When 28-year-old Scottie Scheffler slammed his cap on the iconic Quail Hollow, the golf world recognized that his PGA Championship win meant a lot to this Dallas native. The “humble” Scheffler joined Tiger Woods and Jack Nicklaus as the youngest golfer to win three majors and 15 PGA Tour wins since World War II. He also became the second golfer after Adam Scott to record the most rounds of 65 or lower in the PGA Championship. But for a golfer achieving such feats, he started from humble beginnings with his coach of 21 years, Randy Smith.
Scottie Scheffler’s parents sacrificed by moving from New Jersey to Dallas, Texas, to provide a better life for him. Although the move “uprooted their lives,” Scheffler still considers Dallas home. In 2021, he said, “When we moved to Dallas, it was pretty uncomfortable for my parents.” However, his parents made another sacrifice that he didn’t learn about until much later.
Sitting down for an interview with ROLEX, Scheffler talked about the sacrifice that eventually brought him to Randy Smith, his “fun uncle,” attention. “We joined this club when I was seven. My parents borrowed some money so that we could join out here, just for a place for our family to come spend time,” said Scheffler on his history with Royal Oaks. Scottie Scheffler’s parents needed a place where they could leave him without worry. For a young Scheffler, however, it simply meant he had a place to hang out and play golf. However, he discovered a couple of years ago that it was more complicated than that. His parents borrowed money to join the club, but they didn’t reveal it to him for a long time. But their sacrifice meant Scheffler met the veteran golf coach, Randy Smith.
Smith appeared in the same ROLEX video and shared his side of the story: “The day that Scottie showed up, the office had called me and said, “Would you meet this couple that has a kid coming out?” And I said, “Well, sure.” Naturally, it’s the next coming of Tiger Woods. Here’s the little kid. It was 103 degrees out there, and he’s in a pair of khaki slacks, a golf shirt, perfect. I was going to spend ten minutes with him. One hour and ten minutes after that, I finished watching. And I knew at that moment, he was special.”
Before Scheffler’s PGA Championship win, Smith shared about a younger Scheffler, “Every ball he hit was tied to a target.” Before Scheffler’s PGA Championship win, Smith recalled how focused a younger Scheffler was during their first practice session. He noticed that every shot Scheffler took aimed at a specific target, and he often changed targets while trying different types of shots, hitting the ball both high and low. From a young age, Scheffler learned from professional golfers like Colt Knost, Justin Leonard, and Anthony Kim. As he improved, he began to aim for tougher targets, focusing on a small pole 120 yards away with a 4-iron and refusing to move on until he hit it with a perfect stinger shot.
However, keeping note of his parents’ sacrifice, even Scheffler never stepped away from admitting the Randy Smith “effect on his game.” Talking about the same, the golfer said, “He’s the only person, really, that I’ve consulted with my swing my whole life,” he said. “He’s kind of the driving force behind what I do.” But what’s the one takeaway for Scheffler from their 2 decades of partnership?
The one Randy Smith’s advice that helps Scottie Scheffler achieve his best
One important piece of advice that Scheffler remembers is to be patient. Smith always reminded him that becoming a great golfer takes time and that improvement doesn’t happen all at once. Scheffler understands that his journey included many ups and downs, and Smith’s support in staying patient helped him handle the challenges he faced. “I felt like throughout the entire time he taught me, he always did a really good job of helping us all stay patient. When you’re younger and things aren’t going the way they’re supposed to, Randy always did a really good job of reminding me that it was a long journey to become good at golf,” Scheffler said after winning the PGA Championship.
Scheffler points out that golf often involves making progress, like taking two steps forward and then one step back. He thinks that if players focus too much on quick results, they might miss how far they’ve really come. He believes that the best golfers, including himself, enjoy the journey of getting better instead of just worrying about the final results. By committing to this journey and being patient, golfers can achieve their goals over time.
Their long relationship has brought many successes, including 90 junior titles, three All-American seasons at Texas, two Masters green jackets, an Olympic gold medal, and a lengthy period at the No. 1 spot in the world rankings.
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