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Scott Alexander Scheffler, born on June 21, 1996, is an American professional golfer ranked number one in the world. He has won three major championships, including the Masters Tournament twice (2022 and 2024) and the PGA Championship (2025). Scheffler's success in golf began at a young age, and he is known for his unconventional footwork, dubbed the Scheffler shuffle. However, in May 2024, he made headlines for being arrested before the PGA Championship Round 2 due to a misunderstanding with the police. Despite this incident, Scheffler continues to be one of the most prominent golfers today, with his earnings and endorsements making him the sport's biggest star outside of Tiger Woods.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Full name | Scott Alexander Scheffler |
| Date of birth | 21 June 1996 |
| Nationality | American |
| Ranking | World number one |
| Number of major championship wins | 3 |
| Number of Masters Tournament wins | 2 |
| Number of PGA Championship wins | 1 |
| Number of Players Championship wins | 2 |
| Unconventional footwork | "Scheffler shuffle" or "Scottie shuffle" |
| Golf interests began | Age three |
| Golf influences | Justin Leonard, Ryan Palmer, Colt Knost, Harrison Frazar |
| High school | Highland Park High School, Dallas |
| Other notable alumni from high school | Clayton Kershaw, Matt Stafford |
| Wife | Meredith |
| Favourite sport to watch on TV | Basketball |
| Arrests | 1 (before PGA Championship Round 2 in 2024) |
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What You'll Learn
Scottie Scheffler's golfing technique, including his unconventional footwork
Scottie Scheffler is an American professional golfer who plays on the PGA Tour. He is currently ranked world number one in the Official World Golf Ranking, a position he has held for over 100 weeks. He has won three major championships: the Masters Tournament twice (2022, 2024) and the PGA Championship (2025).
Scheffler's golfing technique has been described as unconventional, particularly his footwork, which has been dubbed the "Scheffler shuffle" or the "Scottie shuffle". His footwork involves a sliding motion in the back foot and a rolling of the lead ankle through impact, which creates speed in his swing. This technique is uncommon but not exclusive to him; Golf Channel analyst Brandel Chamblee compared his footwork to that of Greg Norman.
Scheffler's foot slide used to occur during his downswing before hitting the ball, creating inconsistent results. However, his performance coach, Troy Van Biezen, who has worked with him since he was 14, explained that now, when Scheffler is playing well, his foot slides after the ball is struck, post-impact. Van Biezen also credited Scheffler's coach for not attempting to change his swing, stating that any other golf coach would have likely tried to change it and potentially ruined his game.
During the downswing, there are three key movements in the sequence: the lateral shift, the turn, and the vertical jump. Scheffler's footwork is the result of these three movements. The first move is a lateral shift in pressure from the trail foot to the lead foot, which helps coil the body and create potential energy that turns into clubhead speed on the way down. As Scheffler's pressure shifts forward, he starts the next movement, the turn, by pushing pressure from his lead foot toes into his heels. Once Scheffler gets near the bottom of the swing arc, he begins to use ground reaction forces to push up and create even more power, which results in a powerful, repeatable, and consistent swing.
While Scheffler's footwork may look unusual, it has proven effective, with Scheffler becoming the most dominant ball striker in professional golf since Tiger Woods. His success is also attributed to his simple training methods and focus on ball striking rather than advanced techniques.
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Scheffler's early life and amateur career
Scott Alexander Scheffler was born on June 21, 1996, and is an American professional golfer who plays on the PGA Tour. He is currently ranked as the world number one in the Official World Golf Ranking and has held that position for over 100 weeks.
Scheffler's interest in golf began at the age of three when his parents gave him a set of plastic clubs and a ball. As a child, he practised by hitting ping-pong balls inside his home, curving the ball from one room to the next. While living in New Jersey, Scheffler frequently asked his father to take him to the 9W Driving Range in Palisades, New York, near the Hudson River. During the winters, Scheffler's father shovelled snow from the range to allow him to practise.
After moving to Dallas, Scheffler's parents borrowed $50,000 to join the Royal Oaks Country Club, where he began receiving tutelage under instructor Randy Smith, who had previously coached Justin Leonard to victory at the 1997 Open Championship. At Royal Oaks, Scheffler also learned from professional golfers such as Leonard, Ryan Palmer, Colt Knost, and Harrison Frazar. He watched them practise and, from the age of nine, would challenge them to chipping and putting contests.
Scheffler attended Highland Park High School in Dallas, where he played golf and basketball. He experienced a large growth spurt in high school, growing from barely 5 feet (1.5 m) to over 6 feet (1.8 m) tall. At Highland Park, Scheffler won individual state titles three years in a row from 2012 to 2014, matching a record set by fellow Texan Jordan Spieth. He also had success in AJGA events and won the 2013 U.S. Junior Amateur, defeating Davis Riley 3 and 2. Scheffler was the top-ranked junior golfer in the country in 2014 and won the Junior Invitational at Sage Valley in April of that year. He made his PGA Tour debut in May 2014 as a 17-year-old amateur at the HP Byron Nelson Championship.
