Scheffler’s journey to the Masters a true family affair

AUGUSTA, Ga. –

Scott Scheffler can’t believe it was so long ago that he was standing on Parasmus’s green behind Bergen Community College in Parasmus N.J. holding a flashlight and his son — who was just 5 or 6 at that time — shot in the dark.

Scottie Scheffler could have smashed into one of his sisters with one of his errant strokes.

“He used to yell,” Scott Scheffler said. “He would yell at us when he hit it. He would hit the girls.”

It’s what brothers do.

Scottie Scheffler’s goal is much better now, nearly twenty years later. Yes, that was the kid who used tugged the green jacket over his broad shoulders after winning Sunday’s Masters.

Yes, that was the Scheffler family — sisters Callie (other sister Sara is in Portugal), and Scott and Diane — huddled together outside Butler Cabin to celebrate a jet fuelled rise to the top.

The Scheffler children were introduced to the game in the early days of the game back in New Jersey. Diane switched law firms to become chief operating officers and they moved to Dallas. They joined Royal Oaks Country Club because Scott Scheffler could have all four of their children in one place.

Scott Scheffler doesn’t view it as unusual or revolutionary, even though he understands that his son’s story is a familiar one. He was the stay at home dad to Diane while Scott worked.

“It’s just what you do as a father for your children,”Scott Scheffler said that his eyes were watering as he wore a Masters polo shirt in white on the grounds of the club where his son is a champion. “You do for your kids you know. I’ve done for all of them. They’ve given us great joy. He’s the one that did all the hard work, not me. I just raised him and tried the best I could to be a good dad.”

Perhaps, but somebody had to get Team Scheffler there. Youth golf tournaments. Basketball practices for high school students. There are many more. It didn’t matter that dad did most of the driving.

“Wasn’t unusual for me,” Scottie Scheffler said. “I didn’t know any different. Fortunately for me, I grew up with three sisters and my dad was there, and he did a great job raising us.”

Scott Scheffler made sure that his children were well-rounded. While stressing, “I’m no guru,”He stressed how important it was for Scottie to not focus on golf all the times. He tried to play basketball as a sophomore at Highland Park High School but he couldn’t do it. The next year, he was back on the basketball team.

Scottie was not the only family member who could compete in athletics. Callie Scheffler played at Texas A&M and served as Scottie’s caddie when he qualified for the 2016 U.S. Open at Oakmont as an amateur, and Molly and Sara are players, too.

Scott Scheffler laughed, “Schefflers have their issues, but they’re good people,”When asked about the unassuming 25 year-old board game enthusiast who is now the most popular golfer on the planet, he became more serious.

“He’s just a nice young kid,” Scott Scheffler said. “Born in New Jersey and raised in Texas. He’s got a little bit of both, which is wonderful. Just our son and Meredith’s husband and now I guess he’s the world’s.”

Family bonds extend beyond Team Scheffler.

Scottie has been working with Rick Smith, the PGA Hall of Fame professional, for years. Rick’s child Blake is Scheffler’s agent. Scottie and Blake met soon after the Schefflers joined Royal Oaks. They would play together whenever they could.

The relationship between the Smiths and Schefflers has only grown over the years. Perhaps that’s why Rick reached out to Scottie’s bag while signing his scorecard after his biggest tournament.

Rick was at Scheffler’s house Saturday night trying to get Scheffler to relax as he sat in a three-shot lead heading into Sunday. They worked on Scheffler’s alignment. His ball position. To keep things lighthearted, he watches Instagram videos.

Scheffler admitted that his stomach was hurting over the weekend, and that he cried Sunday due to the pressure. He posted a 1-under 71, which gave him a three-shot win. Smith laughed when Smith asked him where he relaxed after a four-putt on 18th.

“When he made his fourth putt (at 18),”Smith said. “We’ll go figure out what went on.”

There is time to breathe, but not enough. Scheffler was still on the hunt for his first PGA Tour victory in February. He’s now on a run that he can’t believe he could have imagined. He’s been hitting putts into the north Jersey night, not worrying about whether it hit anyone, where it went, or if his mom was driving them home.

“He’s public now, which is a little bit scary,” Scott Scheffler said.

Scottie will never forget where he came. Scott Scheffler is the only son of Diane Scheffler. He knows that he did not make the entire journey from Bergen Community College, to Augusta National.

“They didn’t parent perfectly, obviously, but for me, they did the best they could all the time, and I love them for that,” Scheffler said. “You know, I can’t speak highly enough of the hard work that they have put in. I can’t put it into words, I really can’t.”