As history beckons Scottie Scheffler again this week at Augusta National, the Olympic golf champion is instead focused on all the ways he’s just like the rest of us.
“I don’t feel any different than my other friends,” he told reporters Tuesday (7 April) at the Masters.
“I still feel like I go to work each day.”
That “work” this week will entail the 29-year-old American chasing a third title in five years (2022, 2024) at one of his sport’s most famed events, as he aims to join only Phil Mickelson (three) and Tiger Woods (five) to claim a trio of green jackets this century.
But less than two weeks after his wife, Meredith, gave birth to their second son, Remy, the Paris 2024 Olympic gold medallist is looking inward – even as he revels in the glittering career he’s built in less than eight years.
As of Monday (6 April), he has been ranked world No.1 for 186 (non-consecutive) weeks.
“I always had faith and belief in myself, but I never told myself I want to win these [major] tournaments,” Scheffler said. “I always just had what I feel like were dreams and aspirations, and I feel like I had the talent to be able to accomplish certain things.”
He continued: “I never really thought this far ahead. I dreamed of having a chance to win the Masters tournament… [But] did I imagine that? I imagined myself winning, and I was hopeful I could accomplish that, but I didn’t set out… ‘You know what? I’m going to get to No. 1 in the world. I’m going to win this many majors. I’m going to win this many tournaments.'”
Scottie Scheffler: “It feels like we live two separate lives”
As Rory McIlroy arrives in Augusta, Georgia, as the defending champion in the first men’s major on the calendar, Scheffler has the aura of a past winner around him – without the pressures a reigning champ can often carry.
“I think defending can always be difficult,” Scheffler said. “But I think that’s mostly just the odds of winning a tournament in back-to-back years. I think that’s just extremely challenging, especially when you look at these major championships.”
Scheffler has been upbeat as Thursday’s (9 April) first round has grown closer: The Masters is one of few events each year where he is joined by his personal inner-circle, which now includes baby Remy, who he says is sleeping “a lot of the day.”
The new addition to the Team Scheffler has added to the special feeling of the moment – even as Scottie keeps it as normal as possible.
“I had a couple buddies come to watch the tournament this week, and they rode down Magnolia Lane with me yesterday and today,” Scheffler said, explaining that he often keeps his work and personal life separate.
“It’s fun for them to be able to experience it with me.”
As Scheffler and his wife work to keep their private life just that, his appreciation for sharing the uniqueness of the Masters isn’t lost on him: “Sometimes I think it feels like we live almost two separate lives, where I have this life where I come out here and play and compete,” he said. This week, “my friends are brought into that arena that I live in out here.”
With his older son Bennett still just two years old, Scheffler looks forward to sharing more of what Augusta National is – and what it means to him – as the kids get older.
“This place means a lot to me as a professional and as a golfer,” Scheffler said. “This place signifies so much for me in my golf journey, and that’s something I’d love to be able to share with my kids. We’ll see how that goes as they age.”
read more: https://www.olympics.com/en/news/golf-2026-masters-scottie-scheffler-focus
