Scottie Scheffler Unleashed Some Serious Tears Before Strolling To Masters Win
Scottie Scheffler thought he could live up to his No. 1 ranking, but the idea of actually winning the Masters made him a little nervous. Or according to Scheffler, incredibly nervous.
"I cried like a baby this morning. I was so stressed out. I didn't know what to do," Scheffler told reporters after winning his first major. "I was sitting there telling (his wife) Meredith, 'I don't think I'm ready for this ... and I just felt overwhelmed.'"
It's true that Scheffler was ranked No. 1 without having won a major. So why was he anxious about winning?
"I think because it's the Masters," Scheffler said. "I dreamed of having a chance to play in this golf tournament. I teared up the first time I got my invitation in the mail.
"If you're going to choose a golf tournament to win, this would be the tournament. You don't know how many chances you're going to get. And so having a chance -- I had a five-shot lead on Friday and then a three-shot lead going into today -- I don't know if you get better opportunities than that. You don't want to waste them."
Scheffler cruised through the weekend, leading the entire way and rolling to a 1-under-71 for a three-shot win over Rory McIlroy. Along with everything else, Scheffler shot a record-tying final round 64.
In the end, he joined Ian Woosnam as the only players to win a major while making their debut as the top-ranked player. Woosnman won the Masters in 1991.
“I never expected to be sitting where I am now,” Scheffler said. “You don’t expect things to come to you in this life. You just do the best that you can and with the hand you’re dealt and just go from there. I never really thought I was that good at golf, so I just kept practicing and kept working hard, and that’s just what I’m going to keep doing.”