Scheffler played collegiate golf at the University of Texas, where his teammates included Beau Hossler, Kramer Hickok, and Doug Ghim. He had a successful amateur career, including victory at the U.S. Junior Amateur in 2013 and low-amateur honours at the 2017 U.S. Open. He turned professional in 2018 and was named Korn Ferry Tour Player of the Year in 2019 and PGA Tour Rookie of the Year in 2020.
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Scheffler's PGA Tour wins
Scottie Scheffler is an American professional golfer who has been ranked as the world number one in the Official World Golf Ranking for over 100 weeks. He has won three major championships, including the Masters Tournament twice (2022 and 2024) and the PGA Championship (2025).
Scheffler's first PGA Tour win came in 2022 at TPC Scottsdale. He has since accumulated a total of 16 PGA Tour wins, with his most recent victory being his successful defence of his title at the 2025 Memorial Tournament. This marked his third win in four starts, which also included his third career major title at the PGA Championship.
Scheffler's win at the 2025 PGA Championship was particularly notable as he shot 11-under 273, claiming the title by five strokes over runners-up Bryson DeChambeau, Harris English, and Davis Riley. This was the largest margin of victory at the PGA Championship since Rory McIlroy's win in 2012. With this win, Scheffler joined Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods as the only golfers since 1950 to win at least 15 PGA Tour tournaments before turning 29.
Scheffler's other notable PGA Tour wins include The Players Championship in 2023 and 2024, making him the first to win the title in back-to-back years. He also had a breakout season in 2022, recording his first victory on the PGA Tour and winning his first major championship at the Masters Tournament.
Scheffler's success in golf began at a young age, winning 90 out of 136 tournaments on the Northern Texas PGA junior circuit. He continued his winning streak at Highland Park High School, claiming individual state titles three years in a row from 2012 to 2014.
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Scheffler's arrest before the 2024 PGA Championship
Scottie Scheffler is an American professional golfer ranked world number one in the Official World Golf Ranking. He has won three major championships, including the Masters Tournament and the PGA Championship.
On May 17, 2024, Scheffler was arrested and charged with four offences while on his way to the Valhalla Golf Club in Lexington, Kentucky, for the second round of the 2024 PGA Championship. A fatal car accident had occurred earlier that morning, and police were attempting to direct traffic. Scheffler tried to go around the traffic barricade, which led to his detention. In the process, an officer was dragged to the ground, sustaining minor injuries, including a scraped knee and ripped pants.
Scheffler was charged with second-degree assault of a police officer, third-degree criminal mischief, reckless driving, and disregarding signals from officers. He was released in time to make his tee time, and all charges against him were dropped less than two weeks later.
Despite this incident, Scheffler went on to win the 2025 PGA Championship, his third major championship title. He shot 11-under 273, winning by five strokes over runners-up Bryson DeChambeau, Harris English, and Davis Riley.
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Scheffler's off-course life and interests
Scott Alexander Scheffler is an American professional golfer ranked number one in the world for over 100 weeks. He has won three major championships, including the Masters Tournament twice (2022, 2024) and the PGA Championship (2025).
Scheffler's interest in golf began at age three when his parents gave him a set of plastic clubs and balls. He practised as a child by hitting ping-pong balls inside his home and frequently asked his father to take him to the 9W Driving Range in Palisades, New York. Scheffler's father shovelled snow from the range in the winter to allow him to practise. After moving to Dallas, Scheffler's parents joined the Royal Oaks Country Club, where he received golf instruction from Randy Smith, who had coached Justin Leonard. Scheffler also learned from professional golfers such as Leonard, Ryan Palmer, Colt Knost, and Harrison Frazar.
In addition to his success in golf, Scheffler played basketball at Highland Park High School in University Park, Dallas. He stands at over 6 feet (1.8 m) tall, having experienced a large growth spurt when he was younger. Scheffler is involved with Triumph Over Kid Cancer, an organization started by his late childhood friend, James Ragan. He enjoys playing pickup basketball in his free time.
Scheffler's unconventional footwork has drawn attention in the golf media and has been dubbed the "Scheffler shuffle" or the "Scottie shuffle." His technique involves a pronounced sliding motion in his back foot and a rolling of the lead ankle through impact. This unique approach has become a signature part of his golfing style.
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Frequently asked questions
Scheffler is ranked number one in the world in the Official World Golf Ranking.
Scheffler has an unconventional footwork style that has been dubbed the "Scheffler shuffle" or the "Scottie shuffle". It involves a pronounced sliding motion in his back foot and a rolling of the lead ankle through impact.
Scheffler has won three major championships: the Masters Tournament twice (2022, 2024) and the PGA Championship (2025). He also won the Players Championship in 2023 and 2024, becoming the first to win the title consecutively.
Scheffler's interest in golf began at age three when his parents gave him a set of plastic clubs and a ball. He attended Highland Park High School in Dallas, where he played golf and basketball. He played collegiate golf at the University of Texas and turned professional in 2018.
