AUGUSTA, Ga. — Collin Morikawa was greeted with cheers and cheers as he climbed the hill to the ninth green here at the Masters on Saturday.
Two groups later, Max Homa received an even louder welcome as fans chanted his name, perhaps the loudest of any player other than Tiger Woods here on Saturday.
Scotty Scheffler arrived between them. He's a golfer who's only been ranked No. 1 in the world for 47 consecutive weeks, and the Dallas native hasn't scored above average in 39 consecutive rounds since 2023, but he's a seemingly humble family man who has already won championships. . Here in 2022.
There was muffled applause and polite calls. But that's it. If you don't know who he is, you won't know who he is.
No one knows why the average golf fan isn't (at least not yet) passionate about Schaeffler. His run should have caused a sensation. Whatever it is, they're missing quite a show.
Scheffler shot a 71 here Saturday and is at the top of the Masters leaderboard at 7 under heading into Sunday's final round. Morikawa is 6 under and Homa is 5 under.
This puts Scheffler in a prime position to win his second green jacket in three years, at least unless his wife Meredith, who is nine months pregnant, goes into labor. (I have vowed to go there.) .
“The most exciting thing for us right now is not winning the Masters, but the fact that we're about to have a baby,” Scheffler said.
It may not be the most attractive personality trait, but that's Scheffler.
Yes, he's quiet. Yeah, he's not that colorful. Yes, he doesn't always show emotion — but the three fist pumps he pumped after sinking a 31-foot eagle putt on No. 13 might change that. Otherwise, there was only one fist pump after birdie on the 18th.
Anyway, the guy can play golf and now he's doing it better than anyone else.
“He's clearly the best player in the world,” Bryson DeChambeau said.
Scheffler won't march around the course in red on Sunday and let anyone try. It's not his game. He is efficient, focused and patient.
He said he tries to focus on “his process” during the course. He tends to walk down the fairway looking at his feet rather than the gallery.
“I try my best to stay in my own little world there,” Scheffler said. “I just try my best to stay in the moment.”
Away from golf, he wants to be defined by “my beliefs.” When it comes to drama and rivalries on tour, “I'm the type of person who likes to stay out of the way.'' He said this is his first tournament without Meredith in “in quite a while.''
“I made breakfast. [Friday]It was an adjustment,” Scheffler said of the egg and toast plate he managed to mix together. He had some friends cook for him on Saturday.
Apparently that doesn't do much for TV ratings, but that's someone else's problem. Schaeffler's job is to win, and no one is doing it better right now.
Most notable about his round Saturday were the aforementioned eagle putt, his 32-yard chip-in for birdie on No. 1, and his 34-foot birdie putt on No. 3 (following a chip from the woods). ) But it wasn't.
That's when he hit a double bogey on the 10th hole, a rare wobble from golf's most consistent force. It attracted attention.
“I tried to be patient,” Scheffler said after the game.
Of course he did. If fans want more than that, they may have to be patient.
Scottie Scheffler hasn't changed, and he's certainly not going anywhere.
