Scottie Scheffler will tee it up at the Masters this week as the hot favorite for the title given his world No.1 status and impressive recent form.
But both Scheffler and his compatriot and close friend Sam Burns could be forgiven for having a lot more on their minds than solely winning a coveted green jacket. The pair, and their respective wives, are set to become parents for the first time in the coming weeks, with Scheffler's wife Meredith due in three weeks, while Burns’ wife Caroline is due in nine days.
The golfers and best friends, both aged 27, are believed to be staying together in Augusta and the pair have vowed to leave at any time if their respective wives go into labor, as revealed in the Golf Channel's Monday broadcast from Augusta.
The prospect of becoming a father for the first time can be daunting for some, yet it certainly doesn't appear to have affected the form of Scheffler, who won the Masters in 2022.
The American has already won twice back-to-back on the PGA Tour at the Arnold Palmer Invitational and then the Players Championship to help bank $11,493,235 in prize money alone this season. He also came tied second at the Texas Children's Houston Open as Scheffler narrowly missed out on a hat-trick of wins.
Asked about the prospect of becoming a dad, Scheffler replied: “It’s going to be pretty wild. I don’t think it’s hit either of us quite yet but it’s an exciting time for us as a family.
"It’s been a pretty exciting last seven months or so and we’re looking forward to hopefully getting the baby out of there nice and healthy and with a healthy momma, and then we’ll go from there."
Scottie Scheffler, Sam Burns, and their respective wives at the 2023 Ryder Cup
Scheffler married his girlfriend of six years, Meredith Scudder, in 2020 after the pair both grew up in Texas where they met attending Highland Park High School.
Burns and Caroline Campbell got engaged in April 2019, with the couple marrying eight months later in December. The pair, who both grew up in Shreveport, met in a class at church when they were just five-years-old and, despite attending different high schools, would start dating at Louisiana State University.
Burns' form has been less impressive after missing the cut at the Valspar Championship in his last appearance but he has still recorded three top-10s this year in eight appearances and banked $2,126,563 in prize money.
