Tom Brady says Scottie Scheffler is still learning to 'make sense of success'

Newsweek

a day ago

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It's not every day that a GOAT athlete pauses to reflect on another's philosophy of success. But in his 199th newsletter, released on Tuesday, Tom Brady did just that.
As typed out in the newsletter, the NFL star sits down every week "to reflect on the events of the week, extract their lessons, and gameplan how to apply those lessons toward greatness and growth."
Interestingly, this time, it offered a layered response to Scottie Scheffler's viral comments about golf, success, and the deeper meanings associated with life.
According to the seven-time Super Bowl winner, Scheffler is just the "young athlete trying to make sense of success without the benefit of the perspective that comes with years of experience."
Tom Brady Weighs In on Scheffler's Golf & Life Mindset
Scheffler, fresh off his Open Championship win at Royal Portrush, had stunned the media with a candid press conference just days earlier. When asked about how long he celebrates his victories, the World No. 1 didn't hesitate but reflected on the battle going on inside him.
"It feels like you work your whole life to celebrate winning a tournament for like a few minutes," Scheffler told reporters while reflecting on his Byron Nelson win back in May. He added, "It only lasts a few minutes, that kind of euphoric feeling. To win the Byron Nelson Championship at home, I literally worked my entire life to become good at golf to have an opportunity to win that tournament. You win it, you celebrate, get to hug my family ... Then it's like, OK, what are we going to eat for dinner?"
"You know, life goes on," Scheffler continued, sharing his perspective with the media during the same interview.
Of course, the four-time major winner was not downplaying the value of hard work but rather questioning emotional return after finally achieving what you had worked so hard for and then sometimes the road looks totally foggy.
Scheffler later questioned the very purpose of his pursuit, expressing, "This is not a fulfilling life. It's fulfilling from the sense of accomplishment, but it's not fulfilling from a sense of the deepest places of your heart."
It sounded like the 29-year-old pro had been dealing with these thoughts for a long time now. Especially his perspective on "What's the point?" sparked widespread debate.
And Brady, who admitted being in the same place when he was of Scheffler's age, weighed in with empathy.
Image Collage of Tom Brady and Scottie Scheffler. (Image Credits: Getty Images)
Image Collage of Tom Brady and Scottie Scheffler. (Image Credits: Getty Images)
Getty Images
"His answer was basically 'not very long,'" Brady wrote in his Tuesday newsletter. "For Scottie, celebrations have been fleeting, in part because golf doesn't fulfill the deepest desires of his heart. The golf course, he said, is not where he goes to find satisfaction. So, 'what's the point?' (That was the line that went most viral.)"
Brady recalled a similar moment in his own life in 2005, after winning three Super Bowls in four years, when he asked himself, "What else is there for me?" in an interview with "60 Minutes."
"I was young. My first son, Jack (Brady), wouldn't be born for another year-and-a-half," the publication read. "But similar to Scottie (Scheffler), I could feel myself resisting the expectation placed on elite athletes ... to use professional achievement as the primary meter for personal satisfaction."
From there, Brady broke his reflection into three parts: reflection, lesson, and application.
The 48-year-old acknowledged that fulfillment doesn't come from trophies alone. Like Scheffler, he once felt the emptiness of success and began searching for deeper meaning.
He emphasized that life is a pyramid of priorities: self, partner, children, work, community. Fulfillment comes from knowing which block to prioritize at any given moment.
"Scottie said he'd rather be a better father and husband than a good golfer. And my question is: why are those mutually exclusive?" Brady wrote. "They're different blocks on the pyramid, but they're part of the same pyramid. They're connected!"
Brady urged young athletes to embrace the process, not just the outcome. He argued that excellence in sport can support excellence in family life if approached with intention.
"Being a great football player didn't make me a great dad," Brady wrote further.
"But how I became a great player certainly had an impact, from showing up day in and day out, to doing whatever it took to get better, be successful, be a role model, and to provide."
Scheffler, now a father to 14-month-old Bennett, has made it clear that his priorities lie at home. And while Brady's perspective comes from decades of experience, it's hard not to admire Scheffler's clarity at just 29.
But maybe, just maybe, learning how to honor both is the real win.
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