Scottie Scheffler, professional golfer, has been named as one of Time Magazine's 100 Most Influential People of 2026. They labeled him as a “dominant figure in the sport.”
No one who knows anything about Scheffler is likely to disagree, but Scheffler probably would because that’s the kind of self-deprecating person he is.
Tony Romo, former quarterback for the Dallas Cowboys and currently football analyst for CBS Sports, wrote this about Scheffler: “To see a young player become this dominant is rare, especially in golf—unless you have something special inside of you.”
Romo thinks it comes down to Scheffler’s faith.
“It allows him to be freed up in high-pressure situations. He has a strong will and full belief in himself when he steps over a shot,” Romo wrote. “I think he’ll remain at the top for years to come because of the pure joy he has grabbing a golf club and hitting a golf ball.”
Romo is a frequent golf competitor of Scheffler's when they are both in Dallas, and they are often joined by Jordan Spieth. One of Romo’s stated goals is to beat Scheffler at golf.
“He's beat Jordan before, so shout-out to Jordan for that,” Scheffler said after his first round at the RBC Heritage at Harbour Town Golf Links. “But he hasn't beaten me yet. I'm not going to say that he can't because he's a good golfer, so I'm definitely not going to go out and say that he can't, and we also play a lot of golf together, and in golf you never really know what's going to happen.”
Not exactly trash-talking, but a slight attempt at trash-talking. When Scheffler heard some of the complimentary things that Romo had written, specifically about Scheffler’s maturity at a young age, he returned the favor.
“It's really nice,” Scheffler said. “Tony is a guy that I grew up watching play football. I had the opportunity to play golf with him, I think, when I was in college. I liked him from the start. He's kind of like a big kid. He loves to have fun. He loves competing.”
Scheffler also said that Romo had helped him handle the ins and outs of celebrity.
“He was the quarterback for the Dallas Cowboys, so he has a better understanding than I do of what it's like to be in the spotlight,” Scheffler noted about Romo. “I'm fortunate to have the ability to bounce stuff off of him.”
He has asked Romo how to handle media requests, what to do when people want pictures when he goes out to dinner. More or less a phone-a-friend on the celebrity aspects of life of the rich and famous.
“I feel like I've just learned a lot from him about how to navigate being a professional athlete while also trying to be a family man, as well,” Scheffler added.
When it comes to whether Romo will beat him at golf, Scheffler knows it’s possible.
“The great thing about golf is that I can go out there with him and give him enough, when it comes to golf, strokes to where we're going to have a good match,” he said.
As far as what he thought about being one of the most influential people in the world, Scheffler couldn’t provide a good answer.
“I don't really know, to be honest with you” he said. “I don't really know essentially what that means.”
In golf, however, Scheffler does know. The USGA Handicap Index allows them to have a competition that compensates for the skill differences.
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