[Photo: Mike Mulholland]
The No.1 player in the world withdrawing from a PGA Tour event in his home state two weeks before the Masters might seem like cause for concern. But in the case of Scottie Scheffler, it was expected – and thankfully for him not injury-related.
RELATED: Scottie Scheffler’s historic PGA Tour streak ends in crazy fashion
Scheffler’s wife, Meredith, is pregnant with the couple’s second child, and Golf Digest has confirmed with Scheffler’s team that his decision to pull out of the Texas Children’s Houston Open overnight (Australian time) was connected to the impending birth.
Matt Kuchar is filling Scheffler’s spot in the field at Memorial Park.
The arrival of a baby in the midst of major championship preparation isn’t new for Scheffler. His first child, Bennett, was born in May 2024, shortly after Scheffler won his second Masters title and a few days before the PGA Championship at Valhalla Golf Club in Louisville.
Ahead of that year’s Masters, Scheffler was asked about his plans should Meredith go into labour while he was at Augusta National. “Yeah, open lines of communication and she can get ahold of me if she needs to. I’m ready to go at a moment’s notice.”
This week’s PGA Tour stop at Memorial Park was going to be Scheffler’s last formal prep before he tries to win a third green jacket in five years. Scheffler started this season with a win and three top-five finishes in his first three starts. In his past three, he has finished no better than T-12 but no worse than T-24.