Off the golf course, Scheffler is content to do "just the normal stuff" with his wife, Meredith. and sons Bennett, 2, and Remy, 3 months
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NEED TO KNOW
- Scottie Scheffler is savoring life as a dad of two
- The world’s No. 1 golfer reflects on his success in an exclusive interview with PEOPLE
- Scheffler is aiming to achieve golf’s Grand Slam this weekend at the U.S. Open, which also happens to be Father’s Day and his 30th birthday
Walking along the scenic greens of Augusta National on a sunny April afternoon in Georgia, Scottie Scheffler beamed with pride.
With a golf bag slung over his shoulder and 23-month-old son Bennett in his arms, the two-time Masters champion strolled with wife Meredith, his high school sweetheart, and their newborn son Remy tucked away in a baby carrier after arriving just 12 days earlier.
“It’s just amazing to see how far our lives have come, and now we have two little ones. . . . It’s a bit surreal,” the Texas-bred golfer reflects to PEOPLE in an exclusive interview a few weeks later at the CJ Cup Byron Nelson tournament in McKinney, Texas. “When you date in high school, you never really know how things are going to work out.”
Things seem to be working out just fine for the world’s No. 1 golfer, an honor he’s held for more than 150 consecutive weeks. Now one U.S. Open victory away from completing golf’s Grand Slam of winning all four majors, Scheffler is hoping to join the elite company of six legendary golfers—Gene Sarazen, Ben Hogan, Tiger Woods, Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player and Rory McIlroy—on Sunday, June 21, the fourth and final day of the championship, which happens to be Father’s Day and his 30th birthday.
Credit: Ben Jared/PGA TOUR via Getty
“There’s no more difficult tests than the U.S. Open,” he says of this year’s event, at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club in Southampton, N.Y. “I’m excited to get up there and play.”
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Reaching the pinnacle of the sport isn’t a road Scheffler walked alone. Born in Ridgewood, N.J., and later raised in Dallas by parents Diane, a law firm executive, and Scott, who took care of Scottie and his three siblings, he got hooked on golf at age 3 when his dad would sneak him onto a local golf course while his sister Callie was at swim practice.
Since his senior year of high school, Scheffler has also had the steadfast support of Meredith, his wife of nearly six years, through his setbacks and triumphs.
“It takes a lot of work for me to be able to do this for a living, and it’s a lot of sacrifice for [Meredith]. To be able to celebrate those moments for both of us is really cool,” he says.
Even with another golf dream within reach, Scheffler finds himself fantasizing about days of doing “just the normal stuff” that comes with being a husband and father of two.
“Immediately when the season ends, the first thing I want to do is just spend the time at home,” he says. “Bennett is hilarious. He’s just your typical little boy—he loves cars and trucks and dirt. He loves golf, he loves sports, and I look forward to just being able to be there and experience those things with him.”
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Bennett, who turned 2 on May 8, channeled his father during the Masters Tournament’s Par 3 Contest in April, toting a toy golf club on the course while little brother Remy, born March 27, nestled up against Meredith, 30. With Remy, Scheffler treasures “just getting a little smile and helping him fall asleep. When they’re that age and they fall asleep on you, it’s the greatest.”
“One of the greatest” is a term many would use to describe Scheffler. Since turning pro in 2018, he has become one of golf’s most dominant forces, with 20 PGA Tour victories. He’s also gotten attention for his candor about the sport’s pressures.
At the Open Championship in Northern Ireland last July, Scheffler made headlines when he questioned his competitive drive before winning.
“Why do I want to win the Open Championship so badly?” he said before answering, “I don’t know, because if I win, it’s going to be awesome for about two minutes. . . . We’re always on to the next week.”
Credit: Scottie Scheffler/Instagram
Reflecting on the moment, Scheffler smiles. “I could feel I was kind of rambling, and I was kind of like, ‘Oh man, [I hope] I didn’t say anything a little stupid.’ I was just trying to communicate, yes, I love competition,” he says. “But I think, once you accomplish something, you wake up the morning after, and you’re like, ‘Okay, I still have to get breakfast.’ Life still goes on.”
It’s all part of his mindset that golf isn’t everything.
“I’m so grateful for the accomplishments,” he says, “but at the end of the day, it doesn’t change who I am as a person.”
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