TRON, Scotland — Question after question comes to Scotty Scheffler every day about whether he would leave the Masters if his wife gave birth to their first child. The entire week revolved around this emotional crossroads in his life. People and Us Weekly followed the story like celebrity gossip. here at Competitorwe even wrote a story about Scheffler taking the lead Saturday night without his wife, Meredith, by his side.
The baby will be born in one month.
When Bennett was finally born in May, an ESPN reporter vaguely revealed the news using the hashtag #babyborn. The PGA Tour announced the news on the tour website. Scheffler arrived at the PGA Championship in Louisville, Ky., that week like royalty.
Scotty Schaeffler’s life suddenly looked very different. A golfer who was once seen as a boring, dull, boring golfer somehow went from being a truly great golfer to becoming a hilarious celebrity. A player who has spoken more than anyone on tour about how important it is to separate golf from life, and who remains grounded despite success and generational wealth, is now receiving a different kind of attention . His injuries and equipment changes made headlines. His family is tabloid fodder. A bizarre arrest in Louisville brought him international attention. The rare weeks when he finished outside the top 10 in a major were viewed as disasters.
Scheffler has been the world’s No. 1 golfer for 96 of the past 121 weeks. However, he didn’t become a superstar until 2024.
“It’s definitely a little tricky,” Scheffler said ahead of the Open Championship at Royal Troon on Tuesday. “I think I’m definitely going to continue to play better this year – especially in the tournament, I think there’s more going on every day. I think I have to work harder and continue to improve my rest so I can really relax.
Scotty and Meredith Scheffler with son Bennett after Scotty’s win at the Memorial Championship last month. (Michael Reeves/Getty Images)
Scheffler has always gone to great lengths to keep his life small. He has some big sponsorships but keeps the numbers to a minimum. He doesn’t post about his life on social media. He doesn’t use his phone at all.
And before this year, everything was fine. He is number one in the world. but he is perhaps The fifth most famous athlete in his sport. He can be normal. Occasionally denied access? No big deal. Don’t you sign autographs for fans? Well, he wanted someone else more anyway.
But in 2024, something has definitely changed as his game reaches the next level. jacket. The conversation surrounding the majors has become “You know, who would you pick besides Scottie?” While his gallery was solid but unremarkable a year ago, Scheffler now has a Biggest following outside of Woods because fans want to see history.
Now, his public appearances come with a sense of responsibility. He seemed to understand this.
“It’s a cool feeling to be able to make someone happy by signing an autograph or taking a photo,” Scheffler said. “It’s a really fun feeling. I’m trying to embrace that side of it more as opposed to not being able to sign everyone’s autograph. People are going to be upset that they can’t be reached all day long. That’s not a Fun feeling. I’m trying to make people happy more by signing autographs or taking photos.
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It’s so mesmerizing in the way things are slowly moving forward that it’s easy to forget that his pre-tournament press conference at the Players Championship in March was filled with countless questions about how unknown he was and that, for whatever reason, he wasn’t as famous as others. The big names make headway like that.
But something happened in the second round that week. He won the Arnold Palmer Invitational a week ago with a new putter, and there was growing talk about how unstoppable he would be if he had better shots on the greens. Then, that Friday, Scheffler suffered a minor neck injury that required a massage before every tee shot on several holes. Suddenly, a dozen reporters burst out of the media center and hunted him down the back nine. The matter is urgent. It’s masked in a way that golfers’ injuries are almost never treated. Of course, he came from behind and won.
His four-shot victory at the Masters was considered inevitable. He’s 4-to-1 odds-on favorite to take the Tigers, and talk of his impending son has cropped up throughout his week. His greatness took on a new tone.
But it was on that strange and terrible day in Louisville that Scheffler crossed the Rubicon. It was a viral, flash-bulb moment when Scheffler was slammed into a car and arrested before the second round of the PGA Championship. By the time he started playing hours after being locked in a cell, fans already had “Free Scotty” T-shirts and purchased prisoner apparel out of support. them loved For him, everything happened because of some bizarre events.
How would Scottie Scheffler attempt to counter the famous Royal Troon Bunker? Learn about live broadcasts from the range.@HSBC_UK | #LiveAtTheRange pic.twitter.com/92VGuKMV7u
— The Open (@TheOpen) July 16, 2024
Since winning the Masters, he has won three more. When he tied for 41st at the U.S. Open in June — his first outside the top 25 at a major in 2 1/2 years — he raised concerns.
So how does a man who prides himself on maintaining a quiet life outside of golf deal with this new attention? How does he ensure this doesn’t derail his career?
“I think that’s something my wife and I have been working on,” Scheffler said. “When we take a break at home, what does real rest look like? It’s not necessarily sitting there watching TV. We do a lot of different things to get good rest so that when we get back out on the road playing and doing things, I just have energy to compete. I have energy – real social energy, sitting in the media center and interacting with fans, doing that kind of thing.
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For better or worse, this is where Scheffler now lives. He is now an ambassador. He is a celebrity. He has responsibilities and expectations. Sometimes that means having strange interactions with strangers who recognize him.
“There’s always something funny, because I think sometimes people don’t know what the hell to say, and sometimes they’re a little weird,” he said with a laugh.
This week at Royal Troon, Scheffler will try to cap off a historic year. He has a chance to become the first golfer to win seven events in July since Arnold Palmer in 1962, and a second major in 2024 will help prove his case of greatness.
So, yes, Scheffler has finally come to terms with his fame. He acknowledges that his life is different and that’s not going away. But don’t expect Scheffler to explain why people love him.
“I couldn’t tell you,” Scheffler said, laughing. “I guess you’ll have to ask them.”
(Above: Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
