Masters Champion Says Golf Is Now His Fourth Priority, Delivers Important, Pro-Family Message
Scottie Scheffler may be a two-time Masters champion and arguably the best golf talent since the advent of Tiger Woods, but he’s a man who has his priorities in order — and the sport he currently dominates is No. 4.
Scheffler, the No. 1 player in the world, scored a decisive four-stroke victory at Augusta National Golf Course in the 88th Masters on Sunday, beating Sweden’s Ludvig Åberg.
The 27-year-old moved into a tie for the lead at the end of Friday, according to The Athletic, and held a one-stroke advantage after Saturday, as per Sports Illustrated.
He would steadily pull ahead on Sunday and earn his second green jacket.
However, it wasn’t even clear that he was going to finish the tournament. As Golfweek noted on Saturday, Scheffler’s wife, Meredith, is back in Dallas with their child due sometime later this month.
If she were to go into labor, he said he would walk away from the tournament, no matter what position he was in.
“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,” he told reporters. “And, yes, I’ll be available to go home then whenever I need to.”
Thankfully, his child wasn’t born during the tournament — although it did spawn some amusing memes, such as idea that Scheffler should name his child after the name of whatever hole at Augusta he quit the tournament during:
⛳️Whichever is the last hole Scottie Scheffler plays before WDing, that’s the name of his child (hopefully a daughter, hopefully not No. 4):
1: Tea Olive
2: Pink Dogwood
3: Flowering Peach
4: Flowering Crab Apple
5: Magnolia
6: Juniper
7: Pampas
8: Yellow Jasmine
9: Carolina…— Len Hochberg ⛳ (@LenHochberg) April 14, 2024
Well, thankfully, Tea Olive Scheffler won’t be a thing (presumably).
However, in his post-win media briefing, Scheffler made clear that — despite the fact he’s the world’s best player — with a child on the way, golfing is priority No. 4.
When asked if he was going to take his “eye off the ball” with a kid on the way.
“Well, I’m definitely not going to intentionally take my eye off the ball,” he said. “I will go home, soak in this victory tonight, will definitely enjoy the birth of my first child.
“But with that being said, I still love competing. My priorities will change here very soon, you know. My son or daughter will now be the main priority along with my wife, so golf will now be, you know, fourth in line. But I still love competing.”
He didn’t say what the other priority is here — although given his strong pro-faith messaging during the media briefing, it’s a pretty safe bet God also comes before golf.
“I was sitting around with my buddies this morning. I was a bit overwhelmed, because, I told them, I was like, ‘I wish that I didn’t want to win as badly as I did.’ … I think it would make the mornings easier,” he said.
“But I love winning; I hate losing,” he continued. “I really do. And when you’re here in the biggest moments, when I’m sitting there with a lead on Sunday, I really, really want to win badly.
“My buddies told me this morning, you know, my victory was secure on the cross, and that’s — that’s a pretty special feeling. To know that I’m secure forever, and it doesn’t matter, you know, whether I win this tournament or if I lose this tournament, you know, my identity is secure for forever.”
Faith and family are always better priorities than golf — yes, even the Masters.
And as for what he’s looking forward to about being a dad — well, pretty much what every new father is. And in the process, he managed to make a persuasive argument that marriage is a good thing, despite what so many people, especially in the media, want to tell you.
” I think it’s funny. When you get married, a lot of people tend to make jokes about, like ‘Oh, your life’s over.’ … When it comes to having a kid, every single person says that it changes your life and it’s the most special thing in the world.
“So I cannot — marriage has been such a tremendous aspect of my life, I cannot even imagine what being a parent is going to be like.”
For a man with Scheffler’s priorities, one assumes fatherhood will be even more tremendous — and a far greater blessing than a green jacket ever could be.
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