, you need that person in your friend group so that if you then have a boy who’s gay, or nonbinary or what have you, they have somebody that they can go, ‘OK, I’m not alone in this.’ I know it’s corny, but that’s what they need.’”

Well, when a gay man turns a young man against his dad and tells him how great it is to be gay, that’s called grooming. It doesn’t just sound corny, it sounds creepy. Sheffler’s prioritization of his family is a great example of how to protect a child from such grooming.

According to AllForKids.org, Children with involved fathers are half as likely to experience multiple depression symptoms compared to those whose fathers are not involved. They are also 80% less likely to go to jail, because they’re less likely to partake in risky or criminal behaviors. Children close to their fathers are twice as likely to enter college or find good jobs. Children with involved fathers are less likely to make avoidable relationship mistakes like entering romantic relationships too early, divorcing, or having children outside marriage.

And, children with active fathers are far more likely to follow their parents into the church.

After Scottie Sheffler’s recent win at the Open, Nike – one of his sponsors – posted an ad to their X account. It was a picture of Sheffler’s baby son crawling across the green and reaching for his putter as Scottie knelt next to him. It was captioned, “you’ve already won.”

I think I have enough in common with Sheffler to know that while every time his baby smiles at him feels like a win, the championship that will bring fulfillment is when he disciples that baby son into a lifelong walk with his Savior.

May we who strive to be better, learn from someone known as the best: reaching the top is not fulfilling. It’s glorifying God and serving those he’s given into our care that brings joy.

 

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