Going into the final round of the 2024 Masters Tournament, Scottie Scheffler admittedly wanted to “win badly.” So badly in fact that the golfer felt “a bit overwhelmed” that morning. Thankfully, his friends were there to remind him of what really mattered.
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“I was sitting around with my buddies this morning. I was a bit overwhelmed because I told them, ‘Wish that I didn’t want to win as badly as I do.’ I think it would make the mornings easier,” Scheffler recalled. “My buddies [reminded] me … my victory’s secure on the cross. That’s a pretty special feeling to know that I’m secure for forever. It doesn’t matter if I win this tournament or if I lose this tournament. My identity is secure for forever.”
The words were just what the 27-year-old father-to-be needed to hear. Showing a mental toughness beyond his years, Scheffler maintained his composure on one of golf’s most challenging championship courses to secure a historic victory, winning his second green jacket in just three years.
And while the nerves and desire to win are definitely a part of playing a competitive sport, Scheffler said the outcome was less about who he is as a golfer and more about who God is.
"I believe that today's plans were already laid out many years ago, and I could do nothing to mess up those plans," Scheffler explained after the tournament. "I have been given a gift of this talent, and I use it for God's glory. That's pretty much it. So when I’m out there, I try to compete to the best of my abilities … I feel like that’s how I was designed. … At the end of the day, my identity’s secure already.”
That’s not to say Scheffler doesn’t sometimes struggle in the ups and downs of life (or golf!) like everyone else. But over the years, the world’s number one golfer has learned that his success doesn’t define him, and he can be content knowing that he left it all out on the course regardless of the outcome.
"I wish I could soak this in a little bit more. Maybe I will tonight when I get home. But at the end of the day, I think that's what the human heart does. You always want more, and I think you have to fight those things and focus on what's good,” Scheffler noted. "Because, like I said, winning this golf tournament does not change my identity. My identity is secure, and I cannot emphasize that enough."
And speaking of golf, “Seven Days in Utopia,” the heartwarming story about a young golfer who finds himself unexpectedly stranded in Utopia, Texas after a disastrous debut on the pro circuit, is currently streaming on Great American Pure Flix! The film stars Lucas Black and Robert Duvall and is definitely one you won’t want to miss.
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