Scottie Scheffler is now a father after his wife Meredith gave birth to a baby boy named Bennett on May 8.
The World No.1 had previously stated he would not miss the birth of his first child for any golf tournament, meaning his participation in the 2024 PGA Championship had been in doubt.
However, he arrived at Valhalla on Monday to begin his preparation for the second men’s Major of the year.
“Welcome to the world little one. Your mom and dad love you so much,” Scheffler posted on Instagram.
According to the Associated Press, Jon Rahm was one of the first to give Scheffler a hug, before asking how his sleep has been during his first week as a parent.
As for matters on the course, Scheffler is understandably the bookies’ favourite as he looks to lift the Wanamaker Trophy for the first time to continue a stunning run of form.
The 27-year-old has won four of his last five events, the exception being a T2 at the Houston Open where he missed a six-footer to force a playoff.
His run has included victories at the Arnold Palmer Invitational, the Players Championship, The Masters and the RBC Heritage, with many drawing parallels to some of the Tiger Woods’ best stretches of golf.
He will become the first player since Jordan Spieth in 2015 to claim the first two Majors of the year should he reign supreme in Kentucky and he told Golf Channel's Todd Lewis he feels "extremely prepared" despite not playing competitively in four weeks.
"I think as the week goes on I’ll get more immersed in what I am doing and just do my best to stay as present as I can on the golf course and then when I get off it I’ll be calling home as much as possible," he said.
"I talk a lot about how it’s all about my prep work. You know, I want to be as prepared as possible going into an event and, standing here today, I feel like I am extremely prepared and I feel like my game is in a good spot.
"I’m excited to get a couple more days of prep work done and getting on the golf course and looking forward to competing this weekend."
Scottie Scheffler arrived at the PGA Championship after the birth of his son.The new dad spoke with Todd Lewis (@ToddLewisGC). pic.twitter.com/vlOmOQVQt3May 14, 2024
The competition is set to be fierce at Valhalla. Rory McIlroy is coming in fresh off an impressive win having taken down Xander Schauffele to clinch a fourth Wells Fargo Championship, while defending champion Brooks Koepka lifted his first LIV Golf title at the recent event in Singapore.
