You Won't Believe the Last Time Scottie Scheffler Paid for a Round of Golf
As the PGA Tour heads toward the FedExCup playoffs, Scottie Scheffler stands atop the leaderboard of professional golf.
The 29-year-old American has claimed four major championships (two this year) and secured his grip on the World No. 1 ranking for 151 weeks, an era of dominance that few in the sport can rival.
But away from the tournament fairways and leaderboards, Scheffler revealed on Wednesday a slice of life that many fans wouldn't expect from the world's top player.
Asked when he last paid for a round, Scheffler joked, "It's been a while. I remember the last time I didn't get to pay for a round…one of my buddies in the pro shop had to pay for a round. That was pretty funny."
He recounted walking into a local public course about five years ago, asking his friend at the pro shop to ring him up for tee times. The pro said, "Oh no no, you're good," only to turn to Scheffler's friend and say, "Actually, you gotta pay."
Scheffler laughed at the memory, noting that they still tease his friend about footing the bill.
Scottie Scheffler's Early PGA Career: From Junior Star to Tour Rookie
Scheffler's rise began long before he turned pro in 2018. As a youth, he won 90 of 136 junior events on the Northern Texas PGA circuit and captured the 2013 U.S. Junior Amateur title.
At the University of Texas, he helped the Longhorns to Big 12 championships and earned Phil Mickelson Freshman of the Year honors in 2015.
On the Korn Ferry Tour in 2019, Scheffler's play propelled him to Player of the Year, Rookie of the Year and Finals points list winner, granting him full PGA Tour status for 2020.
He wasted little time making waves as a rookie, finishing fourth on the money list and earning PGA Tour Rookie of the Year.
The Scottie Scheffler Breakthrough Year: 2022 and Beyond
The 2022 season marked Scheffler's true arrival on golf's biggest stage.
In the span of three months, he notched his first PGA Tour victory, ascended to world No. 1, hoisted his first green jacket at the Masters Tournament and won PGA Tour Player of the Year.
That breakthrough season included four wins, an astonishing run that made him the first golfer since Arnold Palmer in 1960 (and only the second ever) to win that many events, including the Masters, in that span of time to begin the season.
He backed that up by winning The Players Championship in both 2023 and 2024, becoming the first player to secure back-to-back titles at the sport's "fifth major."
At the 2024 Paris Olympics, Scheffler added an individual gold medal to his resume and capped the year by clinching the inaugural FedExCup title at East Lake Golf Club.
This season, he's won four events: The CJ Cup Byron Nelson, PGA Championship, Memorial Tournament and Open Championship, joining Tiger Woods as the only two players to win the Open Championship while ranked No. 1 in the world.
This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Aug 6, 2025, where it first appeared.
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Yahoo
7 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Scheffler rallies to win BMW for 5th PGA Tour victory of year. Rahm takes LIV points title
OWINGS MILLS, Md. (AP) — Scottie Scheffler erased a four-shot deficit in five holes and then delivered a haymaker on the daunting par-3 17th by chipping in from 82 feet for birdie that carried him to victory Sunday in the BMW Championship for his fifth PGA Tour title of the year. Scheffler closed with a 3-under 67 for a two-shot victory and became the first player since Tiger Woods (2006-07) to win at least five times on the PGA Tour in consecutive years. Robert MacIntyre didn't make a birdie until the 16th hole but stayed in the game after losing his big lead, mostly when Scheffler began missing short putts. MacIntyre pulled within one shot of the lead going to the 17th, the toughest hole at Caves Valley, with a back right pin on a crispy green that sloped to the right toward the water. Scheffler went just left in the rough, the ball sitting up nicely but the shot still scary. He landed it some 60 feet short and watched it trickle, and then roll, and then slow again until it dropped into the cup. MacIntyre could only look at him and stare at the world's No. 1 player making other-worldly shots in another extraordinary season. MacIntyre, who made 18 birdies in the first 45 holes of the tournament, made only two over the last 27 holes. He shot 73. It's not over for Scheffler, who leads the 30 players who advanced to the Tour Championship at East Lake with a chance to become the first repeat FedEx Cup champion since the series began in 2007. All 30 players at East Lake can win the $10 million first-place check. LIV Golf League WESTFIELD, Ind. (AP) — Jon Rahm successfully defended his LIV Golf season points title without winning an event all year, closing with an 11-under 60 before losing a playoff to Sebastian Munoz on the first extra hole in the Indianapolis event. Munoz won two days after becoming the first player to shoot 59 with a double bogey. 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San Francisco Chronicle
