PGA Tour sensation Scottie Scheffler’s ability to compartmentalize and prioritize what’s most important in his life is an enhanced trait that’s helped him capture two majors this year as World No. 1 for 150 weeks and counting. With four total career majors in tow, Scheffler’s at the top of his game both on and off the course; he places his wife and kids at No. 1 and his passion for golf somewhere below them.
But NFL great Tom Brady wonders why he can’t focus on both to the highest degree?
“Scottie said he’d rather be a better father and husband than a good golfer. And my question is: why are those mutually exclusive?” Brady wrote in this week’s newsletter. “Sure, they’re different blocks on the pyramid, but they’re part of the same pyramid. They’re connected! For instance, I think part of being a great father is being a great example of doing what it takes to take care of your family. I chose to do it by playing football.”
He continued: “My dedication to the sport, the hours of practice, the moments when I was laser focused — those were times when I believe I was doing the best possible thing for my family and my kids, by prioritizing my profession and teaching, by example, what it takes to be really good at your job, what it takes to follow through on commitments, what it takes to be a great teammate; and showing them, also by example, that work is a big part of all of our lives.”
Scheffler has taken a vastly different approach, but like Brady, he is already one of the all-time greats in his profession — and with plenty of golf ahead of him.
“This is not a fulfilling life,” Scheffler said earlier this month before winning The Open Championship. “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 why I talk about family being my priority, because it really is. I’m blessed to be able to come out here and play golf, but if my golf ever started affecting my home life or it ever affected the relationship I have with my wife or my son, that’s going to be the last day that I play out here for a living.”
Brady wrestled with both in 2022 and stayed retired for just two months before telling then-wife Gisele Bundchen and his family there was more football to be played with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Brady later said he modeled a hard work ethic to his children at the top of his game on the gridiron. Children soak up everything, Brady said, and he ensured that they witnessed their father trying to perfect his craft.
Brady retired “for good” in 2023 in an attempt to “recharge, rebuild” and “move on with his life” following his divorce from Bundchen. Tampa Bay went 8-9 with Brady in 2022, losing to the Dallas Cowboys, 31-14, in the wild card round.