October is Scottie Scheffler’s day off, as the world No. 1 takes an annual break from competitive golf. It also happens to be, in some ways, the time of year when we learn things about Scheffler we never knew.
Take October 2022, when Scheffler and Jordan Spieth played in a pro-am pickleball event in Dallas, and Scheffler showed just how good he is at that sport. Or take this week, when it became clear on Tuesday that Scheffler has at least one buying passion in professional fishing.
You read that right – Scottie Scheffler is the sole owner of the Texas Lone Stars Angling Club, one of 14 five-player teams in the Sport Fishing Championship, a new saltwater fishing league. The league will expand to 16 teams next season.
Scheffler got in early, becoming sole owner of the Lone Stars 13 months ago in a move that wasn’t widely covered. He was joined by a handful of other well-known sportsmen, such as Randy Moss and Alvin Kamara, who also bought ownership stakes in fishing clubs. Then there is the LIV golfer Talor Goochwho used some of his endless LIV earnings to buy the Mississippi Blues Angling Club.
Most of that group is jealous this week after Scheffler’s Lone Stars won the season-ending championship, the Zane Gray Championship Playoff, which concluded Monday in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. Scheffler posted about it on his Instagram, saying: “Congratulations @lonestarsac – thanks for taking me away.” On SFC’s website, Scheffler is listed as a member of the team’s front office along with general manager Justin Lamonica.
Ownership stakes in pro sports have exploded in recent years as more niche sports have grown in popularity, won television rights deals and created bigger platforms for engagement. Scheffler himself bought into the Texas Ranchers, one of the premier clubs in Major League Pickleball. Gooch spent even more money on a Pro Bull Riding franchise in Oklahoma. Justin Thomas and Jordan Spieth were part of the consortium that bought Leeds United football club two summers ago.
As for the Sport Fishing Championship, its organizers seem to want to mention Scheffler as much as possible. The Lone Stars were one of four teams competing in the two-day finals competition, and when they were introduced for the first time, lead analyst Robbie Floyd announced, “Their team owner, Scottie Scheffler, he’s watching.”
Regardless of whether Scheffler was actually watching, the contest uses a number of golf elements, with a shotgun announcing when lines could be cast, and a rules official regularly joining the broadcast to explain that the size of the dorsal fin helps determine whether a fish is a striped, black or blue marlin. (If you think so The Rules of Golf are complex, adapt to SFC, where teammates can help adjust the angler’s seat, but cannot touch the rod, reel or line.)
Long story short: some fish are worth more points than others, which we learned with about 90 minutes left after Scheffler’s team caught a rare blue marlin. We’ll call it the equivalent of making eagle on the 72nd hole to post the clubhouse lead. Moments after time expired, Floyd returned it to Scheffler:
“Scottie Scheffler, congratulations — you’ve got another title in 2025,” which prompted color commentator Peter Miller to jump in with an esoteric question: “I wonder if Scottie Scheffler has ever kissed the crystal? I know he’s kissed a lot of cups, but maybe not the crystal?”
Miller was referring to the dolphin-shaped crystal trophy awarded to the Lone Stars. A few seconds later, an AI-generated image of Scheffler holding the angling trophy flashed on the screen. If that wasn’t enough to get the broadcast a little over his skis, Floyd added, “Man, I’m a golfer. I live in the Dallas-Forth Worth metroplex. I’d love for him to take me out someday.”
This is a Hail Mary cast, mate. It’s unclear if Scheffler is a “fishhead,” as fishing obsessives are called, or if this is a more passive ownership stake. But the team hopes to take Scheffler out for a day of fishing this fall, as scheduling allows.
