Scheffler shows that he stands alone

AUGUSTA, GA. It turns out maybe the only thing that could have averted the inevitable was an urgent call from a delivery room.

- DAVE DESCHUK

Scottie Scheffler embraces his caddy Ted Scott after winning the Masters.

Such is the level of dominance of world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler, who won his second Masters in three years Sunday by an uneventful four shots. Scheffler and wife Meredith, who’s eight months pregnant, are expecting their first child in the coming weeks. And before Scheffler teed it up at the 88th Masters, he had pronounced himself poised to leave the golf course at a moment’s notice should the baby arrive early. Never mind the prospect of leaving the $3.6-million (U.S.) winner’s cheque on the table. Scheffler, though he’s only 27, is already plenty rich with more than $50 million in career prize money.

And as the 2022 Masters champion, Scheffler is guaranteed plenty more kicks at the Augusta can. He’d only have a firstborn once.

You can imagine Scheffler’s competitors would have been more than happy to buy him a box of the finest cigars and send him on his way to the hospital, should the call have come. Alas, while four other golfers began Masters Sunday within four shots of Scheffler, who led the field by a stroke after three rounds, nobody made the necessary charge to seriously threaten the upset. And since the call never came, Scheffler became the first to win his second Masters in just his fifth start.

“I was sitting around with my buddies this morning. I was a bit overwhelmed. I told them: I wish I didn’t want to win as badly as I do. I think it would make the mornings easier,” Scheffler said.