TROON, Scotland — Scottie Scheffler received a wave of questions every day about whether he would quit the Masters after his wife gave birth to their first child. A week revolved around this emotional crossroads in his life, with People and Us Weekly following it like celebrity gossip. AthleticWe even wrote about Scheffler taking the lead Saturday night without his wife, Meredith, present.
The baby was due to be born in a month.
When Bennett was born in May, an ESPN reporter broke the vague news with the hashtag “#babyborn,” and the PGA Tour announced it on its website. Scheffler's arrival that week at the PGA Championship in Louisville, Kentucky, looked like a royal arrival.
Scottie Scheffler's life has suddenly changed dramatically. A golfer once considered boring, uninspiring and uninteresting has somehow gone from being a really good golfer to being ludicrously famous. The player who has spoken more than anyone on tour about the importance of keeping golf and life separate, of staying grounded despite success and generational wealth, is now attracting a different kind of attention. His injuries and equipment changes are headline news, his family tabloid fodder. His bizarre arrest in Louisville has brought him international attention. A rare week without a top 10 finish in a major is treated like a disaster.
Scheffler has been the No. 1 ranked golfer in the world for 96 of the past 121 weeks, but it wasn't until 2024 that he became a superstar.
“It's definitely made it a little bit harder,” Scheffler said Tuesday ahead of the British Open at Royal Troon. “I think I definitely have to continue to play better this year. I think there's a lot more day-to-day stuff going on, especially in tournaments. I think I have to put more effort into that. I think I have to continue to improve my rest and make sure I'm really rested.”
Scottie and Meredith Scheffler with their son, Bennett, after Scottie's victory at the Memorial Tournament last month. (Michael Reeves/Getty Images)
Schaeffler has always tried to keep his life low-key: He has a few big sponsors but keeps them to a minimum, he never posts about his life on social media and he never uses a mobile phone.
And up until this year, everything was going well. He was ranked No. 1 in the world and the 2022 Masters champion. But then he perhaps The fifth most famous player in his sport. He might be average. Turns down the occasional interview? No big deal. Doesn't sign with fans? Oh well, he wants someone else anyway.
But something noticeably changed in 2024 as his game soared to a new level. He's won six of the big tournaments in his past 10 starts, including his second green jacket at the Masters in April. The conversation around major championships has become “Who else besides Scotty?” And while his attendance was solid but unspectacular a year ago, Scheffler now has the biggest following outside of Tiger Woods as fans eager to see history.
His public appearances now come with responsibility, and he seems to understand that.
“It's a really nice feeling to be able to make someone's day by signing autographs and taking pictures,” Scheffler said, “It's a really fun feeling. I try to focus more on that aspect than the situation where I can't sign autographs for everyone. People are disappointed that they can't see each other all day. That's not a fun feeling. I try to focus more on making someone's day by signing autographs and taking pictures.”
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It's easy to forget that at his pre-tournament press conference at the Players Championship in March, there were countless questions being asked about how little-known he was and why he hadn't yet stood out like some of the other big stars, but his slow progress has been fascinating.
But something happened in the second round that week. He'd won the Arnold Palmer Invitational the week before with a new putter, and rumors were growing about how unbeatable he could be if his strokes on the greens improved. Then that Friday, Scheffler had a minor neck injury and needed a massage before teeing off a few holes. Suddenly, a dozen or so reporters swarmed from the media center, trying to get a hold of him on the back nine. It was an emergency. It was covered in a way that a golfer's injuries are rarely covered. Of course, he came from behind to win.
His four-stroke victory at the Masters was treated like an inevitability — he was a 4-1 favorite like Tiger, but the news of his son's birth was constant throughout his week — and his greatness took on a new dimension.
But it was that strange, frightening day in Louisville that brought Scheffler across the Rubicon. When Scheffler was thrown from his car and arrested before the second round of the PGA Championship, it was a flashbulb moment. By the time he teed off a few hours after being locked in a jail cell, fans were already buying “Free Scotty” T-shirts and prisoner costumes in support. loved All because of one strange incident that led to his loss.
How will Scottie Scheffler fare on the famed Royal Troon Bunker? Find out in Live at the Range: https://t.co/0LPQyHprlOAbout HSBC UK | #LiveAtTheRange pic.twitter.com/92VGuKMV7u
— The Open (@TheOpen) July 16, 2024
He's won three more times since his Masters victory, but there were concerns raised when he finished tied for 41st at the U.S. Open in June — his first time outside the top 25 at a major in 2 1/2 years.
So how does someone who prides himself on living a peaceful life outside of golf handle this new kind of attention, and how can he keep it from interfering with his career?
“I think it's something that my wife and I are constantly working on,” Scheffler said. “When you're resting at home, what does it actually mean to rest? It doesn't necessarily mean sitting around and watching TV. There are a lot of different things that we do to make sure that you get quality rest so that when you come back on the road and play games and do stuff, you have that energy to compete, to go out and interact with the fans and sit in the media center and be social.”
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For better or worse, this is where Scheffler lives. He's now an ambassador and a celebrity. That means responsibilities and expectations and the occasional stranger recognition.
“There's always some funny stuff, because I think sometimes people don't know what to say and it can be a little weird,” he said with a laugh.
This week at Royal Troon, Scheffler is looking to close out a historic year. He has a chance to become the first golfer since Arnold Palmer in 1962 to win seven tournaments by this time in July, and a second major win in 2024 would be proof of just how good a player Scheffler has been.
Yes, Scheffler has finally accepted that he's a celebrity. He acknowledges that his life has changed, and that it's not going to go away. But don't expect Scheffler to explain why people love him.
“I can't tell you,” Scheffler said with a grin, “You'll have to ask them.”
(Top photo: Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
