By Andrew Redington Don Yaeger Senior Contributor
CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA – MAY 14: Scottie Scheffler of the United States works with putting coach … More Phil Kenyon in the practice area prior to the PGA Championship at Quail Hollow Country Club on May 14, 2025 in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Photo by Andrew Redington/Getty Images)
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Even the best in the world need coaching. To some, that might seem counterintuitive. After all, when you鈥檙e on top鈥攚hen you鈥檙e winning championships, closing deals, or setting the pace for your industry鈥攚hy bring someone else in?
But that鈥檚 exactly what the world鈥檚 best do. They never stop learning, never stop improving鈥攁nd they鈥檙e humble enough to know they can鈥檛 do it alone. Just ask Scottie Scheffler.
Coming off a blistering run in 2022 and 2023鈥攃rowned the world鈥檚 No. 1 golfer, earning PGA Tour Player of the Year, and capturing six titles including the Masters and the Players Championship鈥擲cheffler could鈥檝e easily settled into comfort. He was, by every metric, dominant.
But Scheffler saw a gap in his game: putting. And instead of ignoring it or trying to brute-force his way through it, he brought in help. Not just anyone鈥擯hil Kenyon, widely recognized as one of the sharpest putting minds in the sport. That decision didn鈥檛 just fine-tune Scheffler鈥檚 performance. It transformed it.
鈥淚 was arguably working too hard on my putting,鈥 Scheffler admitted. 鈥淧utting too much pressure on myself to be perfect鈥 and that made me more excited to fix it.鈥
That鈥檚 what elite performers do. They turn frustration into fuel.
Less than two years later, golf insiders are saying Scheffler is now one of the best putters on tour. Certainly, his r茅sum茅 since partnering with Kenyon tells the story: 10 more wins, including another Masters, another Players Championship, the Tour Championship, the PGA Championship, and a gold medal in the Paris Olympics.
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That鈥檚 what happens when you combine world-class talent with world-class coaching. 鈥淪cottie has a natural intuition,鈥 Kenyon said. 鈥淲e just helped him access it more effectively.鈥
Scheffler didn鈥檛 lose his edge鈥攈e sharpened it by inviting in a coach who could help him grow in an area he knew needed improvement. He didn鈥檛 bring in a new coach because he was failing. Scheffler turned to Kenyon because he wasn鈥檛 satisfied with being great when he could be greater.
Viktor Hovland has also benefited from having a new coach. After becoming the first Norwegian player to win on the PGA Tour and capturing the FedEx Cup in 2023, Hovland seemed poised to break into the top echelon of golfers. But a winless 2024 season forced a moment of clarity and he brought in a new swing coach.
PONTE VEDRA BEACH, FLORIDA – MARCH 16: Viktor Hovland of Norway reacts on the 14th hole during the … More third round of THE PLAYERS Championship at TPC Sawgrass on March 16, 2024 in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida. (Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images)
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鈥淚鈥檝e been seeing better results in practice,鈥 Hovland said in March. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 promising, because if I can鈥檛 hit the shots in practice, there鈥檚 no point in playing tournaments.鈥
Later that month, Hovland overcame a three stoke deficit in the final holes of the Valspar Championship to beat Justin Thomas. It was a return to form for Hovland, and his first win in over a year. That鈥檚 the power of coaching鈥攅specially when the pressure is mounting and expectations are high.
The business world often celebrates individual genius, lone-wolf innovation, and self-made grit. But the best leaders know better. Coaching isn鈥檛 about weakness. It鈥檚 about refinement. It鈥檚 about amplifying strengths.
Mark Moses, the founder of CEO Coaching International, recently offered some insights into how to get results from coaching, including making sure everyone buys into it.
鈥淎greement is optional, commitment is not,鈥 Moses said. 鈥淯ltimately, we all have to be committed to it in order to achieve the outcome.鈥
The smartest companies are already moving away from traditional performance improvement plans and toward embedded coaching cultures. CEO Coaching International has more than 1,200 clients in 75 countries across the globe. Why? Because they鈥檝e learned what Scottie Scheffler has: even your A-players have room to grow鈥攁nd the best of your best want to grow.
NASSAU, BAHAMAS – NOVEMBER 29: Scottie Scheffler of The United States lines up a putt watched by … More putting coach Phil Kenyon during the pro-am as a preview for the Hero World Challenge at Albany Golf Course on November 29, 2023 in Nassau, . (Photo by David Cannon/Getty Images)
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Here鈥檚 the truth every leader should carry with them: If your best people aren鈥檛 being coached, they鈥檙e either plateauing or preparing to leave. Just like on the golf course, it鈥檚 not about correcting flaws鈥攊t鈥檚 about helping greatness evolve.
Scheffler didn鈥檛 reinvent himself. He refined what was already extraordinary. He leaned into his humility, putting ego aside and bringing in someone who could make him sharper. That鈥檚 a leadership blueprint and not just a sports story. The world鈥檚 best are always learning. Are you?
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