8 minutes ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
Scheffler rallies to win BMW for 5th PGA Tour victory of year. Rahm takes LIV points title
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The Colombian player —with Rahm hitting balls on driving range — birdied the final two holes in regulation for a 65 to match Rahm at 22 under at The Club at Chatham Hills. Rahm also lost on the first extra hole last week outside Chicago, falling to Dean Burmester in a three-way playoff that included Josele Ballester. On Sunday, Munoz beat the Spanish star won with a birdie on the par-4 18th in the playoff. Rahm took the season points title from Joaquin Niemann, a five-time winner this season. Niemann shot a 66 to tie for fourth at 17 under, his first top-10 finish of the year that he didn't win. Munoz led Torque GC to the team event championship. Torque finished at 64 under to break the LIV record of 53 under. LPGA Tour Akie Iwai capped the bogey-free round with birdies on the final two holes, running in an 18-footer on the last before Chisato rushed on the green and sprayed her with champagne. The 23-year-old Japanese player broke through in her first season on the LPGA Tour after winning six times on the JLPGA Tour. She had second-place finishes in Thailand in February and Los Angeles in April, then watched her sister win at Mayakoba in May in Mexico. On Sunday, Chisato Iwai shot a 64 to tie for third, five strokes back. The winner finished at 24-under 264 on the tree-lined course. She opened with consecutive 67s, then shot a 64 on Saturday to take a two-stroke lead into the final round. American Gurleen Kaur was a career-best second, closing with a 65. Amateur Kiara Romero shot a 64 to tie for seventh at 16 under in her first tour start. The University of Oregon player won the 2023 U.S. Girls' Junior and 2025 Big Ten title. European Tour COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) — Marco Penge of England tapped in for birdie at the 18th hole for a 4-under 67 to win the Danish Golf Championship by one shot over Rasmus Hojgaard, who missed a chance to climb into the automatic qualifying position for the Ryder Cup. Hojgaard looked on course for the title in his home country when he powered into a four-shot lead midway through his front nine, only to drop four strokes in four holes from No. 10 and allow Penge to take the lead. Trailing by two on the par-5 closing hole at Furesø Golf Klub, Hojgaard made a 10-foot eagle. Penge missed the green to the left, chipped to 3 feet and made the birdie putt for his second European tour title this year. Hojgaard (69) was the runner-up and will remain outside the six automatic qualifying spots, just behind No. 6 Sepp Straka, in the race to get into Europe's team. Qualifying ends next week at the British Masters. 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He finished at 22-under 262 at Hillcrest Country Club, playing a late three-hole stretch in 4 under with a birdie on the par-4 15th, an eagle on the par-5 16th and a birdie on the par-3 17th. Kang birdied two of the last three in a 65. Other tours Erika Hara of Japan won the Wildhorse Ladies Golf Classic in Pendleton, Oregon, for her Epson Tour title. Hara closed with an 8-under 64 to finish at 18 under for a three-stroke margin. She won the Japan Women's Open in 2020 and 2023. ... Kazuki Higa closed with a 7-under 65 and won the ISPS Handa Explosion in the Summer with an eagle on the second playoff hole to defeat Ren Yonezawa, who shot 64. Higa won for the first time in three years and now has seven titles on the Japan Golf Tour. ... David Law closed with a 4-under 68 for a two-shot victory in the Vierumaki Finnish Challenge, his second win of the season on Europe's Challenge Tour. The victory move him to the top of the points list. ... 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Boston Globe
8 minutes ago
- Boston Globe
Akie Iwai wins Portland Classic to join twin sister Chisato as rookie LPGA Tour champion
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