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12 months ago, Scottie Scheffler won the Masters Tournament for a second time in three years, finishing four shots ahead of fellow Testimonee Ludvig Åberg.
Aged 27, he became just the fourth-youngest player to have two Masters victories and joined fellow Testimonees Tiger Woods and Jack Nicklaus as the only players to have multiple victories at both the PLAYERS Championship and the Masters Tournament.
The current World Number One, enjoyed a remarkable 2024 season, which included nine wins, that second Major title at Augusta, an Olympic gold medal, a FedEx Cup crown and winning the PGA TOUR Player of the Year award for a third time.
The American expands more on that memorable period in his career, and his time as a Rolex Testimonee:
Q: Rolex is known for its enduring partnerships. How has your relationship with Rolex evolved since you became a Rolex Testimonee in 2022?
Scottie Scheffler (SS): It has been a great partnership so far. I partnered with Rolex on the Sunday before the Masters Tournament in 2022. Having a partnership with Rolex and to be associated with such a brand is extremely special. I grew up watching so many of the tremendous Rolex advertisements, so I still find it a bit weird seeing my face pop up on the commercials every now and then. I am very proud to be associated with the brand.
Q: How does it feel to be associated with some of the games greats such as Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods?
SS: Anytime that you can be mentioned alongside Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods is very special. I grew up trying to emulate Tiger Woods on the course and watching a little bit of Jack Nicklaus, but more so Tiger because he was more my era. Anytime that I can be seen side by side with him is very special and a real dream come true moment for me.
Q: Can you share a particular moment or experience that highlighted the significance of your partnership with Rolex?
SS: I would probably say that the thing that stood out to me most was a moment after the Masters in 2022. My brain sometimes has a hard time processing what is going on. Sitting and reflecting is not necessarily a great skill of mine. When I was at home a few weeks after the tournament, I was sent the advertisement that Rolex had produced from my Masters win. It was such a beautiful advertisement. The imagery was incredible and then all of a sudden, I pop up on the screen and it shows the highlights of us winning. It was one of those, “Wow, this is really where my life has come” moments and just to be a part of the advertisements is very special to me as a player.
Scottie Scheffler Rolex Testimone
Q: Can you describe the emotions of putting on the iconic Green Jacket after your maiden victory at the Masters in 2022 and joining an esteemed group of players to have won the Masters?
SS: Putting on the Green Jacket is pretty special! The ceremony itself is beautiful. You are up on top of the hill, looking down over the golf course, the sun is setting and it is the Masters. Everything is perfect – the grass is green and the trees are green. It was very emotional for me. My whole family was there, my coach was there – basically everyone who had helped guide me along the way for years to get to that moment was there. To put on the Green Jacket was extremely cool. As the previous winner [in 2021], Hideki Matsuyama was able to put the Green Jacket on me which was fun as he is a fellow Rolex Testimonee. Being able to join the long list of Testimonees to have won the Masters such as Tiger and Jack and being able to go into the Champions Locker Room every year is a really cool experience. As you are putting on the Green Jacket, the emotions flow through you and I was just really grateful to be in that moment.
Q: Did this moment exceed all expectations and dreams you had as a golfer growing up?
SS: As a young golfer, you always dream of making the putt on the 18th hole to win the Masters. I four-putted the last hole so it was not necessarily the dream, childhood moment of making the winning putt, but the walk up the 18th hole was extremely surreal. My caddie, Ted Scott, and I had a conversation when we were walking up, saying thanks, being grateful and just really enjoying the moment. I think we really did [enjoy the moment] and the results of my putting on the 18th green probably show how much we were enjoying it. I think the feeling that you get with the achievement and the gratefulness of being able to achieve a lifelong dream is so special. It is just really fun to put on the Green Jacket and when you go back the next year, you get to host the Champions Dinner and do all the things that you have dreamed about. Going from being a little kid learning to play the game to winning the Masters is a truly humbling experience.
