Scottie Scheffler has dominated as golf’s No. 1-ranked player for close to three years.
He has reigned at the top of the world rankings for a ridiculous 139 weeks, since assuming the spot in May 2023.
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Scheffler begins his 2026 season as golf’s top-ranked star once againCredit: Getty
Last year, he added the PGA Championship title to previous glory at The Masters and The Open, and this season will no doubt be eyeing the career grand slam in 2026.
Scheffler only needs to win the US Open to join that exclusive club, of which rival Rory McIlroy became the sixth member with a Masters win 10 months ago.
He has started 2026 strong, firing an opening-round 63 at The American Express in his season debut.
Not content with just dominating in the world of golf, the 29-year-old PGA Tour star has a natural talent for another sport too.
READ MORE ON GOLFScottie Scheffler has secret talent in second sport
As it turns out, Scheffler is pretty handy on the pickleball court.
He regularly competes in celebrity events, and has so much talent, that golf analyst Smylie Kaufman once claimed the phenom could switch careers if he wanted.
Kaufman played a game of pickleball with Scheffler and fellow pro Sam Burns, and discussed the contest on an episode of The Smylie Show podcast.
“We had golf carts on the court lighting up the court, it’s late,” he explained, back in September 2024.
“And so we get to playing pickleball and I have a good serve, that was something that I was able to hang onto for a little bit, and then I really started to struggle getting returns back.
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Scheffler dominates on the course, and he’s also handy on the pickleball courtCredit: Getty
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He is a regular in competitions and has previously matched up against the world No. 1Credit: PGA Tour
“It was just mainly because the ball was moving so much, I started to realise that Scottie may be the best pickleball player on tour, and potentially good enough to turn pro.
“I don’t say that lightly because he’s the best pickleball player I’ve ever played against.”
Scottie Scheffler worked over World No. 1 pickleball player
Scheffler’s talent for pickleball was teased even before that contest.
Back in 2023, as he competed in the Carvana PPA Tour Celebrity Showdown, the golf No. 1 actually beat his pickleball counterpart in a hands battle.
As Scheffler and Anna Leigh Waters teamed up in a match against former tennis player John Isner and then-top ranked pickleballer Ben Johns, they engaged in a rally at the net.
It was the two-time Masters winner who came out on top, making being a duel threat athlete look like light work.
More than two years on, and Waters is the world No. 1 pickleballer in singles, doubles, and mixed doubles, who earns 40 times more than WNBA superstar Caitlin Clark.
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Pickleball is projected to be worth nearly $8bn come 2033Credit: Getty
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Waters, the No. 1-ranked player, earns far more money that WNBA star ClarkCredit: Getty
The sport of pickleball itself, meanwhile, is projected to skyrocket from $1.9 billion in 2023 to $7.9bn by 2033, such is the rapid rise in the US and across Europe.
Scottie Scheffler ‘staying in present’ as 2026 season begins
Scheffler stands to make plenty of money of his own this year, too.
He wrapped 2025 having surpassed a staggering $50 million in earnings, and will no doubt add to that in the coming months.
The top-ranked star, though, hasn’t given too much away about his on-course ambitions for this season.
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Scheffler has admitted he struggles to set big goals for 2026Credit: Getty
“I wouldn’t say that I’m super goal-oriented. I always do my best to try to stay in the present,” he said on the eve of The American Express.
“And I feel like my game’s in a good spot, I’m definitely excited to get out there and start another season.”
It hasn’t been all plain sailing for Scheffler in 2026, though.
He hit a fan with his tee shot as he returned to La Quinta Country Club in California for the American Express.
On the 16th hole, his ball struck a spectator after dropping out of the sky.
A video of the incident quickly racked up thousands of views on social media.
“Oh, goodness,” the commentator is heard saying.
“I hope that didn’t… that sounded like a skull.”
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Thankfully, the fan appeared to be uninjured, and Scheffler managed to par.
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