Scottie Scheffler admits becoming a father of two has transformed his PGA Tour routine

Scottie Scheffler admits becoming a father of two has dramatically changed the way he prepares and practises on the PGA Tour.

Scheffler, 29, arrives at this week’s CJ Cup Byron Nelson at TPC Craig Ranch as the overwhelming favourite to defend the title he won by eight shots last year on a record-breaking 31-under-par total.

The tournament holds special significance for the Dallas native, who grew up attending the event and idolising the late Byron Nelson.

“I have a lot of strong feelings towards this tournament,” said Scheffler.

“This tournament means a lot to me. Mr. Nelson means a lot to a lot of us from the Dallas area, but especially myself. He's a guy that I've looked up to, the way he approached the game for a long time, and he's a family man.

“I think his legacy is something that's important to me as well, and being able to play here and compete in this tournament is the tournament I grew up dreaming of having a chance to play in. So I have a lot of strong feelings for this tournament, and I hope nothing but the best for it.”

Playing close to home also gives the world number one a rare opportunity to sleep in his own bed during a tournament week, something that has become increasingly important since he and wife Meredith welcomed their second son, Remy, in March.

The couple celebrated the birth of their first child, Bennett, in May 2024, and Scheffler admits adding another child to family life has forced him to rethink his entire PGA Tour routine.

“I think so far this year, when you add a second child to the mix, I think that's a whole different ballgame in terms of home life,” said Scheffler.

“Then like you said, yeah, there's a lot more activity for me at golf tournaments than there was early in my career. I think you just adjust.

“I can't spend as much time at the golf course as I did when I was younger, early in my career, and that's for a variety of reasons. 

“It's more important for me to get home in a timely manner now. A lot of it is just schedule adjustments. You just adjust your day and prioritize the things I need to prioritize. Yeah, just doing the best I can is really all I can describe it as.”

Despite spending less time practising than earlier in his career, Scheffler believes the balance between golf and family life has given him a fresh perspective.

“Some days you feel better than others, but overall, I think when you're tired at the end of the day, I think it's a good thing. It's good. Being tired, I think, means you had a nice full day,” he added.

“Rest is important too, and most days, especially when I'm competing out here on Tour, I should be tired because I'll have a full day of competing out here, and when I get home, it's game on with two little ones. So full days.”

Scheffler returns to action after a disappointing finish at the PGA Championship, where a cold putter left him tied for 14th after losing nearly two shots on the greens over the weekend.

The four-time major champion admitted his putting was not sharp enough for him to defend his title last week, but said he has spent the early part of this week resetting his fundamentals after taking Monday off to spend time with family.

“I guess just putting specific, you kind of just go through ebbs and flows, and putting is something, especially when you're putting in wind and on greens without much slope, there's going to be variants and how things are going,” said Scheffler.

“Overall, I feel like I'm in a good spot. I've actually putted the best that I have in my career so far this year and just kind of get a reset, get on some new greens, work on my reads, make sure I'm checking all my fundamentals.”

Scheffler also compared his current situation to last season, when he recovered from a poor putting week at the Scottish Open before going on to win The Open the following week. 

“I actually went through something similar last year after the Scottish Open. I had a tough week on the greens and showed up at The Open Championship,” he said.

“I talked to Phil, my putting coach, and our discussion was basically like, I just want to make sure I'm starting the ball online, and I want to make sure I'm lined up where I think I'm lined up. That's what I did, and I went on to have a great putting week and a great tournament.

“I think golf is riding the ebbs and flows and continue to work on the things that I feel like I need to work on and just continue to go do those things.”

Scheffler was also full of praise for the recent redesign of TPC Craig Ranch, which underwent a reported $25 million renovation led by Lanny Wadkins.

The changes include redesigned bunkers, resurfaced greens, new turf and lengthened holes designed to prevent another low-scoring shootout.

“Overall I'd say it's fairly similar tee-to-green. I think Lanny did a really good job of adding some bunkering to really shape things, like I think the shapes off the tee are a lot better than what they were,” said Scheffler, who is looking to match Wadkins for 21 career PGA Tour titles this week. 

“On the greens now, they're definitely much more interesting. Like I said, with some of the slopes on a couple of the greens being pretty aggressive. We'll see if they're too aggressive.”

Scheffler believes the revamped greens could dramatically impact scoring depending on pin positions throughout the week.

“If they wanted the winning score here to be 5- to 10-under par, I think they could do it if they wanted to, just based on where they put the pins, but would that be the best test? Who knows.”

Scheffler will play the opening two rounds alongside his good friend Si Woo Kim and former Ryder Cup teammate Brooks Koepka, who returned to the PGA Tour this season after leaving LIV Golf at the end of 2025.