Scottie Scheffler's fame has reached recent heights. The PGA Tour star is fighting it

Follow live coverage of the primary day of the Open 2024 from Royal Troon today

TROON, Scotland — Every day the questions got here, one after the opposite, and Scottie Scheffler got mad about whether he would go away the Masters while his wife was in labor with their first child. The entire week revolved around this emotional turning point in his life. People and Us Weekly followed it like celebrity gossip. Here at, we even wrote a story about how Scheffler took the lead Saturday night without his wife, Meredith, by his side.

The baby's due date was just one month away.

When Bennett was finally born in May, an ESPN reporter ambiguously announced the news with the hashtag #babyborn. The PGA Tour made the announcement on its website. Scheffler's arrival this week on the PGA Championship in Louisville, Kentucky, was like a royal appearance.

Scottie Scheffler's life is suddenly very different. A golfer once considered boring, unexciting and mediocre has someway gone from being a extremely good golfer to being incredibly famous. A player who talked greater than anyone else on Tour in regards to the importance of keeping golf and life separate – in regards to the fundamental must stay grounded despite success and generational wealth – is now the focal point. His injuries and equipment changes make headlines. His family is fodder for the tabloids. A bizarre arrest in Louisville made him a world fascination. His rare weeks when he finishes outside the highest 10 in a significant are treated like disasters.

Scheffler was the world's No. 1 golfer for 96 of the last 121 weeks. But it wasn't until 2024 that he became a superstar.

“It was definitely a little more difficult,” Scheffler said on Tuesday before the Open Championship at Royal Troon. “I think I'm definitely continuing to play better this year – especially in tournaments, I think there's just a lot more happening from day to day. I think I almost had to get more into it, just keep working on my calmness so that it's really restful.”

Scheffler has all the time tried hard to maintain his life small. He has some big sponsorship deals, but they’re minimal in number. He doesn't post his life on social media. He stays away from his phone for a remarkable period of time overall.

And before this 12 months, that was all nice. He was No. 1 on this planet. He was the 2022 Masters champion. But he was the fifth most famous player in his sport. He might be normal. Ignore an occasional interview? No big deal. Not sign a contract for a fan? Oh well, he wants more other people anyway.

But beyond elevating his game to recent levels in 2024, something has noticeably modified. He's won six major tournaments in his last 10 starts, including his second Masters green jacket in April. Conversations around major championships have develop into, “Who's your favorite, you know, other than Scottie?” And while his galleries were solid but unremarkable a 12 months ago, Scheffler now has the largest fan base alongside Tiger Woods, as fans need to see history made.

A certain sense of responsibility is now evident in his public appearances. He seems to have understood that.

“It's a pretty cool feeling to make someone's day by signing an autograph or taking a picture,” Scheffler said. “It's a pretty fun feeling. I try to capitalize more on that side of it than not being able to sign everyone's autograph. People get upset because you can't get a hold of them all day. That's not a nice feeling. I try to capitalize more on making someone's day by signing something or taking a picture.”

It's fascinating how this has slowly developed. It's really easy to forget that his pre-tournament press conference on the Players Championship in March was stuffed with questions on how unfamous he was and why, for some reason, he hadn't made as much of an impact as other big stars.

But something happened within the second round that week. He had won the Arnold Palmer Invitational the week before with a brand new putter, and there was increasing talk of how unstoppable he could be with a greater green shot. Then, that Friday, Scheffler injured his neck barely and needed to be massaged before every tee shot for several holes. Suddenly, a few dozen reporters from the media center rushed to catch him on the back nine. It was urgent. It was covered in a way that golf injuries are almost never covered. Of course, he got here back from behind and won.

His four-shot victory on the Masters was treated as a given. He had Tiger-like odds as a 4-1 favorite, while his week was continually dominated by the arrival of his son. His greatness took on a brand new tone.

But it was that strange, horrific day in Louisville that took Scheffler over the Rubicon. When Scheffler was slammed right into a automobile and arrested before the second round of the PGA Championship, it was a viral, lightning-fast moment. By the time he teed off, hours after his prison sentence, fans had “Free Scottie” T-shirts and were buying prisoner costumes in support. They were for him, and all due to one freak incident.

— The Open (@TheOpen) July 16, 2024

Since that Masters victory, he has won three more times. When he finished forty first on the US Open in June – his first time in 2 1/2 years ending outside the highest 25 at a significant – it was met with concern.

So how does someone who places such importance on living a quiet life outside of golf cope with this recent level of attention and be certain that it doesn't affect his profession?

“I think that's something my wife and I are constantly working on,” Scheffler said. “What does recovery look like when we're home and resting? It doesn't necessarily mean sitting there watching TV. We do a lot of different things to get good rest so that when we get back on the road and playing and doing things, I have the energy to compete. I have the energy – really the social energy to go out and interact with the fans and do stuff like that, sit in the media center.”

This is where Scheffler now lives, for higher or for worse. He is an envoy now. He is a celeb. He has responsibilities and expectations. And sometimes meaning strange interactions with strangers who recognize him.

“There are always some funny ones because I think sometimes people don't know exactly what to say and they can be a little weird sometimes,” he said, laughing.

This week at Royal Troon, Scheffler will attempt to cap a historic 12 months. He has the prospect to develop into the primary golfer since Arnold Palmer in 1962 to win seven tournaments up thus far in July, and a second major in 2024 would show just how great he has been.

So, yes, Scheffler has finally accepted that he's famous. He admits that his life is different and that's not going to vary. But don't expect Scheffler to clarify why people love him.

“I can't tell you,” said Scheffler with a smile. “You'd have to ask yourself.”