America owns its own hype. Swipe, Scroll, Self-Promote – Induce personas like a digital avatar, posting the right photos or landing the right job will ultimately make you feel the whole thing. AirPods blur the line between existence and distraction. Social media is essentially a swapping. Leadership is often reduced to shiny headshots and titles.
After that, unexpectedly, clarity emerges from golfers rather than from persuasiveness or from Bible Conference.
While the American media was bustling with virus photos of CEOs intertwined with HR chiefs at Coldplay concerts, Scottie Scheffler, a suitable snapshot of our self-aware deficit memes, was a top-ranked golfer in the world and quietly modeled throughout the Atlantic.
Schaeffler did not talk about his statistics at the pre-tournament press conference at the 2025 Open Championship at the Royal Portrush. He didn’t boast about the Masters victory or Olympic gold. Instead, he spoke like modern Solomon:
“You will celebrate working for a lifetime and winning a tournament for a few minutes. It is fulfilling from a sense of accomplishment, but it is not fulfilling from the deepest part of your heart.”
Even our greatest victory makes our soul hungry without anything deeper.
It was a wonderful moment. The eve of golf majors, a complete evangelist superstar. “The vanity of vanity,” Solomon wrote. “Everything is vanity” (Ecclesiastes 1:2). Schaeffler repeated this, reminding us of a world that is engrossed in applause that even our greatest victory leaves our souls hungry without anything deeper.
A few days later, Schaeffler won his fourth major, the Claret Jag, joining the historic company with under 68 filming in all four rounds. However, there was no ego-driven microphone drop. Instead, he said, “I am blessed to be able to play this game, but if it affected my wife and son, it will be my last day here.” For Schaeffler, identity is not found in his swing. It is fixed to his Savior.
Long before he became the number one golfer in the world, Scotty Schaeffler was a teenager with a quiet fire in his belly. Other children surrounded and sank the posts at the Texas junior tournament. Scotty just worked: silent, focused, calm in anxiety. The coach and competitors noticed. He had a fierce internal drive, but he wore it loosely. He didn’t bark the caddy or blame the bad lies. One coach described him as “the most intense gentleman I’ve ever seen.”
What sets Schaeffler apart today is the same quiet strength that is now honed by faith. In an age where athletes curate brands before they win the trophy, pastors chase the platform as enthusiastically as the pulpit, but Scotty is… not.
Solomon’s wisdom in a culture of self-worship
Success is fleeting. Fame is whimsical. Even wisdom has its limits.
In a world chasing novelties, Solomon’s ancient wisdom is calm and brave. Looking at the sum of his life, his strength, wealth, influence, joy, he declared, “Everything is vanity and endeavor after the wind” (Ecclesiastes 1:14). His conclusion? Success is fleeting. Fame is whimsical. Even wisdom has its limits.
In Ecclesiastes 1:11, Solomon writes:
“There is no memory of what happened before, and there is no memory of what happened after that among those who come after it.”
I think our achievements will earn us immortality, but Solomon, who ruled the country and wrote 3,000 proverbs, warns that even those with great history will forget. This is well explained with a brief list of names of William Wheeler, Henry Wilson and David Tompkins. Does it sound familiar? They were the vice presidents of the United States and the second most powerful man in the country.
It’s now forgotten.
Jonas Sark helped eradicate polio in 1957. But today, less than a third of Americans can identify his name.
Do you really think they remember us?
Scotty Schaeffler understands this and can only assume that he was meditating on Solomon’s words before he crossed the Atlantic. Even in his fame, he carries himself with the humility of a man who knows his trophy collects dust, but his influence as a husband and father, and his soul endures.
He simply lives. Despite his global success, Schaeffler still frequently visits local Chipotle restaurants. Not because it’s gorgeous, but because he really enjoys it. For men at the top of the world’s golf rankings, it’s a refreshing and realistic reminder. He’s more used to burrito bowls than red carpets.
Self-awareness crisis
In contrast, our culture seems obsessed with self-importance. We praise CEOs who are welcomed as vandals or influencers who monetize credibility. But behind filters and personal brands is the surprising lack of self-awareness. We are not just forgetting humans. We behave like immortal.
Schaeffler’s comments, and more importantly, his character points to better ways. His life coincides with Proverbs 3:5–6:
“I will trust in the Lord with all my heart, and not rely on your own understanding, but acknowledge Him in all your ways, and He will straighten your path.”
Schaeffler is based on who he is.
Others seek identity for what they do, but Schaeffler is based on who he is. After his 2024 master won, he simply said: “I am a faithful man. I believe in Jesus… that’s not what I did.”
This is not a religion of performance. It is theology of the mind. It understands the difference between excellence and idolatry, and the difference between achievement and identity. Schaeffler learned the wisdom of the Evangelists 2:24.
