How Scottie Scheffler Wins: 3 Principles You Can Use to Improve Your Golf Game

When Scottie Scheffler finished The American Express with a four-shot win last Sunday, he made history in a way many casual fans may not have noticed. He not only won his 20th PGA TOUR event and earned lifetime membership, but more importantly, he joined Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods as the only players to win 20 tournaments and four majors before age 30.

Think about that. Only three players in history have done this.

We’re witnessing greatness as it happens. If you want to get better at golf, there’s no better way than to learn what sets legends apart. Scheffler isn’t just winning-he’s dominating. Nine of his 20 wins have been by four shots or more, including this one, where he made four birdies in six holes to pull away from the field.

So what can we take from Scottie’s rise to join Tiger and Jack? Here are three key principles that define true greatness in golf.

Action Item: Identify your “make a move” holes on your home course and practice turning pars into birdies.

Notice how Scheffler plays when he sees a chance. At PGA WEST, he started Sunday one shot behind Si Woo Kim and tied with 18-year-old Blades Brown. Just five holes later, both were five shots back.

That’s not luck. That’s a winner instinct.

Scheffler hit an 8-iron to two feet on the fourth hole for birdie. On the 11th, he almost chipped in and made another easy birdie. On the 12th, he hit a wedge to two feet for yet another birdie.

When it mattered, he didn’t just take the lead-he left everyone else behind.

The takeaway? Great players do more than play well. They pull ahead when it counts. They have something extra that others don’t.

For your own game, look for chances to score and take full advantage. Know which holes on your course are good birdie chances. Practice the shots you’ll need for those holes. When you’re playing well, don’t just settle for pars, push yourself to build a lead. Work on being clutch.

Action Item: Develop a consistent pre-round routine and stick to it regardless of the event’s importance.

When someone asked Scheffler about joining Tiger and Jack in the record books, he said, “I try not to think about that stuff too much. I was just trying to do the things I needed to do to be prepared.”

That’s it-the secret is right there in front of us.

Scheffler doesn’t let the moment or pressure distract him. He focuses on getting ready, puts in the work, and always shows up prepared.

This was his first tournament of the season, but he played as if he’d been competing for months. No signs of rust, no excuses-just solid preparation paying off.

For amateur golfers, this is a key lesson. Don’t just hope you’ll play well; make sure you’ve done everything you can to prepare. Warm up on the range, know your distances, work on your short game, and use a pre-shot routine for every shot.

Greatness isn’t just about talent. It’s about preparing so well that good performance becomes second nature.

Action Item: After a bad hole, immediately refocus on your next shot’s specific target and commit fully to your routine.

Even Scheffler makes mistakes. On the par-3 17th, called “Alcatraz,” he hit his tee shot into the water and made a double bogey. But it didn’t matter-his lead was so strong that one bad hole didn’t change the outcome.

More importantly, notice how top players handle setbacks. They don’t let one bad hole turn into several. They stick to their plan and trust their routine.

For your own game, this means building emotional strength. You’ll hit bad shots and have tough holes. The real question is whether you let them ruin your round or move on, like Scheffler did on 17.

Scottie Scheffler isn’t just a good player-he’s one of the all-time greats. Most of us won’t reach his level, but we can still learn from the principles that made him successful: create separation, prepare thoroughly, and stay calm when things get tough.

If you do these three things regularly, you may not be compared to Tiger or Jack, but you will see your game improve.