Now a Father, Scottie Scheffler Is Chasing Another Major at PGA Championship

Before a three-week break to await his first child, the world No. 1 won four of five starts including the Masters.

Scottie Scheffler is back to chase his second major title this season. / Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Scottie Scheffler returns after an understandable break from golf. His wife Meredith delivered the couple’s first child last Wednesday, a boy named Bennett.

Scheffler disclosed that the couple did not know the sex of the baby until he was born.

And now it’s back to work after a three-week break that saw him win four of his last five starts, including the Masters.

Scheffler heads into the PGA Championship on Thursday among the strong favorites along with Rory McIlroy and defending champion Brooks Koepka. The only time he failed to win a tournament going back to March was at the Houston Open, where he missed a playoff by a shot.

“I was able to practice and play plenty at home,” Scheffler said at Valhalla on Tuesday, where he practiced in advance of the PGA Championship. “Obviously the last week was a bit different with our son coming. I would say three weeks is probably a bit of a longer break than I would usually take. I'm sure on a normal year I probably would have been playing at the (Byron) Nelson (held two weeks ago in his hometown of Dallas).

“Definitely rested going into this week for sure. I don't really feel like any rust has accumulated. I was able to practice and play a lot at home. I'm able to do stuff at home to simulate tournament golf, especially on the greens, competing and gambling with my buddies, I don't really want to lose to them, either, so I was able to simulate a little bit of competition at home.”

Scheffler will have a different family dynamic to deal with this week. His caddie, Ted Scott, will leave after Friday’s round to attend the high school graduation on Saturday of daughter. Scott lives in Lafayette, La., and Scheffler has an early tee time on Friday.

“That's something we talked about from the beginning of our relationship was family always comes first, and it's the same thing for me as it is for my caddie,” Scheffler said. “It was a pretty easy decision. He told me at the beginning of this year that that was the date that it was, so I got a backup caddie lined up. One of my buddies is going to carry the bag on Saturday, and then Ted will be back for Sunday's round.”