Scheffler vows again to leave Masters Sunday if wife goes into labour

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AUGUSTA, Ga. — A first child trumps a second green jacket for Scottie Scheffler. Even with a lead heading into Sunday at the Masters.

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The American golfer re-iterated on Saturday evening that he plans to leave Augusta National should his wife Meredith go into labour before the tournament is decided.

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Scheffler has a one-shot lead over Collin Morikawa heading into Sunday at seven-under par. The baby is due in a week.

“I definitely have a way to get home pretty quickly,” Scheffler said after shooting a one-under 71 on a brutally difficult Saturday at Augusta. “And, yes, I’ll be available to go home then whenever I need to.”

With wife Meredith back home in Dallas, Scheffler is staying with close friends — some with have young families — because he didn’t want to be alone in a rental house this week.

“You know, they got permission to come here this week,” he said of his pals. “Some of them also had babies recently, so it’s nice to be able to get permission to come hang.”

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Phil Mickelson famously said he would leave the 1999 U.S. Open if his wife Amy went into labour, and his caddie had a beeper in his golf bag just in case. There are no more beepers these days, but at Augusta National there are also no mobile phones allowed onsite.

“We have somebody here that has access to their cell phone, if that’s all right,” he said, turning in his chair with a sly grin for the Augusta National member seated to his right.

Scheffler was asked if he thought his wife would actually call if she went into labour with everything the World No. 1 has on the line.

“She better call,” he answered.

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