For a player as dominant as Scottie Scheffler, his biggest controversy didn’t come from a missed putt but from a comment about his life’s priorities. A topic so debated that it even drew a response from NFL legend, Tom Brady.

“This is not a fulfilling life,” Scheffler said from Royal Portrush this year. He was yet to win the Claret Jug when he said it. But he won the PGA Championship and the Memorial.

Scheffler further added, “It’s fulfilling from the sense of accomplishment, but it’s not fulfilling from a sense of the deepest places of your heart … [If] my golf ever started affecting my home life or it ever affected the relationship I have with my wife or my son, that’s going to be the last day that I play out here for a living.”

That comment caused quite a stir. And Tom Brady weighed in, saying, “Scottie said he’d rather be a better father and husband than a good golfer. And my question is: why are those mutually exclusive?” But noted journalist Gabby Herzig thinks Brady and many others misunderstood what Scheffler had to say. 

“I think a lot of people misunderstood what Scottie was in that moment,” Herzig told Williams. She added, “They took it to, he’s such a reluctant star, he doesn’t appreciate what he’s doing.”

The Athletic journalist thought that the netizens took it way too negatively. Fans perceived him as arrogant and unappreciative of everything he has achieved, just because he is doing it so easily. However, Herzig believes that was not what he was trying to say.

“I thought it was such an excellent inside look at what makes Scottie Scheffler the best player in the world. You can talk to any sports psychologist; they will tell you. This ability to detach your self-worth from your results, your accomplishments, your legacy, is truly the key to playing elite golf.”

What Herzig is trying to say is that Scheffler has reached this point because he never let his professional accomplishments become part of his identity. That’s what allows the World No. 1 to play carefree golf without bothering about the records he is breaking.

Interestingly, this is what separates Tiger Woods from him. While both Scheffler and Woods play to win and are fiercely competitive, Scheffler is more conscious about the fleeting nature of it all. “The reason why I play golf is, I am trying to glorify God and all that he’s done in my life, and so for me, my identity isn’t a golf score,” the World No. 1 said after winning the 2024 Masters.

However, the likes of Tom Brady & Co. misunderstood what he was trying to say. The NFL legend also said: “When the priority is to take care of your mental and physical health, which is No. 1 always, that’s what you do. First, you take care of yourself, then your partner, then your kids, and so on. When the priority is to take care of your career, whether it’s a three-week training camp or four rounds of major championship golf, that’s what you do. When it’s time to get to work, work becomes the priority.”

But for Scheffler, golf doesn’t define who he is.

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Scottie Scheffler’s goals are different from those of every other athlete

As Gabby Herzig pointed out, Scottie Scheffler has already reached the pinnacle of the sport.

“He doesn’t think of himself as a golfer. He’s much more than that. He’s a father. He’s a husband. He is a man with religious beliefs that drive him in many different ways. All of those things make Scottie Scheffler as good of a player as good of a player he is because he’s able to go out there and play with no inhibitions whatsoever.”

Herzig believes that because Scheffler doesn’t stress about the result as much, he can deliver better performances. Ironically, that is how he can achieve those results, unlike golfers who are primarily focused on their golf, to the point where it gets into their heads and ruins their game.

While Tiger Woods mastered that art and was able to overcome the stress, Scottie Scheffler has gained control over it by being indifferent toward it. And that’s why most critics mistake the nonchalance for arrogance, and grace for ingratitude.