It's Time We Start Criticising Scottie Scheffler For His Aversion To Leaving America… He’s Letting The Global Game Down

There’s a lot to like about Scottie Scheffler. Generational talent? Check. Nice guy? Check. Fantastic to watch when in full flow? Check.

On the other side of the coin, he’s not the swashbuckling, charismatic entertainer many would like him to be. To an extent, this isn’t his fault – he’s found an approach he perceives to be advantageous and he’s not trying to be someone he’s not.

Even if I’d like him to be slightly more gregarious, it’s hard to find fault with any of that.

One thing he absolutely should be criticised for, though, is the fact he’s seemingly allergic to leaving America for more than a fortnight each year.

The World No.1 should be a global ambassador for the game and he falls well short in this department. His reticence to leave his bubble and travel the word is both confusing and slightly self-centered.

To be clear, I'm talking mainly about the autumn here, when the Tour Championship has finished and there isn't a 'meaningful' PGA Tour event for several months. Clearly I understand why he plays in America from January to August, two weeks in July aside.

Let’s start with the case for the defence to see if there’s merit in any of it. Philosophically, does he owe anything to anyone? Why should he leave his comfort zone to travel around the world? Why should he change a routine that’s made him so successful in the first place?

I can see both sides of this argument, but when you reach such heights, you have to acknowledge some things are bigger than you. Being World No.1 comes with certain inferred responsibilities.

While you’re the custodian, you should make an effort to promote the game globally and give back to a sport that’s provided you with so much.

I know some people will disagree here, and that’s fine. If you see things as black and white, I doubt I’ll be able to change your mind. But the fact is most Americans – in a golfing and wider sense – are pretty atrocious at leaving their homeland. There’s no question this is detrimental to the global golfing ecosystem.

Another argument is he’s recently become a father of two. I understand that, but I’d counter with four points: his career dictates he’s away from home a lot anyway, his family could easily join him abroad (he’s plenty rich enough to afford a private jet), he barely travelled before having children and plenty of others play around the world while having families.

Patrick Reed is an apt example here given he’s American and also has two children. Every European golfer seems to manage a two-circuit schedule, too.

The best excuse is the Presidents Cup – something I’d like to see removed from the schedule – but I’m still not buying that as it only happens every couple of years. It’s hardly as if he hangs around in Europe after the Ryder Cup to play some fall events, either.

Scheffler could be playing in the BMW PGA Championship this week, but instead he’s in America preparing for another demolition of the International Team. However, I’m confident in saying he wouldn’t have been at Wentworth anyway – he’s never played there.

'A Debt Incurred'

We recently asked Gary Player – the most prolific international golfer of all time in terms of global tournament wins – for his views on whether Scheffler should travel more.

“What I admire about Scheffler is that he's very much a family man. Your family is so vitally important, and I was deprived of that because I had to travel away from my family from South Africa,” he said.

“At least he's lucky, he lives in America. When he finishes a tournament, most of these guys have their own jets so they're back home on Sunday night and they can see them.

“But I would like to see Scheffler, who's such a wonderful golfer and such a very nice man, to travel and promote golf internationally more than he does, because we have a debt incurred.

“Golf has done so much for us, and I wish Scottie would travel and play just a little more. I would say five tournaments a year, like Nicklaus did, like Palmer did, like Sam Snead did, like Trevino did, like Tom Watson did.”

I couldn’t agree more with Player. The Open, the Scottish Open, the Ryder Cup and the Olympic Golf Tournament are the only professional events outside North America Scheffler has played in since he joined the PGA Tour full-time in 2020. To me, that is inexcusable.

Let that sink in. He hasn’t competed in a single DP World Tour event that wasn’t co-sanctioned by the PGA Tour. He’s never taken part in the Australian Open. He's never ventured to Asia.

He's made noises recently about being intrigued by certain regions and events outside America, but actions speak louder than words. He'd be welcomed with open arms at any golf tournament in the world.

I just don’t understand why he won’t leave his bubble. Getting out of your comfort zone and playing in different conditions on different styles of courses with different types of grasses can only make you a better golfer. It clearly helped the development of players like Brooks Koepka.

I suppose if you only ever play in America on identikit courses, there’s not much benefit. Well, apart from the fact the Ryder Cup is away from home every four years. Did he compete in Europe before Marco Simone in 2023? No. Did that contribute to the World No.1 returning one point from a possible four? Almost certainly.

Next year, the Ryder Cup takes place at Adare Manor, a parkland course, in September. The BMW PGA Championship is staged on a parkland course in September. I’ll let you decide if he could have gleaned anything useful from visiting Wentworth over the years.

European fans have so much time for the likes of Billy Horschel – and even Reed – because they’re prepared to travel, they have respect for the fans and they recognise the magnitude of the tournaments. They’re not sheltered and closed off to the golf world beyond American shores.

A barrier to greatness?

There’s also a question about whether you can truly be considered a great of the game if you haven’t won around the world.

Tiger Woods was hardly a prolific traveller, but he won events in Thailand, Australia, Dubai, Germany and Japan outside of the Majors and World Golf Championship. Jack Nicklaus won the Australian Open six times.

Arnold Palmer claimed titles in England, Spain, Australia and Latin America, Tom Watson triumphed in Japan, Hong Kong and Australia and Gary Player won on every golf-playing continent. Rory McIlroy has been victorious in seven different countries. You get the point.

To be clear, it’s not just Scottie – the likes of Jordan Spieth, Justin Thomas and Xander Schauffele also have a lot to answer for – but the issue is magnified given his position at the top of the world rankings.

Is Scheffler a great golfer? Yes. Is he a great of the game? Given his reluctance to promote golf internationally, I don’t think he can be classed as such.