If there is hope for those at the top of golf not named Scottie Scheffler, it may come from impending changes in the Masters champion’s life that will push the sport to fourth on the list of his priorities.
There was a theoretical chance last week that he would drop out of the course if word got through that his heavily pregnant wife, Meredith, had given birth.
Such a reprieve never came for the chasing pack, but with his new baby on the way soon, Scheffler’s prospects will change.
That could open a door for rivals at a time when the two-time Green Jacket winner threatens to become the dominant player of his era, but he has issued something of a warning to those waiting for complacency.
“I’m certainly not going to deliberately take my eye off the ball,” he said. ‘I’m going home and enjoying this victory. I will definitely enjoy the birth of my first child. But that being said, I still like competition.
Scottie Scheffler donned his second Green Jacket on Sunday after winning The Masters
Scheffler dominated the field and is by far the best golfer in the world right now
‘My priorities will change very quickly here. My son or daughter will now be the top priority, along with my wife, so golf will now probably come fourth (after his Christian faith). But I still love competitions. I don’t plan on taking my eye off the ball anytime soon, that’s for sure.’
At 27, Scheffler has already built a remarkable body of work, with three wins in the past five weeks and no rounds above par this year.
With nine wins since February 2022, including consecutive victories at the Players Championship, the world number 1 goes into the second major of the season at the US PGA Championship as the heavy favorite.
He returns to his pregnant wife Meredith as they wait for their first child together
The likes of Rory McIlroy will be happy to hear that golf is disappearing from Scheffler’s list
While his personality couldn’t be more different from Tiger Woods’, aspects of his statistical dominance over the game are starting to gain some notoriety. As does his will to win, which he exemplified in the aftermath of his four-shot victory at Augusta.
‘I was sitting with my friends this morning, I was a little overwhelmed, and I said to them, “I wish I didn’t want to win as much as I do or as much.” I think it would make mornings easier.
‘But I like to win. I hate losing. Really and truly.
“I feel like playing professional golf is an endlessly unfulfilling career. Ultimately, I think this is what the human heart does. You always want more.’