Amanda Balionis shares hardly-believable Scottie Scheffler story at PGA Tour event

The current world number one was always destined to be a golfer from a very young age and even went to extreme lengths to be just like one during his childhood days

Scottie Scheffler was so determined to become a PGA Tour player as a child that he wore golf pants from the age of six.

The 28-year-old’s desire to be the best, combined with his passion for the game, has clearly paid off, however, as he sits at the top of the Official World Golf Ranking – a position he has held for more than 100 weeks. With 13 PGA Tour wins to his name, including back-to-back successes at The Players Championship, and two major titles, he has quickly emerged as one of golf’s most talented individuals.

Scheffler is currently on course to secure his 19th professional win after storming ahead with an eight-shot lead heading into the final day of the CJ Cup Byron Nelson in Texas, having coasted to a score of five under 66 on Saturday. Remarkably, it will be just his first win of the 2025 PGA Tour season.

He came closest to victory at the Texas Children’s Houston Open on March 30 when he finished tied for second, while he also finished tied for third at The Genesis Invitational in February and placed fourth at The Masters. Despite this, no one doubts his ability to turn things around – none more so than his coach Randy Smith.

Smith has been coaching Scheffler since he was a young boy, with the pair working together for over 20 years. Speaking in a recent interview with Amanda Balionis, the 72-year-old spoke of his career with the two-time Masters winner, claiming he always knew there was something special about Scheffler as soon as he saw him play from a young age.

At one point during their interview for CBS Sports, however, Balionis opted to recall what she called her “favorite story” about Scheffler from when he was just a child – but it had nothing to do with his actual golfing skills.

“My favorite story, and I think [former PGA Tour star] Colt (Knost) was the one who first told me about this, is that Scottie would only wear long pants at the golf course,” she said. “Starting at age like, six or seven, when he was following Colt and some of those other guys around. Because, he knew he wanted to be a PGA Tour player, so he figured, he might as well start dressing like one.”

Balionis then asked Smith whether he remembered if there was a moment he realized there was something different about Scheffler when he was just a kid, prompting his coach to reply: “When I first saw him hit golf balls I knew he was different.

“Take a six and seven-year-old kid, they’re hitting… with him. Little baby guy. He’s hitting it at targets. He’s always hitting at a target. I mean, target here, target here. Different club to the target. And I knew there was something very special about him at that age.”

Last year, following his sixth PGA Tour title of the season at the Travelers Championship, Balionis praised Scheffler and his wife on Instagram for their relationship, having interviewed the American as he cradled his six-week-old baby in his arms and stood alongside his wife, Meredith.

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Uploading a photo of her interviewing Scheffler with his son nestled in his arms, Balionis wrote: “Today, @scottie.scheffler becomes the first player since Arnold Palmer in 1962 (! ! ) to win SIX times before July 1st. His bounce back ability-from a disappointing week last week, and the unexpected events on the 72nd hole- continues to be the standard. To watch Scottie’s pure joy the moment he steps off the course to celebrate with Bennett and @meredithscheffler is one of the cooler things we get to witness this season. World Number 1 does it again.”