‘It’s not my life’: Scottie Scheffler on focus, patience, and his keys to better ball-striking

It took Scottie Scheffler all of 92 professional starts to get to World No. 1. Tiger Woods (21 starts) and Jordan Spieth (77) are the only two to do it faster, and neither of those guys spent a year in the so-called minor leagues like Scheffler did.

His meteoric rise, which included a win at last year’s Masters Tournament, wasn’t the result of a breakthrough swing tip or new exercise routine. He had a season for the ages by being the same person he has always been—consistent and relentless. Scheffler’s primary skill—aside from virtuoso hand-eye coordination and ultra-alpha competitiveness—is the ability to deal with only what’s in front of him. Many players get triggered by the past or the future—not Scottie.

You might think that type of focus, to stay fully present at all times, is reserved for the game’s elite, but Scheffler and his longtime coach, Randy Smith, say it’s a skill you can learn and use, too. It doesn’t mean turning into an emotionless robot on the course or training yourself to somehow go blank when the pressure turns up. In fact, it means letting yourself be more human and more reactive, but with a process on how to handle it— and how to embrace the challenge as more fun.

Read on if you’re ready to play more “in the now.”