Q: The Masters Tournament holds a special place in golf history. How do you feel Rolex’s association with the tournament impacts the sports legacy?
SS: I feel like Rolex is such a classic brand and always associated with the best in all sports – whether that is The Championships, Wimbledon or the Masters. Rolex always goes hand in hand with those tournaments and creates long-lasting partnerships with all its athletes – whether it is Jack Nicklaus, Tiger Woods or Roger Federer. The partnerships seem to last a really long time and a tournament like the Masters also seems to stand the test of time. I think the foundations of the relationship between Rolex and the Masters are really simple and helps to enhance the legacy of both.
Q: Nine wins – the Masters Tournament, The PLAYERS, an Olympic Gold Medal, the FedEx Cup. You had your first child. When you hear it all put together in one sentence, what’s your reaction?
SS: It’s been a crazy year and it’s been a lot of fun. I’m not really exactly sure how to describe it other than it’s been a lot of fun. The tournaments have been great. Having Bennett being born in May was pretty fun as well and he’s been pretty awesome.
Q: Do you remember what you said to your friends before the final round at the Masters Tournament?
SS: I don’t remember what I said to my friends, but I remember what my friends told me.
Q: In your press conference, you said you told them “I wish I didn’t want to win so badly”. Can you elaborate on what you mean by that because you like winning?
SS: I do – I love to win, and since it’s the Masters, there’s always something special about it. When you grow up here in the United States, that’s the tournament I think we look at the most, just with the history around the tournament with Mr. Jones, the Augusta National Golf Club and it being on the same golf course year in year out. I think you just dream of getting a chance to play in that tournament and to have an opportunity to win it, for the second time, you’re sitting there in the morning and thinking “I want this so badly”. I almost wish that if I wanted it less, it would be easier for me just to go out there and play, but you desire something so much that you’ve worked so long for.
Q: During your first round at the Masters Tournament, holes 12 and 13 were a crucial turning point. Can you take us through those two holes?
SS: Thursday that week was a day in which I got like the absolute most I could have out of the round. I think I shot five or six under and was close to the lead, and it was a day in which I got off the golf course and I didn’t feel like my swing was in a great spot. I remember coming off the course and Randy told me, “great job” and asked how I felt out there, and I thought that I cannot keep going another three days in this tournament with my swing feeling like this and that we need to go figure something out. I remember Thursday being a day in which I was just really, really efficient going around the course. We went to the range and I told Randy what I was feeling in my swing and he gave me a little tip with my grip. I remember hitting one shot and it feeling exactly the way I wanted to feel, and I hit another one and it was exactly the way I wanted to feel, and then we left the range and it was a feeling that I stuck with for the rest of the week and it worked out pretty well.
Q: What was the tip?
SS: It was just the way my left thumb was on my grip. He had me move it down the grip just a touch. I’ll let Randy try to explain why that is. He’s fond of that kind of stuff. But I was just telling him the way it was, feeling a little loose in the backswing, and he told me to just move my left thumb just a touch down the grip. And I remember hitting my first shot to the left, because what I had been doing all day was saving it. When I flushed it, and it came out just to the left, I could feel what I was doing in my swing. And then I hit one more shot, and I could feel it right in the slot. That was exactly the feeling I was looking for and when I woke up the next day, it was still there, and I hit it really good the rest of the week.
Q: So you just hit two balls and left?
SS: I may have hit a few more after that, but I remember hitting two shots and being like, ‘All right, that’s it’. That was the feeling I was looking for. And I’m sure I hit a few more balls after that, but I remember us not really talking about anything else. I just said give me some more clubs, let me hit some shots. And then we left the range. And that was our feel for the week.
Q: In the third round you double bogey 10, bogey 11, eagle 13 and birdie 18 to get back into position. Do you remember that stretch?
