What did Scottie Scheffler say? Tom Brady calls out golfer’s fatherhood comments 

Scottie Scheffler said he would rather be "a better father and husband than a good golfer,” and Tom Brady had some strong thoughts in response.

In his July 29 newsletter, Brady reacted to Scheffler’s viral comments from media day at the Open Championship in Northern Ireland earlier this month. The 29-year-old golfer, who welcomed his first child with wife Meredith in May 2024, spoke candidly about how fatherhood shifted his perspective.

“This is not a fulfilling life,” Scheffler said during the July 15 press conference. “It’s fulfilling from the sense of accomplishment, but it’s not fulfilling from a sense of the deepest places of your heart… That’s why I talk about family being my priority because it really is.”

He further said,

“I’m blessed to be able to come out here and play golf, but if my golf ever started affecting my home life or it ever affected the relationship I have with my wife or my son, that’s going to be the last day that I play out here for a living.”

Tom Brady, father to three children - Jack, 17, with Bridget Moynahan, and Benjamin, 15, and Vivian, 12, with Gisele Bündchen - questioned the assumption that fatherhood and professional excellence have to conflict.

“Scottie said he’d rather be a better father and husband than a good golfer,” Brady wrote, per Us Weekly. He added: “And my question is: why are those mutually exclusive? Sure, they’re different blocks on the pyramid, but they’re part of the same pyramid. They’re connected!”

Tom Brady defends work-life balance approach

Tom Brady went on to explain how his devotion to football served as an example to his children of what it means to commit to excellence.

“I think part of being a great father is being a great example of doing what it takes to take care of your family,” he said. “I chose to do it by playing football. My dedication to the sport, the hours of practice, the moments when I was laser focused - those were times when I believe I was doing the best possible thing for my family and my kids, by prioritizing my profession and teaching, by example, what it takes to be really good at your job, what it takes to follow through on commitments, what it takes to be a great teammate; and showing them, also by example, that work is a big part of all of our lives.”

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Tom Brady also outlined his personal framework for managing priorities, putting himself at the top of a pyramid, followed by his partner and children, and then his work.

“The trick is recognizing which aspect of your life is most pressing, from moment to moment, and then learning how to prioritize what it takes to be great in that aspect when it matters,” he wrote.

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