Born in New Jersey and raised in Texas, Masters champion Scottie Scheffler's journey to Augusta was a true family affair.
It doesn't seem that long ago to Scott Scheffler that he was standing on the green behind Bergen Community College in Parasmus, N.J., dutifully holding a flashlight while his only son -- just 5 or 6 at the time -- hit shots in the dark.
And yes, that was most of the Scheffler clan -- sisters Callie and Molly along with Scott and wife Diane -- huddled together just outside Butler Cabin to celebrate a jet-fuelled rise to the top that really wasn't that jet-fuelled at all. "It's just what you do as a father for your children," Scott Scheffler said, his eyes wet with tears while wearing a white Masters polo shirt on the grounds of a club where his son is now 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.
Scott Scheffler made it a point to make sure his kids were well-rounded. While stressing "I'm no guru," he pointed out how vital it was to make sure Scottie didn't focus on golf all the time. He tried as a sophomore at Highland Park High School only to realize he missed playing basketball too much. So it was back to the basketball team the following year.
"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."Rick Smith, the PGA Hall of Fame pro, has worked with Scottie for years, and Rick's son Blake is Scheffler's agent. Blake and Scottie met soon after the Schefflers joined Royal Oaks and the two would play together when they could.