Steve Hummer: Everyone's chasing Scheffler again at Masters -- and he's fine with that

AUGUSTA, Ga. — The last time Scottie Scheffler slept on a 54-hole Masters lead — just two springs ago — he woke up in a puddle of doubt.

“I don’t feel like I’m ready for this,” he told his wife.

“I just felt overwhelmed,” he said.

The fact that Scheffler confessed all these dark emotions just hours later during the 2022 Masters champion’s press conference was a hint that he had recovered his wits pretty quickly.

When Scheffler arises this Sunday and considers his one-shot lead after three quarters of the current Masters, he should feel quite different.

For one thing, his wife Meredith won’t be around to verbally slap some sense into him this time. She’s back home in Texas on the brink of having their first child. Some may say that she is the last best chance for the rest of this field, since Scheffler has promised to pick up in mid-swing if necessary and leave should she unexpectedly go into labor.

That jet is still revving on the runway. “I definitely have a way to get home pretty quickly,” he said at the close of his round Saturday. Scheffler’s pursuers would be happy to chip in for the gas.

For another thing, Scheffler has grown a lot more comfortable with this whole king-of-the-golfing-world thing. Light is the head that wears the crown.

In 2022, Scheffler was new to the winning habit and the No. 1 world ranking that came with it. It was all so much, so soon for a simple guy who was still driving the 2012 Yukon his pops bought him. That new-domination smell has worn off by now.

“Meredith and I were just a little bit emotional about what was going on at the time because our lives were changing at a very rapid pace,” Scheffler said. “Now I think we have settled more into where our lives are at, and right now the most exciting thing is not winning the Masters, it’s a baby coming pretty soon.”

...continued

swipe to next page