The American golf star is the current world number one and closing in on a third major title
The final round of this year’s PGA Championship is underway, with world number one Scottie Scheffler looking set to take the crown.
Scheffler stormed into the lead at Quail Hollow in North Carolina on Saturday, making an eagle and three birdies in his final five holes to take a three shot advantage into the final round. Having ended the day on 11 under par for the tournament, he is ahead of Sweden’s Alex Noren on eight under and fellow Americans J.T. Poston and Davis Riley, who are both on seven under.
If he can see out the final round in similar style, the 28-year-old will win his third major win, having already won The Masters on two occasions, adding the green jacket he won last year to the one he donned for the first time in 2022.
Despite losing out to Rory McIlroy by finishing fourth at Augusta last month, Scheffler is in pole position for another big win and continue his dominance as the highest ranked golfer in the world.
However, despite his success on the course, the New Jersey-born golfer arguably doesn’t have quite the same celebrity status as the likes of McIlroy, with little of his personal life making headlines.
As he closes in on another title, here’s what you need to know about Scheffler’s life away from the course, from his incredible net worth and supportive wife to his run-in with the police that stunned the world of golf last year.
Incredible net worth
At just 28 years old, Scheffler has already accumulated a vast fortune through his success on the golf course and a number of lucrative endorsement deals.
According to Forbes, his net worth is estimated to be in the region of $61 million (£46 million), although other online sources have estimate he could be worth as much as $90 million (£67.8 million).
Last year, he was ranked number four in Forbes’ list of the world’s highest paid golfers, just behind Jon Raham, Rory McIlroy and Tiger Woods.
In 2024, Scheffler took home a whopping $29.2 million (£22 million) in PGA Tour winnings, breaking the record for seasonal earnings on the tour for the third successive year.
He also received a cool $25 million (£18.8 million) bonus for winning the FedExCup.
In addition to his tournament triumphs, the American is also reported to earn in the region of $20 million (£15 million) from his endorsement deals with NetJets, Nike, Rolex, TaylorMade and Veritex Community Bank.
Childhood sweetheart wife
Scheffler has been married to his wife Meredith for over four years, having met while at high school in Dallas together.
After graduating from high school, the pair attended different colleges two hours apart but kept their relationship going.
While Meredith earned her Bachelor’s degree in 2018 and co-founded With Purpose College Station – a non-profit organisation raising money for childhood cancer research – she has also been at her husband’s side throughout his golf career and has even caddied for him at the annual par-three Masters tournament.
The couple tied the knot in Dallas in December 2020 in a winter wonderland-themed wedding, while they have gone on to welcome a son, Bennett, together.
Bennett was born last year, with Meredith heavily pregnant and just weeks away from giving birth as Scheffler prepared for The Masters, which he went on to win for the second time.
However, he almost never got his hands on the green jacket, having vowed to leave the course at Augusta immediately if Meredith went into labour while he was playing.
“People have asked us how our preparation is going for the baby,” Scheffler said at the time. “The nursery is not quite ready and we’ve had some issues at our house the last few weeks. I think that’s the exciting part. I think we are definitely underprepared to be parents.
“As far as her going into labour, I wouldn’t say I’m very concerned. We haven’t seen any of the early signs. But pregnancy is weird, it can happen at any time.
“Yeah, open lines of communication and she can get a hold of me if she needs to. I’m ready to go at a moment’s notice.”
Thankfully, Scheffler did not need to rush off as he claimed his second major championship title at the Masters before Bennett was born a few weeks later.
Shock arrest before PGA Championship
Scheffler looks set to add a third major title to his trophy cabinet at this year’s PGA Championship, but was at the centre of a bizarre controversy at last year’s tournament as he was arrested by police and taken away in handcuffs.
The second round of the 2024 competition was delayed after a retired security guard, who had volunteered to work at the Championship at Valhalla Golf Club in Kentucky, was struck and killed by a shuttle bus outside the entrance gates to the course.
Around 6am that morning, Scheffler attempted to drive through the gates, only to be arrested by officers from Louisville Police, with images of him being led away in handcuffs soon circulating online.
He was then hit with a felony charge of second-degree assault of a police officer as well as three misdemeanours, namely third-degree criminal mischief, reckless driving, and disregarding traffic signals from an officer directing traffic.
However, he was released at 8.40am, with all of the charges against him dropped less than two weeks later.
Scheffler went on to describe the incident as a “big misunderstanding”, adding: “I wish to put this incident behind me, and I hope (the officer) will do the same. Police officers have a difficult job and I hold them in high regard.”
Dropping the charges against the golf ace, Jefferson County Attorney Mike O’Connell said: “Based upon the totality of the evidence, my office cannot move forward in the prosecution of the charges filed against Mr. Scheffler.
“The evidence we reviewed supports the conclusion that Detective Gillis was concerned for public safety at the scene when he initiated contact with Mr. Scheffler.
“However, Mr. Scheffler’s actions and the evidence surrounding their exchange during this misunderstanding do not satisfy the elements of any criminal offenses.”
