AUGUSTA, Ga.: Scottie Scheffler is just not, by nature, a egocentric particular person. It’s not how he was raised, nor how he chooses to dwell his life, and if that ever have been to alter, he is aware of he can depend on his spouse, Meredith, to deliver him again to heart.
The drawback is that Scheffler performs a egocentric sport.
“You’re out there by yourself,” he defined, “and when you’re at the peak of your game, you know, people need stuff from you a lot of the time, and you have to be selfish with your time. And it’s not easy to say no, but you have to learn how.”
Nobody is peaking increased today.
Two years after profitable the Masters, Scheffler is again at Augusta National this week, nonetheless the world’s No. 1 participant and maybe hotter than ever. The 27-year-old from Dallas has been within the high 10 in seven of eight begins this 12 months, together with his back-to-back wins on the Arnold Palmer Invitational and the Players Championship, the place he grew to become the primary to ever defend his title.
In his final begin, two weeks in the past on the Houston Open, his modern-era document of 28 consecutive rounds below par lastly ended with an even-par 70 within the second spherical, and Scheffler wound up one shot off a playoff in second place.
So it’s not stunning that there are heavy calls for on Scheffler’s time today.
He is requested to talk at numerous capabilities. Children lining the ropes beg for his autograph. (Adults do, too.) He’s had Netflix crews filming him for its docuseries, “Full Swing,” and the checklist goes on, seemingly constructing with each trophy he raises.
“You have to learn how to say no to certain people,” he mentioned, “because ultimately, when you come out to a golf tournament, you’re here to compete, and you’re here to do your best. And you can’t really get caught up in all the stuff that’s going around you.”
Make no mistake: Scheffler’s nearly placid demeanor masks an intense need to win. That was evident after he performed a observe spherical with Nick Dunlap, who earlier this 12 months grew to become the primary participant since Phil Mickelson in 1991 to win a PGA Tour occasion as an newbie, and Scheffler was requested whether or not he had any insights to go alongside.
“No, he’s too good,” Scheffler replied with a smile. “I don’t want to give him any of my secrets.”
Scheffler was kidding, after all, as a result of — as we’ve established — he was not raised to be a egocentric particular person. His dad and mom, Scott and Diane, supplied that basis, simply as they made certain that golf was by no means an important factor in his life.
“My parents pushed more education and being kind to people on me,” Scheffler mentioned. “Sometimes you see a lot of parents who really want their kid to become really, really good at something, and they think that’s what is going to bring them joy. But becoming a really good golfer may bring you a little bit of momentary joy, but it doesn’t sustain it for very long.”
In reality, Scheffler mentioned that profitable a match “makes me happy for about five minutes.”
The Masters glow might have lasted just a bit bit longer.
“The way I was raised, golf wasn’t really a huge deal in my house. It was just something that I always loved to do,” he mentioned. (*1*)
He occurs to be actually good at it, although.
That’s why Scheffler is the 4-1 favourite to win this week, based on FanDuel Sportsbook, essentially the most overwhelming favourite to win the Masters since Tiger Woods greater than a decade in the past. In reality, Scheffler is such a heavy favourite that some sportsbooks are giving betters the chance to wager on him or all the remainder of the sphere.
No stress there.
“I step up onto the tee at a tournament, my thought process is always about my preparation. I just remind myself: I’ve done the work. I’ve done everything I could. I’ve checked all the boxes,” Scheffler mentioned. “And, yeah, there’s definitely nervousness. There’s definitely excitement, anxiousness. I mean, all those things go through you when you’re out there competing. It’s just about how do you use those feelings and emotions to kind of enhance your focus, and that’s pretty much it.”
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AP golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golf
(This story has not been edited by News18 workers and is printed from a syndicated information company feed – Associated Press)
