Nike saw the potential. World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler has lived up to it. It’s just a matter of time before the 30-year-old becomes the PGA Tour’s top earner. However, a few years ago, Scheffler had to sleep on the floor to sustain his golfing dream.

Long before Scheffler turned professional in 2018, he had Nike’s backing. That relieved him of the immense financial pressure and allowed him to follow his PGA Tour dream.

"I signed with Nike right when I got out of school and was able to give me some money that I needed going forward to where I didn't have to worry about like a place I was going to stay or, like, can I afford these Monday qualifiers, Q-School, stuff like that," he told reporters during his Wednesday press conference.  

Nike did see something special in young Scheffler, and they were proven right. The American went on to become the World No.1 and has racked up 21 wins. 

The deal gave Scheffler the freedom to navigate and play Monday qualifiers and mini-tour events without worrying about affordability. 

"Nike was a partner of mine growing up and they were a partner right from the beginning when I turned pro. I was able to have some freedom when it came to flying across the country," he added, as reported by GolfMagic’s Andy Roberts.  

Scheffler's struggles seem to be paying off. Coming fresh from a win at the FedEx St. Jude Championship, the 30-year-old is guaranteed to finish at the top of the FedExCup rankings after this week’s BMW Championship. 

Scheffler is on the brink of breaking Tiger Woods’ financial record. However, the World No.1 stayed humble and pointed out the difference in purses.

Scottie Scheffler speaks on nearing Tiger Woods’ record

Scottie Scheffler secured $3.6 million at TPC Southwind. He is now just a million shy of Tiger Woods on the all-time PGA Tour earnings list. 

However, the American pointed out the impact of bigger purses on his financial feat. 

“That has a lot to do with the purses and all that,” Scheffler said, as per HITC’s James Shearman. “I’m not really too close to him in terms of career wins, so. What, am I like a fourth of the way there? Something like that.”

With 21 PGA Tour wins to his name, Scheffler is close to $120 million on the earnings list. On the other hand, Woods has a staggering 82 Tour wins and has secured about $121 million. 

The difference in the purses is evident, but still breaking Woods’ record of 26 years will be a commendable achievement for Scheffler.

Written by

Avishek Sarkar

Edited by

Rudra Dubey