“There is nothing better for a man than finding him eating and drinking and enjoying his hardships. This too… from the hand of God.”
Schaeffler enjoys his skills. He’s excellent at it. But he holds it loosely. He sees his gifts not as God, but as grace. He reminds us of modern-day Eric Riddell from the Tank of Fire. It is fiercely competitive, but deeply grounded. Like Liddell, Scheffler experiences divine joy when he plays. But Schaeffler is defined by something much deeper. It’s not a scoreboard, but a smile from his Savior. Winning doesn’t validate him. His true mission field is not the 18th Green, but the hearts of his family, friends and those whom God places in his path.
What is ultimately important?
Let’s be honest. With all the tubes and wires, and the loved ones at your side, when you’re on your deathbed, you won’t talk once in a deal closed in 2025 or a flashy car you lease in 2024, or in a golf shot your age, or in a miraculous hole in your life. No, you talk about your faith. Your family. Your friend.
And that is what Schaeffler asks us to consider, like Solomon before him.
In Ecclesiastes 12:13, Solomon closes:
“Now, everything has been heard. Here is the conclusion in question: fear God and keep His commandments. This is the duty of all humanity.”
Scotty Schaeffler may never directly quote the poem. But in his humility, his priorities, and his faith, he lives it.
Calling to the Church
Scotty Schaeffler’s evangelism moment is not just a gentle reminder, but a quiet calculation.
For a church, increasingly shaped by curated ego, platform building and dopamine fuel distractions, Scotty Schaeffler’s evangelism moment is not just a gentle reminder, but a quiet calculation.
In an age where even ministry can bump into performance, his life offers a fundamental alternative. You can pursue greatness without worshiping it. You will become superior and walk humbly with your God (Micah 6:8). You can lead with confidence without chasing applause.
Schaeffler’s identity is not built in his victory column, his brand, or even his official declaration of faith. It is fixed only in Christ. It is a necessary task for pastors who preach the person they like, believers who confuse busyness with holiness, and believers who have seduced the church to measure their faith through followers and clicks.
In a recent interview, Schaeffler explained how he stays on the ground. “I am trying to live in the present moment. It is something I have learned through my faith. It is a statement that reflects Psalm 46:10: “Know I am God.” It is not just a concept of golf, but a theological one. And in an uneasy time when you’re obsessed with the next thing, it’s very countercultural.
In a world of fame, Schaeffler’s example is Clarion’s call to restore what we have lost. It is a quiet confidence that comes not from the construction of a resume, but from what is hidden in God’s Christ (Colossians 3:3). His open championship was not merely a victory for talent, but a sermon on eternal perspectives. After victory, it was not merely an emotional image, but a testimony, when he embraced his wife Meredith (his Proverbs 31 women) and son Bennett. Those who know exactly what is important and those who don’t.
Schaeffler shows the meaning of realizing and living. We recognize our mortality rates, limitations, and eternal purpose. In a culture of noise, his faith invites us to return to silence. In an age of self-invasion, he reminds us to remember who we are and who we are.
As the apostle Paul writes in Colossians 3:2–3:
“Look your mind to the above, not the earthly thing. You have died, and your life is now hidden in God with Christ.”
Such spiritual perception is where true greatness begins and enduring peace is found.
Les T. Csorba is the author of the upcoming book, “Aware: The Power of Sheed Yourself (2025).” This work is adopted from that work. LES is the CEO coach and partner of Heidrick & Break, an executive search and management consulting firm. With over 30 years of experience in executive search and leadership consulting, he is an authority on self-awareness. He has been instrumental in shaping the next generation of corporate leadership in the fields of energy, politics and non-profit. Leadership speaker and commentator LES has been featured on Fox News, MSNBC and CNBC by Maria Bartiromo. His insights on executive leadership, corporate governance, and talent development have been featured in the Corporate Board Member Magazine, the Oil and Gas Investors Magazine, the Houston Chronicle, the Chicago Tribune, and USA Today. His expertise in leadership and governance makes him an invaluable resource for keynote engagement, boardroom discussions and executive coaching. Beyond his corporate work, Le is deeply involved in charity and education. He works for the Liberty Energy Committee’s Greater Human Life Foundation, a nonprofit organization of Chris Wright, the US energy secretary who provides clean cooking fuel to families living in energy poverty in Africa. He also serves on the board of directors of Yellowstone School, a Houston faith-based charter school. Les, a graduate of the University of California, Davis, is the son of a 1956 Hungarian refugee. He and his wife, Anne, have been married for 38 years and live in Houston, Texas, where they enjoy time with their four children and seven grandchildren. Le is a longtime member of Grace Bible Church in Houston, Texas.
