Scottie Scheffler’s fame has reached new heights. He’s learning to deal with it

TRON, Scotland — The questions came one after another, each day, asking Scottie Scheffler if he would leave the Masters if his wife gave birth to their first child. The entire week was dominated by this emotional crossroads in his life, with People and Us Weekly following it like celebrity gossip. Here at The Athleticswe even wrote a story about Scheffler taking charge Saturday night, without his wife Meredith there.

The baby wasn’t due for another month.

When Bennett was finally born in May, an ESPN reporter double-barrelled the news with the hashtag #babyborn. The PGA Tour announced it on its website. Scheffler’s arrival that week at the PGA Championship in Louisville, Kentucky, was like an apparition from royalty.

Life is suddenly very different for Scottie Scheffler. A golfer once considered dull, boring, and dull has somehow gone from being a very good golfer to a comically famous person. A player who spoke more than anyone else on tour about the importance of keeping golf and life separate—about the essential nature of staying grounded despite success and generational wealth—is now in a different league of attention. His injuries and equipment changes are front-page news. His family is tabloid fodder. A bizarre arrest in Louisville has made him an international fascination. His rare weeks of finishing outside the top 10 at a major are treated like disasters.

Scheffler has been the world’s No. 1 golfer for 96 of the past 121 weeks, but he won’t become a superstar until 2024.

“It’s definitely been a lot tougher,” Scheffler said Tuesday before the Open Championship at Royal Troon. “I think I definitely have to keep playing better this year — especially in tournaments, I think there’s just a lot more going on day to day. I think I’ve almost had to lean into that more, just keep improving my calmness so that it’s really calming.”

Scottie and Meredith Scheffler with son Bennett after Scottie’s victory at the Memorial Tournament last month. (Michael Reaves/Getty Images)

Scheffler has always done everything he can to keep his life small. He has a few big sponsorships, but keeps them to a minimum. He doesn’t post his life on social media. He stays off his phone a lot.

And for this year, that was all fine. He was No. 1 in the world. He was the 2022 Masters champion. But he was maybe the fifth most famous player in his sport. He could be normal. Turn down an occasional interview? No problem. Don’t sign for a fan? Eh, he wants more other people.

But something noticeable has changed beyond the elevation of his game to a new level in 2024. He has won six majors in his last 10 starts, including a second Masters green jacket in April. Conversations about major championships have become, “Who’s your choice, you know, besides Scottie?” And while a year ago his galleries were solid but unremarkable, Scheffler now has the biggest following next to Tiger Woods, because fans want to see history.

There is now an element of responsibility in his public appearances. He seems to understand that.

“It’s a really cool feeling to make someone’s day by signing an autograph or taking a picture,” Scheffler said. “It’s a really fun feeling. I try to embrace that side more than not being able to sign everyone’s autograph. People are upset because you can’t reach them all day. That’s not a fun feeling. I try to make someone’s day more by signing something or taking a picture.”

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It’s fascinating to see how it’s slowly developed. You almost forget that his pre-tournament press conference at the Players Championship in March was filled with countless questions about how unknown he was and why, for whatever reason, he wasn’t as successful as other big stars.

But something happened in the second round of that week. He had won the Arnold Palmer Invitational the week before with a new putter, and there was growing talk about how unstoppable he would be with a better stroke on the greens. Then, that Friday, Scheffler slightly injured his neck, requiring massages before every tee shot for several holes. Suddenly, a dozen reporters rushed out of the media center to catch him on the back nine. It was urgent. It was being treated in a way that golf injuries almost never are. He came from behind to win, of course.

His four-stroke victory at the Masters was seen as inevitable. He was Tiger-like odds on as a 4-1 favorite, while his upcoming son was the constant talk. His greatness took on a new tone.

But it was that strange, horrible day in Louisville that brought Scheffler across the Rubicon. When Scheffler was thrown against a car and arrested before the second round of the PGA Championship, it was a viral flashpoint moment. By the time he retired hours after his prison sentence, fans had already donned “Free Scottie” T-shirts and bought prisoner costumes in support. They beloved him, and all because of a strange incident.

How would Scottie Scheffler attempt to conquer the famous Royal Troon bunkers? Discover it Live at the Range.https://t.co/0LPQyHprlO@HSBC_UK | #LiveOnTheRange photo.twitter.com/92VGuKMV7u

— The Open (@TheOpen) July 16, 2024

He has won three more times since that Masters victory. When he finished tied for 41st at the U.S. Open in June — his first finish outside the top 25 at a major in 2 1/2 years — it was met with concern.

So how does someone who prides himself on keeping his life outside of golf quiet deal with this newfound attention? How does he make sure it doesn’t derail his career?

“I think that’s something that my wife and I always work on,” Scheffler said. “When we’re home to rest, what does rest actually look like? It’s not necessarily sitting there and watching TV. There’s a lot of different things that we do to get good quality rest so that when we get back out there and playing and doing things, I have the energy to compete. I have the energy to — really the social energy to go out there and interact with the fans and do those types of things, sit in the media center.”

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This is where Scheffler lives now, for better or for worse. He’s an ambassador now. He’s a celebrity. He has responsibilities and expectations. And sometimes it means awkward interactions with strangers who recognize him.

“There are always some funny ones in there, because I think sometimes people don’t know exactly what to say, and they can be a little weird sometimes,” he said, laughing.

This week at Royal Troon, Scheffler will be looking to cap a historic year. He has a shot at becoming the first golfer since Arnold Palmer in 1962 to win seven tournaments by this point in July, and a second major in 2024 would help cement just how great he has been.

So yes, Scheffler has finally accepted that he is famous. He admits that his life is different and that it is not going away. But don’t expect Scheffler to explain why people love him.

“I can’t tell you,” Scheffler said with a grin. “I guess you’ll have to ask them yourself.”

(Top photo: Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)