I’ve been a fan of Scottie Scheffler for several years. Not only is he an incredible golfer, but he also displays deep faith and impeccable character. He and his wife have a 14-month-old son, and becoming a father has reframed his priorities.
Earlier this month, Scheffler made some comments before and after the 153rd Open Championship that turned heads. The Athletic reports about how Scheffler mused on the fleeting pleasure of success before the tournament:
The 29-year-old American spoke about the importance of faith and family and about how, 14 months after the birth of his son, Bennett, the sport that is his job is not the be-all and end-all of his existence. “I’m blessed to be able to play golf,” he said, “but if my golf ever started affecting my home life or the relationship with my wife or son, that’s going to be the last day that I play out here for a living.”
In a press conference answer lasting around five minutes, Scheffler also spoke about the fleeting euphoria that accompanies success. There is a sense of accomplishment in winning big tournaments, he said, but not one that is “fulfilling from a sense of the deepest places of your heart.”
“You get to number one in the world, and… what’s the point?” he added. “Why do I want to win this tournament so bad?”
After Scheffler won the tournament, members of the press circled back to what he said before playing. “I’ve worked my entire life to become good at this game and play for a living,” he told reporters. “It’s one of the great joys of my life. But having success is not what fulfils the deepest desires of your heart.”
Scheffler is at the top of his game. At 29, he has won four majors in three years, and he’s proving himself to be a generational talent. But more than anything else, he grounds himself in faith and family.
Naturally, this baffles sports media figures, including one who says he’s a Christian. Skip Bayless, never one to miss the opportunity to deliver a microwaved take, presumed on his podcast to know better than Scheffler what God’s purpose is for the golfer’s life:
I was jolted and jarred by what Scottie Scheffler said on the eve of the British Open. No, Scottie, no. God gave you spectacular ability to play the world’s hardest game, gave you the strongest competitive drive since Tiger, gave you what Jack Nicklaus had, what Ben Hogan had. You can’t just shrug it off at age 29 and focus on being a better father than a golfer. You can’t do that, Scottie, no. God wants you to maximize the platform from which you can honor Him and encourage fans to open their hearts to Him, to God.
That’s what God has led or called you to do, Scottie. Not to focus on your wife and infant son before you are 30. Golf is just too hard; the line is just too fine between dominating and missing cuts.
Bayless somehow managed to make God’s holy calling on a person’s life sound as self-indulgent as he could.
“I believe Scottie Scheffler is a true believer, that he is a legit God guy, that he does have God in his heart, but here’s where Scottie Scheffler and I differ,” Bayless continued.
“I felt called by God to be the very best truth-telling commentator and writer I could be, the very best,” he added. “However, I could maximize my talent that God gave me, I’m going to do it. To do so, I sacrificed having children because I saw that properly and correctly raising children would be a huge time-draining distraction from maximizing my talents.”
SCOTTIE SCHEFFLER, THAT’S WHAT GOD HAS “LED” OR “CALLED” YOU TO DO … NOT TO FOCUS ON YOUR WIFE AND INFANT SON BEFORE YOU’RE 30. GOLF IS JUST TOO HARD … THE LINE IS JUST TOO FINE BETWEEN DOMINATING AND MISSING CUTS pic.twitter.com/7Kl4igyYHh
— Skip Bayless (@RealSkipBayless) July 25, 2025
“Nobody on planet Earth listened to or read Scheffler’s vulnerable comments and thought ‘no, he’s wrong, hitting a ball into a cup is more important than faith and family,’ except for Bayless,” commented Mark Harris at Outkick.
Here’s the thing: Bayless may believe that God has called him to work in sports media, and I’m not going to suggest that he’s wrong. That’s between him and the Lord. Although I would argue that if it’s God’s calling on Bayless’ life, he ought to do a better job at it. (Bayless isn’t the only one with hot takes.)
But Bayless has no right to presume what God has called Scheffler to do. Sure, Scheffler is electrifying to watch and is experiencing the kind of success that golfers everywhere crave. Maybe that’s what God has called him to do in this season, but Scheffler is also a devoted husband, father, and Christian. Those aren’t mutually exclusive with professional golf; Scheffler just needs to understand his priorities. And I believe he does.
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