Scottie Scheffler has won an eye-watering amount in prize money from major championships in the last four years, but the American has refused to be swayed by the cash on offer on the PGA Tour
Former Masters winner Trevor Immelman has praised Scottie Scheffler for sacrificing potentially millions to focus on his major success and family life. Scheffler continued his extraordinary form over the past two years by clinching his first victory at The Open Championship in dominant fashion on Sunday.
The Claret Jug, which he won after scoring 17-under par and beating the field by four strokes, marked his fourth major success in as many years. The victory saw him pocket £2.4million in prize money, taking his PGA Tour career earnings to an eye-watering £67.48m.
However, it is clear that money is not the motivating factor for the 29-year old-Texan. He is known to prioritise improving his golf skills, as well as spending time with his wife and young son, above all else.
That has led Scheffler to forgo substantial sums of money during what is the peak earning period of his career, by not becoming overly distracted off the course with sponsorships and external media duties.
Even on the course, Scheffler opts for quality over quantity, carefully selecting which tournaments he participates in. He often skips events in the weeks leading up to majors, allowing him to prioritise recovery and preparation for the bigger events.
For example, he withdrew from the Truist Championship prior to his PGA Championship triumph in May. Now, Immelman, 45, has lauded Scheffler’s dedication to his craft, believing he will recoup the money lost from skipping tournaments down the line.
He did highlight the point, however, that many golfers in the past didn’t have the privilege of earning enough prize money to be so selective and concentrate all of their efforts on specific events.
The South African, who clinched the Masters in 2008, said on the Fried Egg Golf podcast: “It is great discipline and clarity. He’s figured out that this is the formula that is going to help him play his best golf week in week out. He’s not budging from that.
“We do need to be honest though and state that players in this era now have that option because of the amount of money that they play for, week in week out, the bonus structures, etc. When you have the ability that Scottie or Rory [McIlroy] or any of those big dogs have, you’re going to be making a lot so you can start to cut down on some of the other stuff.
“Previous generations weren’t afforded that same situation and so you had to think a little more outside the box about ways to generate income. But it’s like a perfect storm for him where the way professional golf is currently structured suits his personality and his ideas.
“He can keep the main thing as the main thing, which is maintaining and improving this incredible level of play. If he does that, the amount of money he’s going to make is unfathomable for normal people.”
Scheffler is said to be raking in £14.84m from his sponsorship deals with NetJets, Nike, Rolex, TaylorMade, and Veritex Community Bank as of April 2025, according to Forbes. He’s also struck lucrative agreements with Vokey Wedges, Scotty Cameron and Titleist, which include golf balls and putts, respectively, as per Celebrity Net Worth.
The American has held the world’s No. 1 spot since May 2023 – the longest reign since Tiger Woods managed it from June 2005 until October 2010. Yet he’s shown remarkable introspection lately, admitting before the Open that conquering the golf course doesn’t bring him true happiness.
“This is not a fulfilling life,” Scheffler explained at Royal Portrush. “It’s fulfilling from the sense of accomplishment, but it’s not fulfilling from a sense of the deepest places of your heart.
“That’s something that I wrestle with on a daily basis. It’s like showing up at the Masters every year; it’s like why do I want to win this golf tournament so badly? Why do I want to win the Open Championship so badly? I don’t know because, if I win, it’s going to be awesome for two minutes.
“Is it great to be able to win tournaments and to accomplish the things I have in the game of golf? Yeah, it brings tears to my eyes just to think about it because I’ve literally worked my entire life to be good at this sport.
“To have that kind of sense of accomplishment, I think, is a pretty cool feeling. To get to live out your dreams is very special, but at the end of the day, I’m not out here to inspire the next generation of golfers. I’m not out here to inspire someone to be the best player in the world, because what’s the point?
“You win it, you celebrate, get to hug my family, my sister’s there, it’s such an amazing moment. Then it’s like, OK, what are we going to eat for dinner? Life goes on. It feels like you work your whole life to celebrate winning a tournament for like a few minutes. It only lasts a few minutes.”