World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler hopes golf doesn’t define him

Everyone in the world of men's golf is looking up at one man, not much different than when Tiger Woods reigned supreme or Jordan Spieth took his turn at No. 1 around 2015.

Scottie Scheffler always wanted to be in this position, but it was neither pressed upon him by his family nor the thing he hangs his self-worth on, he told reporters Tuesday at his pre-Masters press conference at Augusta.

"The way I was raised, my dad stayed home with us, my mom worked," Scheffler said. "And my dad never really looked at me as a golfer. He never pushed me to become a good golfer. That was never what he wanted for me. My parents pushed more education and being kind to people on me.

"So I think playing junior golf, I think sometimes you see a lot of parents who really want their kid to become really, really good at something, and they think that's what's going to bring them joy. But becoming a really good golfer may bring you a little bit of momentary joy, but it doesn't sustain it for very long."

Scheffler said it makes him happy for "about five minutes" when he wins a tournament, which he did in back-to-back weeks last month at the Arnold Palmer Invitational and The Players Championship.

While being ranked No. 1 in the world is a byproduct of the work he puts into his game, Scheffler said it's not a goal that takes up much of his headspace.

"I think it's just one of those deals where all I'm trying to do is put myself in contention in the tournament and hopefully finish it off," he said. "I really am not looking much past tomorrow. I'm focused on my preparation right now.

"I'm an extremely competitive person. And I like competing out here, and hopefully I'll be out here competing for a long, long time, but life throws crazy stuff at you sometimes. So we'll see how long it happens, but hoping it's going to be a long time."

Scheffler reflected on winning the Masters in 2022 and said he was "underprepared" for how that win, which came right after ascending to the No. 1 ranking for the first time, could change his life.

Now he enters Masters week as the overwhelming favorite. A T17 at The American Express was his worst finish of the season. He found the top 10 in his other seven starts, most recently tying for second at the Houston Open after his back-to-back victories.

"I'm hoping it doesn't define me too much," Scheffler said. "Because, I feel like I say it a bunch, golf's something that I do. It's a tremendously huge part of my life. But it doesn't define me as a person. It's just something that I do."

What, then, defines Scottie Scheffler?

"It's hard to describe the feeling, but I think that's what defines me the most is my faith," Scheffler said. "I believe in one creator, that I've been called to come out here, do my best, compete and glorify God, and that's pretty much it."