SS: I remember landing it pretty close to pin high on 10 and it ended up over the green in a bush. I remember missing a pretty makeable par putt on 11. I’d missed a couple putts to the right that day and I remember asking Teddy if he saw anything, and he said that the ball might just be barely back in your stance. He said on my next one to move it up a touch. I remember making about a seven-footer for par on hole 12. It was an awkward putt where I couldn’t really tell which way it was going to break. I hit it right down my line and it went right in the middle. Then I made that key long putt there on 13 for eagle that kind of turned the day around pretty quick. That putt I made on hole 13 felt like a big momentum switch for me.
Q: During the final round, do you remember the conversation on hole 13 about going for it in two?
SS: I think Teddy said something along the lines of if it was somebody else he would consider laying up, but he said you’re the best long-iron player in the world, so just hit the shot at the green. At that point in the final round, I had a lead, so you don’t want to play defensively and we don’t want to change how we approach the round. That was a moment there on the back nine where we could have changed the way we usually played and maybe tried to limp in, but I remember asking Teddy to see where his thoughts were, and that’s when he said “you’re a great iron player, hit the ball on the green”. I remember hitting a good shot to the middle of the green, nice two-putt, and making another key birdie there on the next hole.
Scottie Scheffler shared his emotions after winning the 2024 Masters. Warren Little
Q: After the round you stopped to cry, just after the trophy ceremony, can you take us through what it was that moved you to tears?
SS: I get moved to tears pretty easily. Usually, I don’t make it this long through an interview without crying when you talk about like the Masters and things like that, so I’m a little proud of myself for that! I remember finishing and scoring, and everything always happens so quick after you win tournaments. I remember them going through the order of what is going to happen now and I just asked if I could go to the restroom and I didn’t need to use them at all, I just needed like two minutes to myself. I remember walking up towards the Locker Room and a couple people congratulated me, but there’s really nobody back there because everybody’s on the side of the Clubhouse that’s on the golf course. I had a nice walk up to the Champions Locker Room by myself and that is something that I always wanted to do after winning the Tournament once, I wanted to go up there again as a champion. The guys in the Locker Room always joke about keeping it in the Locker Room, so that was pretty fun to go up there and celebrate with the attendants up there. Sometimes you just need a couple minutes to collect your thoughts.
That’s really all it is. I’m a pretty emotional guy, and sometimes I just need a little time to myself to reflect. It wasn’t long, but I remember going to the bathroom and just kind of standing there for a minute, taking some deep breaths and a moment to reset before going back out to do the trophy presentation.
Q: How do you reflect on this success in 2024 and can you tell us about the different sources of inspiration or motivation on this continued pursuit of excellence?
SS: As far as sources of motivation go, I’ve always been internally motivated. I’m always trying to get the best out of myself. I’m not focused on the results. I try to focus on the process of getting better. When I talk about the start of 2024 when I was trying to improve my putting, I’m not all of a sudden going to come up with one thing that fixes it. It’s a process that takes a lot of time and a lot of work. To be focused on the process of improving and not the results is important. As far as the year went, I was able to capitalize on a lot of the opportunities that I had from playing good golf. I’m not good at reflecting on it, but it was definitely a fun year and I’m very grateful to have had the success that I’ve had.
Q: Speaking of continued improvement, after such a successful 2024 season, are there any particular ways that you are looking to evolve your game or change anything in terms of your approach and life away from the course?
SS: On the course, I’m always striving to continue to improve my game, so that’s making sure my full swing is in a good spot, making sure I’m still controlling my distances well and creating new shots for myself. In terms of my short game, it’s continuing to improve touch and feel around the greens, coming up with more shots that I can use and continuing to refine the skills that I already have. When it comes to the putting, it’s continuing to work on the things that Phil and I have been working on. I’m not focused on the results, but only the process to get better which takes a lot of time and a lot of energy. My goal this off-season was to be as efficient as I could with my practice because I want to be able to go to the golf course, practice, get my work done and then go home and spend time with my wife and son. My priority is my family first, not my job, and so when I get time to go out and go to work, I need to be very focused and present in terms of what I’m doing on the golf course.
Main Image: Rolex
