Speaking on Wednesday, April 10, after being asked what defines him as a person, professional golfer Scottie Scheffler, a favorite to win the upcoming weekend’s The Masters tournament, said that it is his Christian faith that defines him as a person. He also explained that he wants to use his platform as a pro golfer to help share his faith with others.
Making those comments to reporters, Scheffler described himself as being a “faithful guy” and explained how his career gives him a platform that he can use to speak about his faith. He said, “I’m a faithful guy. I believe in a Creator. I believe in Jesus. Ultimately, I think that’s what defines me the most. I feel like I’ve been given a platform to compete and, you know, show my talent. It’s not anything that I did.”
Continuing, he turned from faith to career for a moment, noting that he was unprepared for speaking to the media in 2022. In doing so, Scheffler implied that he wouldn’t let that happen this year and that he’s ready to use the opportunity to share his faith if he has the good fortune to win the tournament and speak to all those watching again.
Making that point, he said, “I think I sat up here a couple years ago doing the interview after the 2022 Masters, and it’s like, yeah, I was underprepared for what was about to happen. I didn’t know what was going to happen. I didn’t — I was very anxious that morning. I didn’t know what to expect.”
Scheffler then returned to discussing faith explicitly, saying that it is what defines him as a person. Beginning, he explained that though golf is what he does for his career, it is now what defines him as a person, but rather his faith is what defines him. He said, “Golf is something I do. It’s a tremendously huge part of my life, but it doesn’t define me as a person.”
Continuing, he explained how his Christian faith is what defines him instead of golf, telling the reporters, “And it’s hard to describe the feeling, but I think that’s what defines me the most is my faith. I believe in one Creator, that I’ve been called to come out here, do my best, compete and glorify God, and that’s pretty much it.”
Watch Scheffler here:
Posting about the interview on X, golf writer Kyle Porter said, “The No. 1 player in the world (by far) was asked today about what defines him. Spoiler: He got emotional. And it’s not golf.” Replying, one commenter on Porter’s post wrote, “Watched the presser…he inspires many of us to be better and put something (hopefully a Savior) greater than ourselves above us. WOW.”
Similarly, another commenter wrote, “how do you not root for this guy? (rhetorical) great questions. vulnerable answers. thank you for sharing this clip. this is what sports and life is all about. and, it is coming from one of the best golfers in the world. #themasters”
Featured image credit: screengrab from the embedded video