Expectant father Scottie Scheffler held off fierce competition to win his second Masters tournament in three years Sunday.
The triumph comes in spite of the distraction of having to possibly leave the tournament at a moment’s notice. After finishing off the third round as tournament Leader, Scheffler vowed to leave the competition if his very pregnant wife, Meredith, went into labor with what would be the couple’s first child.
Meredith did not go into labor, and Scheffler kept up his strong play as challengers wilted. In the final count, the 27-year-old cruised to a four-shot victory by finishing the four rounds of play at 11-under-par. Sweden’s Ludvig Åberg placed second at 7-under, while Max Homa, Collin Morikawa, and Tommy Fleetwood tied for third at 4-under.
Second Masters Win for Scottie Scheffler
Those vying for the title came and went, felled by the rigors of the Augusta National Golf Course. However, other than a temporary hiccup on Saturday, Scottie Scheffler powered through one of the most challenging competitions on the PGA Tour calendar.
Scottie Scheffler entered the 88th Masters as a prohibitive favorite to win, and he showed why. Scheffler fought difficult weather conditions as high winds battered the course throughout the tournament to claim many a challenger. Undaunted, Scottie Scheffler battled on.
The New Jersey native overcame a double-bogey and bogey on Nos. 10 and 11, respectively, during the third round on Saturday. However, he recovered to shoot an even-par round and regain the top spot heading into Sunday — aided by an Eagle on No. 13.
Scottie Scheffler merely had to sustain as others around him fell up to and through the final round. He did so, playing a bogey-free concluding 18 that featured five birdies to earn his second green jacket.
On Sunday, only Åberg and Fleetwood could keep pace but were too far away to mount a serious challenge. Homa and Morikawa both finished over par on their final round cards.
Scottie Scheffler Vowed to Withdraw if Wife Went Into Labor
For much of the tournament, it seemed that the only thing that could prevent Scottie Scheffler from winning the Masters was the possibility of a new baby.
He entered the tournament vowing to withdraw if he got the call from Meredith that a newborn was on the way. On Saturday, just 18 holes from victory, he re-iterated his vow to reporters, saying:
“I definitely have a way to get home pretty quickly. We have somebody here that has access to their cell phone, if that’s all right. And, yes, I’ll be available to go home then whenever I need to.”
While Scottie Scheffler admitted he was wrestling with emotions that come with the possibility of being a new father at any moment, he kept his priorities — and his golf shots — in line, saying:
“Now I think we have settled more into where our lives are at, and right now the most exciting thing is not winning the Masters, it’s (the) baby coming pretty soon.”
Luckily for Scottie Scheffler, one did not interfere with the other. He is the Masters champion, and soon, he will be a first-time father.
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Tom Carothers is a sportswriter with more than 20 years of experience covering sports at the high school, collegiate, and professional levels. Still longing for the return of his Minnesota North Stars, he has a high pain tolerance as a big fan of the Chicago Cubs, Cleveland Browns, and Tottenham Hotspur.
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