By Andrew Both
AUGUSTA, Ga. (Reuters) – Masters champion Scottie Scheffler is golf’s new leading man but his family will make sure success does not go to his head, according to his caddie Ted Scott.
Moments after completing a Masters caddie hat-trick, having previously won with Bubba Watson in 2012 and 2014, Scott opined that a good family environment allowed Scheffler to play golf without a crushing burden of expectation.
“This guy is very much loved at home. Golf is not first and that gives you the comfort to go out and make mistakes and still perform,” Scott told a group of reporters while his boss was having the Green Jacket slipped over his shoulders in the Butler Cabin.
“If you put the expectations of the world on you it’s hard to perform.”
Scott recited a text he received from Scheffler last week relating a story of being asked by his wife to take out the garbage, never mind his new exalted status in the golf world.
“I thought it was hilarious,” Scott said. “He (Scheffler) said, ‘dude, my wife asked me to take the trash out’ and I said ‘honey, I’m number one’. She said, ‘I don’t care, go take the trash out’. So I still have to do my chores.
“That’s a big part of staying grounded and not get too big of a head.”With wife Meredith and parents Scott and Diane among the gallery at Augusta National, 25-year-old Scheffler overcame some early Sunday nerves, all but frittering away a three-shot lead before settling down and playing almost flawlessly until victory was assured.
A four-putt double-bogey at the last was a luxury he could afford.
Scott acknowledged that early nerves contributed to some loose early swings by Scheffler.
“This game is very difficult to stay in the moment and not time travel,” Scott said.
“Obviously he was nervous the first few swings, got a little loose but I think that’s normal for anybody. You get so much adrenalin it’s very hard to control that around a golf course that demands so much precision.”
As meteoric as Scott’s rise from relative obscurity to top dog has been, those who have followed him closely are hardly surprised.
As Scott explained, Scheffler has “ticked all the boxes” at every stage of his career.
Top 10 finishes in three majors last year – a tie for 18th at the Masters his worst result of the lot – gave an inkling of what was to come, as did a 4&3 thumping of then-world number one Jon Rahm at the Ryder Cup.
“He’s very driven. He really doesn’t have a weakness, he’s tough mentally and then he has all the experience of being the U.S. junior champion, great college player, (secondary tour) player of the year, rookie of the year on PGA Tour.
“He just has the pedigree of a winner.”
(Reporting by Andrew Both; Editing by Stephen Coates)
