Matti Schmid is a surprise contender in this week’s PGA Championship.
But his second best performance of the 2026 season comes as no surprise to those who know him.
Before leading the field at Aronimink, Schmid was a member of golf’s proud (and expansive) world class, striving for fitness and biding his time in hopes of a life-changing moment. He has been a professional since 2021 and has bounced between tours and many golf destinations, playing most recently on the PGA Tour.
Schmid’s success in Philly is surprising, not least because he hasn’t played in a major tournament in the past few seasons – a 69th-place finish at the 2025 Open Championship as his only major tournament result since 2022. But what many golf fans don’t know is that Schmid still owns his own brand of golf, including the major championship record.
So, who is the top man on the leaderboard? And what should golf fans know? Let’s go below.
Who is Matti Schmid? 5 things you should know
1. He has a major tournament record
In the second round of the 2021 Open Championship at Royal St. George’s, Schmid cemented his place in the golf record books with a superb 65 Friday. His round earned him the lowest finish by a novice at the Open Championship, matching the mark set by Tom Lewis in 2011 at the same venue.
Schmid was just 23 years old at the time, fresh off a successful college career. He finally earned a silver medal in the low amateur at the Open, his last event before becoming a champion.
2. He had a decorated novice career
In 2019 and 2020, Schmid’s amateur career reached extraordinary heights when he recorded back-to-back European Amateur Championship titles. Yes, Schmid followed up his first win at the Diamond Country Club in Austria by defending his title in Zurich, Switzerland, becoming only the second player ever to repeat as European Amateur Champs.
A former European Am winner? Ashley Chesters in 2013/2014.
3. He played his college football in the US
Schmid was an All-American collegiate golfer, earning second-team All-American honors as a player at the University of Louisville – the highest honor ever for a player on a collegiate golf team.
Schmid also played on the European Palmer Cup team while at Louisville and, in his junior season, led the US in birdies.
2. He was a decorated golfer at home in Germany
Schmid was born in Regensburg, Germany, and quickly rose through the junior golf ranks in his home country (where he still resides in the offseason).
In 2017, he won the tournament in Bavaria, shooting a career-low 199 and 17-under par to put himself on the national radar and gain attention from US teams.
1. You recently rode a hot streak on the course
Last week, Schmid posted an Instagram from Powder & Swing, a ski-and-golf event in Austria.
Schmid enjoyed a wonderful vacation from the Swiss Alps, but the real highlight came on the resort’s golf course, where Schmid made a bogey on the 6th hole – following a spring top-10 finish on the PGA Tour with a final golf highlight.
