For most professional golfers, and even many amateurs, winning the Masters is a dream come true.
But the pressure of leading and going into the final round can crush this dream.
It almost crushed golfer Scottie Scheffler but his faith pulled him through and he shocked reporters when he explained how getting an eternal perspective led to victory.
Masters’ winner, Scottie Scheffler, is the number one golfer in the world.
At a crossroads in life
But the professional golfer says he was at a crossroads in life, just hours before the 2024 Master’s tournament.
The 27-year-old New Jersey native says leading the tournament, heading into the final round of the competition, put so much pressure on him that it left him overwhelmed.
During a post-tournament press conference, Scheffler told reporters, “I was sitting around with my buddies this morning, I was a bit overwhelmed, I told them, I wish I didn’t want to win as badly as I did or as badly as I do. I think it would make the mornings easier.”
He went on, “But I love winning. I hate losing. I really do. And when you’re here in the biggest moments, when I’m sitting there with the lead on Sunday, I really, really want to win badly.”
That’s when he began to shock the gathered reporters.
He said some advice from his friends led him to take the competition out of his hands and put it squarely in God’s hands.
“My buddies told me this morning, my victory was secure on the cross. And that’s a pretty special feeling to know that I’m secure for forever, and it doesn’t matter if I win this tournament or lose this tournament. My identity is secure forever,” he stated, referring, of course, to the spiritual victory of salvation through Christ.
After that advice, Scheffler approached the green with more confidence and then walked away a Master’s champion for the second time in his relatively short career.
These plans were laid out many years ago for God’s glory
“I believe that today’s plans were already laid out many years ago, and I could do nothing to mess up those plans. I have been given a gift of this talent, and I use it for God’s glory. That’s pretty much it,” he said.
Scheffler also said his second Masters victory and the game of golf do not define him, only God does.
“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.”
– World #1 Golf Scottie Scheffler pic.twitter.com/e9CynB3wVU— Jon Root (@JonnyRoot_) April 14, 2024
“Golf is something that I do. It is a tremendously huge part of my life, but it doesn’t define me as a person. I happen to be good at it some weeks…and the next week I’m bad at it,” he shared. “I’m a faithful guy. I believe in a Creator. I believe in Jesus. Ultimately, I think that’s what defines me the most.”
While some in the media were surprised by Scheffler’s comments, they shouldn’t have been.
Because giving glory to God is nothing new for Scheffler.
He has publicly shared his faith throughout his career.
In fact, when Scheffler won his first Masters championship in 2022, he shared that he was “trying to glorify God” through his golf career.
“That all goes back to my faith,” Scheffler said. “The reason why I play golf is: I’m trying to glorify God and all that He’s done in my life.”
Scheffler added that his wife, Meredith, regularly prays for him to experience peace.
“Every day when we go out there, Meredith always prays for peace, because that’s what I want to feel on the golf course, is peace and have fun and just feel His presence,” he said. “So that’s her prayer every day. That’s my prayer, and I really felt that today. I felt at peace.”
Read All About It will keep you up-to-date on any developments to this ongoing story.
