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Scottie Scheffler is main the Masters — and eagerly awaiting the delivery of his first youngster.
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AUGUSTA, Ga. — Scottie Scheffler doesn’t anticipate he’ll have to depart the Masters early on Sunday.
However he has a plan prepared if he does.
Scheffler fist-pumped his approach by means of Augusta Nationwide’s again 9 on Saturday, pouring in an eagle putt at 13 and a birdie putt at 15 and one other birdie putt at 18 to complete off a one-under 71. That gave him a one-shot lead heading to Sunday, the place he’ll go off alongside Collin Morikawa within the ultimate pairing.
Two years in the past Scheffler held the 54-hole lead on the Masters, too. However when he awoke that Sunday morning the usually stoic Scheffler was overwhelmed with emotion.
“I cried like a child,” he mentioned later. “I used to be so wired. I didn’t know what to do. I used to be sitting there telling [his wife] Meredith, ‘I don’t suppose I’m prepared for this. I’m not prepared, I don’t really feel like I’m prepared for this sort of stuff.’ And I simply felt overwhelmed.”
That’s the place Meredith stepped up with phrases of consolation.
“She instructed me, ‘Who’re you to say that you’re not prepared? Who am I to say that I do know what’s finest for my life?’”
When Scheffler in the end cruised to victory at that Masters, he credited her calming affect. Now? He’s in place to do it once more. However this week’s rental home seems to be completely different. Meredith, nearing full-term being pregnant, is at residence making ready for the arrival of their first youngster. Scheffler invited a number of buddies to maintain him firm as a substitute.
“I didn’t wish to be alone on the home, so I recruited a number of of my buddies to return stick with me that have been on the town,” he mentioned.
Scheffler is a pair months shy of his twenty eighth birthday however says his buddy group goes by means of life adjustments alongside him. A part of the rationale there was empty area within the rental home is as a result of Sam Burns — additionally a soon-to-be father — missed the reduce.
“We’ve a small group collectively at residence with our wives,” he mentioned. “, they bought permission to return right here this week. A few of them additionally had infants not too long ago, so it’s good to have the ability to get permission to return grasp.”
Scheffler’s not accustomed to creating breakfast, he mentioned — although he pulled off eggs and toast on Saturday — and he’s nonetheless getting used to solo life on the street. However his focus is on what would occur ought to Meredith go into labor. Whereas they don’t anticipate it, given she hasn’t proven early indicators, Scheffler mentioned they’ve a plan ought to that decision come.
“Yeah, I positively have a option to get residence fairly shortly,” he mentioned. “We’ve someone right here that has entry to their mobile phone [here he turned to the Augusta National member moderating the press conference] if that’s alright.
“And, sure, I’ll be obtainable to go residence then every time I must.”
Does Scheffler suppose she’d actually name?
“She higher name,” he mentioned.
The Schefflers’ Child Watch echoes one other from a quarter-century in the past. Phil Mickelson performed the ultimate spherical of the 1999 U.S. Open at Pinehurst with a beeper readily available, able to fly to his spouse Amy’s aspect. He held a one-stroke lead with three holes to play earlier than in the end coming in second to Payne Stewart.
“This can be a disappointing day,” Mickelson, then 29, mentioned on the time. “However within the subsequent couple of days we’re anticipating our first youngster, in order that evens it out. I’m fairly enthusiastic about that.”
Scheffler joked that their child prep hinges on a post-Masters delivery, anyway.
“Perhaps I must be extra involved. I don’t actually know,” he mentioned. “Individuals have requested us how our preparation goes for the newborn. I really feel like we’re a bit underprepared. The nursery isn’t fairly prepared and we’ve had some points at our home the previous couple of weeks. I believe that’s the thrilling half. I believe we’re positively underprepared to be mother and father.”
Again to Scheffler’s plan to win the Masters, then. He says he’ll spend Sunday morning hanging with buddies. He’ll name Meredith. And he added that he doesn’t anticipate the identical kind of emotional morning he skilled in 2022. In spite of everything, that Masters win was the end result of a meteoric rise from zero-time PGA Tour winner to World No. 1 in a matter of months.
“I believe lots of that emotion from Sunday morning a number of years in the past was extra about simply how shortly our life was altering and it was extra of, are we prepared for such a factor,” he mentioned. “Yeah, that’s when Mer gave me that good speech and right here we’re.”
As for this time round?
“Now I believe we’ve settled extra into the place our lives are at, and proper now probably the most thrilling factor isn’t successful the Masters, it’s a child coming fairly quickly. Issues are quite a bit completely different now, and I really feel like we’ve each matured.”
On Sunday Scheffler will hunt a career-changing win. Then he’ll plan to move residence, the place a life-changing occasion awaits.
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