There’s something deeply emotional about the connection between a man, a car, and the memories that it holds. And when Jim Nantz, the voice of the Masters, took to Fore Please! Now Driving… podcast during the Par 3 Contest, he revealed exactly why he’d bought Scottie Scheffler’s old 2012 GMC Yukon—a decision rooted in the powerful legacy of a friendship, a young boy’s fight with cancer, and the shared bond of golf.

It all started with a chance meeting between Scottie Scheffler and a young cancer patient named James Ragan. The two became fast friends, and Scottie’s involvement with the Triumph Over Kid Cancer Foundation, in honor of James, was cemented. As Nantz recalls, James was a remarkable kid. A few years later, James tragically lost his battle, but his memory—and the impact he had on those around him—lives on through events like the Teeing Off on Childhood Cancer Gala in Houston, where Scottie auctioned off the Yukon.

But the car itself, well, it’s no ordinary vehicle. For Scottie Scheffler and his family, it represents a pivotal moment in their history. “It just happens to be the SUV that was purchased on Washington Road on a father–son visit to Augusta in 2012. You know the story—the family car broke down. They drove from Dallas—Scott Senior and Scottie drove to Augusta. The car broke down, they had no means of getting home. So Mr. Scheffler went down Washington Road, got a ride to a dealership, and bought this—it was a Yukon. It is a Yukon. He bought it so they could drive home,” Nantz explained. A car that would take them home and—later—become an integral part of their Masters journey.

Fast forward to 2024. Scottie’s car had seen some serious mileage—not just from his family trips, but from Scottie’s own triumphs. Nantz describes how Scottie drove that same SUV to Augusta in 2022 after his first Masters win. “Okay, here he is—he’s a big deal. Well, he’d won for the first time earlier that year at Phoenix. But he drove the car from Dallas—the SUV—and arrived every day at the course in that vehicle.” That car was a symbol of both Scottie’s humble beginnings and his eventual rise to the pinnacle of the golf world.

When Scottie auctioned the Yukon off for charity, Nantz was quick to see its potential value—not just financially, but emotionally, “I bought it at a charity auction. That’s primary too, by the way—Scottie and I teamed up to raise a lot of money for cancer research in Houston, in honor of a young boy named James Ragan, who we both knew well.” The connection to James was something Nantz couldn’t ignore. He needed the car.

“I need that. It’s going to remind me of James,” Nantz said. “It’s—I think it’s a collector’s piece. Imagine if you had Tiger Woods’ car. I mean, imagine Tiger having bought—just in theory—a car on Washington Road, and when he came back to win in ’97, A Win for the Ages, he drove that same car in and out of the golf course every day.” The comparison isn’t lost on Nantz. This car, much like Tiger’s would’ve been, is a relic of an unforgettable moment in sports history.

As for Nantz, the car now resides in his garage in Pebble Beach, a place where it serves not only as a functional SUV but as a cherished memory. “It’s got a usefulness,” Nantz laughed. “I’ve got kids, you know? So now I’ve got that taken care of.” And yet, every time he climbs into that Yukon, it will remind him not just of Scottie’s journey, but of the impact that James had on them both. It’s a reminder of what matters: not just the titles won on the golf course, but the lives touched off of it.

“I’m not going to flip it,” Nantz said with a chuckle. “I need it. It’s all good. It’s all good.” And he’s right—it is all good. Because behind every putt, every swing, and every victory, there are people. And this car? It’s a reminder of that bond, a symbol of generosity, and a legacy that will never be forgotten.

In the end, this isn’t just a story about a car. It’s about a man who, every time he steps into that GMC Yukon, will be reminded of the power of sports, compassion, and the memories that live on forever.

What are Scheffler and Jim Nantz up to now?

While Jim Nantz tucks Scottie Scheffler’s legendary Yukon into his Pebble Beach garage like a sacred relic, the World No. 1 is back at work—teeing it up at the RBC Heritage. But this week, it’s not just about plaid jackets and tight fairways. The tournament is quietly serving as a testing ground for the PGA Tour’s newest experiment: distance-measuring devices. That’s right—rangefinders are now officially on the clock.

Scheffler, ever the calm in golf’s swirling storm of change, responded with a shrug. “You’re not going to like this answer, but I kind of forgot about that,” he said in his press conference. He’s happy to let caddie Ted Scott handle the gadgets. “Will it help pace of play? Maybe a few minutes. Anything significant? No.” Meanwhile, Jim Nantz remains firm on the opposite side of tech: he’s no fan of AimPoint—the finger-waving green-reading method that’s become TV’s favorite punching bag. If anything, the contrast between Nantz’s old-school elegance and Scheffler’s quiet pragmatism just proves that golf, like that Yukon, still finds a way to bridge generations.