If you’re a big golf fan, you’ve likely heard about Scottie Scheffler’s car. Despite amassing over $71 million in on-course earnings in his young PGA Tour career, not to mention all the endorsement money, Scheffler was driving a 2012 GMC Yukon up with 200,000 miles on it up until recently. It’s really quite incredible when you consider the insane money golfers are making these days … and yet the No. 1 golfer in the world had been riding in the same car his father, Scott, gifted him after college.
RELATED: ‘A really down-to-earth guy’: An at-home visit with Scottie Scheffler reveals a star who doesn’t act like one
It sounds like the Schefflers finally made an upgrade to Scottie’s ride with the addition of their new son. What to do with the old car? According to a story from Golfweek’s Adam Schupak, Scheffler has allowed the car to be auctioned for charity, benefitting Triumph Over Kid Cancer (TOKC), a non-profit that raises money for childhood cancer research. The Schefflers have been involved with the charity for a while, as the co-founder of the organization is a friend of Scottie’s, James Ragan. Ragan battled a rare form of bone cancer, osteosarcoma.
Well, according to Schupak, a recent live auction started at $10,000 and had went all the way to $15,000 until a legendary figure in golf jumped in. Jim Nantz had met Ragan during an event with MD Anderson, and since Nantz was the co-VIP with Scheffler at the event in Houston, he jumped in and upped the bid to $50,000. Yes, that’s right … $50,000 for a 12-plus year-old car with 200,000 miles on it.
Of course, it’s for a great cause … proving Nantz is a great guy. But the car obviously has historical significance, not lost on Nantz, as the Schefflers purchased the car in Augusta, Ga., in 2012 when their car had broken down attending the 2012 Masters. The Schefflers traveled around the country to junior tournaments in that car, and when Scottie graduated from the University of Texas, his father gifted him the car.
RELATED: How Jim Nantz brought the Masters to his own backyard
It took a new baby and probably enough child-safety videos floating through Scottie’s algorithm to convince him that a new car was worth it … finally. It’s a good thing Scottie decided to pony up for a new car, not just for Bennett’s sake, but because now a ton of money will be donated for cancer research thanks to his old car ending up in a generous bidder’s hands.
More from Golf Digest Golf Digest Logo 15 things you might not know about Scottie Scheffler
For more on the charity, visit the TOKC website here.
This article was originally published on golfdigest.com