The Masters: Scotty Schaefler is starting life as the world’s No. 1 ‘fool’ in Augusta

Before Scott Scheffler played as World No. 1 in The Masters, Mike McAllister is looking to become the top-ranked player in the humble superstar game.

As a teenage amateur golfer in Dallas, Scotty Scheffler loved to practice and play after long pants. This may not seem like a big deal unless you suffer through a brutally hot Texas summer and extended seasons of warm temperatures and high humidity.

Generally speaking, wearing shorts is not only an acceptable fashion choice, it is often a necessity in Lone Star State. But Sheffield wore trousers while working on his game at the Royal Oaks Country Club. After all, pro golfers (at least back then) had to wear pants during practice rounds as well as tournament days – and Schaefler wanted to be a pro golfer. It was always his dream.

Scotty Schaffler smiles while in the driving range during the Masters practice round

So he wore pants, just like the professionals. What he never dreamed of was becoming the world’s leading golfer. The thought did not enter his head. Of course, he wanted to be the best golfer he could be, and he loved to compete, so he definitely wanted to lose the field and win the tournament. But rising to number one?

“It never really came to my mind,” he said.

Thus, it is not surprising that Schaefler entered the recent World Golf Championship-Dale Technologies match play that he was unaware of the possibility of being ranked No. 1 in the world this week. In fact, it wasn’t until a day or so before the championship final, when a TV broadcaster conducted an interview with Schaffler that he mentioned it.

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Scottie Scheffler, ranked 5th in the world in WGC matches, moved up to number one in the world after winning 4 and 3 finals against Kevin Kissner.

Even so, Schaffler Suite advanced through the 16-weekend bracket to reach the championship final against Kevin Kissner at Austin Country Club, never focusing on it – without telling his wife Meredith that Saturday night about the possibility of it happening the next day. .

“He had no idea,” Sheffler said. “I told her I wanted her to be able to feel these things with me, because she obviously doesn’t care what I rank in the world.

Schaefler is one of six players to finish the Masters Week at number one in the world

“He sees how hard I work. Over time, he sees the failures that I have had and the sadness of trying to achieve something and not being able to succeed.”

Meredith told her husband that failure is not an option, she will succeed the next day. And so he did, defeating former No. 1 Dustin Johnson in the semifinals before defeating another eventual winner, Kisner.

This is his third PGA Tour win in his last five starts, allowing Schaffler to overtake Spain’s John Rahm at the top of the world rankings. This is a quick rise for a player who, until February, was never in the top 10 in the world. Now, although he has never sought a position, he has reached The Masters as the best golfer in the world.

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New World No. 1 Scotty Scheffler says he will rely on his previous experience playing with Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson at this year’s Masters tournament.

“It’s not something I didn’t want to achieve or believe I could do,” said Sheffler, 25. “I have always been, I would say, very competitive. I like to compete and I enjoy the challenge of playing here every week. Competing just here is really fun for me and just being able to win the tournament is great.

“The rankings didn’t really cross my mind. It was always about being here and competing. “

Of course, now he has a big goal behind No. 1, Schaffler. Expectations will rise. So there will be pressure to maintain a position from which there is only one direction – down.

Consider the case of Jason Day of Australia, who never hesitated to discuss his goal of reaching the World No. 1. But once he worked so hard to achieve what he had achieved, it seemed to consume his energy. After an unbeaten drought for more than three years, he dropped to 118th place.

Will Sheffler’s mentality be different? Probably, if only because Sheffler didn’t want top rankings. He said it would not affect his approach, and his friends and colleagues insisted he would not be caught trying to survive the campaign.

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We asked golf fans if they thought they would win the 2022 Masters, which will begin live on Sky Sports this Thursday.

Jordan Spith said: “I’ve known Scotty since I was eight and I think it will serve him really well. “She is OK. He is a competitor in the course, but he is very light. He blends in with everyone. I think he just sees it as the (No. 1) label which is really great but just likes to play golf. “

“He just likes to play the game and he’s playing it better than anyone else at the moment.”

Sam Burns, one of Schaffler’s closest friends on the PGA Tour, was in the same house as Schaffler during this year’s Masters at the Augusta National. One of the words Burns uses to describe Sheffler is “stupid.” Being stupid can be the perfect antidote to the stress of being number one.

“He’s not necessarily defined by golf,” Burns said, “so I think it will serve him well because obviously golf is very difficult, and you’re going to have great stretches and some of your bad stretches. At the end of the day, he knows golf Not everything. Who he is, not what he does. So I think that’s probably the most important thing.

“Once you become number one in the world, you get a lot of attention, and things change little by little … He hasn’t changed a bit, so I can tell you. He’s just his silly nature. Outside of the golf course, he’s a funny guy. You can hang out. He just relaxes and doesn’t take life too seriously. He’s one of the most competitive people I’ve ever met. “

Hearing that Burns described him as “stupid”, Schaefler agreed.

“I guess so, “he smiled.” I like to smile. We have some fun. I think it’s important not to take yourself too seriously, so maybe a little stupid. Going to have a hard day and golf is going to be really hard.

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There aren’t many days left until the much-anticipated 2022 Masters from Augusta Live at Sky Sports.

We lost a lot more than we won, so it’s important not to take ourselves too seriously because we fail here on a weekly basis. “

Maintaining a position as the latest golf superstar is probably another thing that will serve Schaffler well: being humble. People close to him are obviously watching.

“My friends are still joking with me,” Sheffler said. “I still have to do my work at home. In fact, nothing changes. “

Be stupid and win golf tournaments. Sounds like a pretty fun approach to golf’s new No. 1.

Watch the Masters live on Sky Sports exclusively throughout the week. Live coverage begins at 2 a.m. Thursday at Sky Sports Golf, with additional feeds and bonus action during the four rounds available via the red button.