If he were to be cremated when his time on earth was over, where while playing golf would he want some of his ashes to be scattered?
It took only a few seconds for Scheffler to respond, “The offer at Royal Oaks. That’s where I spend most of my time.”
That’s where Scheffler spent his time in the weeks before he left Dallas to start his season in the California desert, where he lurked in the lead for three days at The American Express and then suddenly — but not unexpectedly — found himself six shots ahead. That seems to happen to him often.
There is skill, yes, but there is work.
Scheffler talks endlessly about preparation, whether that’s getting stronger in the gym or crafting a swing that rarely misses. When he wins, he takes the ball from the cup and puts it in his pocket as if he just played a money game at Royal Oaks. Then it’s time to go home and get ready for the next one.
“Rinse and repeat,” he said with a grin on the 18th green of PGA West.
How long can it take? Winning doesn’t get old, but the work that goes into it does. It’s fair to wonder whether the routine, the rut, can lead to burnout.
But there’s always the reach at Royal Oaks, where Scheffler first showed up as a 6-year-old and Randy Smith watched for two hours as the kid’s long swing made solid contact again and again.
“There’s definitely a risk of burnout at certain levels,” Scheffler said after his four-shot victory, his ninth time winning by at least that much on the PGA Tour. “I think that’s why you have to find a balance. But I like routine. I like practicing. I like exercising. I like doing what I have to do to play well. That’s still fun for me.”
“I think if someone made me do this, it would be a lot harder,” he said. “But I don’t feel pressure from anything outside of me to do the things I do.”
It’s not all fun. But everything has a purpose.
“For example, if I wake up early, do I want to get into the cold bath every morning? Absolutely not,” Scheffler said. “But it’s something that helps me play well. Was I afraid of cardio? Yes. But I always like to practice.”
Scheffler uses the word “fun” frequently, and winning makes it even more fun. Pleasure is not so much the art of lifting a trophy, but seeing the result of the work.
His last win was his 20th on the PGA Tour and his 23rd overall – one of them an Olympic medal in Paris – all in the past four years. He joined Tiger Woods and Jack Nicklaus as the only players with four majors and 20 PGA Tour victories before turning 30.
Jason Day is among those amazed by what Scheffler is doing. He speaks from experience that he was not only number 1 in the world, but also won seven times in seventeen starts on the PGA Tour ten years ago. Scheffler has won 14 times in his last 35 starts with no indication of slowing down.
“That’s one of the hardest things to do, staying hungry to the point where you’re not satisfied,” Day said. “Because it’s very easy to get satisfied here. When you win a few times, you think, ‘Well, I’m a bit relaxed and I can rest for a while.’ And it seems like he never wants to relax.
“He always does his job, has to do what he has to do to prepare, and he’s always ahead of the curve.”
Rinse and repeat, along with the Royal Oaks range.
This is a golf nerd to the highest degree. Perhaps the toughest challenge Scheffler faces is how to switch off. A few years ago he played pickleball. He loved coffee. These are distractions, but also distractions. He needs them.
“I spend most of my time playing golf,” he said. “I have to force myself to think about other things or I start thinking about golf. So when I want to take a break, I have to dive in and do something. It’s not just a game. This is my job.”
Even though it’s a new year, he said early last week that it didn’t feel like it. The difference is that Scheffler enters 2026 with momentum, not stitches in his right hand that he cut open with a wine glass while making ravioli during the 2024 holidays.
Last year he technically only missed two tournaments that he normally plays. It felt like it took him three months as he essentially had to start over with his offseason training plan. It wasn’t until the end of March that he really got going. That was the last time he finished outside the top 10, a streak now at 16 in a row on the PGA Tour.
Maybe he’s just getting started. What’s next? To start with, a week at home, which will undoubtedly include time on the Royal Oaks range.
“There’s nothing better than hitting the ball exactly the way you want to,” Scheffler said. “That’s one of the best feelings ever.”
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