With Life's Greatest Perspective Knocking, Scottie Scheffler Adds A Second Green Jacket To His Closet

Inevitable, that's the only word that seems fitting enough to describe Scottie Scheffler.

Scheffler did exactly what was expected of him at Augusta National in going on to win the 2024 Masters. It may feel unfair to pin that sort of expectation on any player entering a major championship, and that's because the golf world hasn't been presented with this type of environment since Tiger Woods was in his prime.

To put that into perspective, Scheffler bested the field by four shots at Augusta National and not one person is surprised by his margin of victory nor by the fashion in which he was able to earn his second green jacket.

(Photo by Ben Jared/PGA TOUR via Getty Images)

Scheffler found himself standing in the ninth fairway Sunday in a three-way tie for the lead with Ludvig Aberg and Collin Morikawa. At the time, with just 10 holes left in front of him, it felt like the tournament could go one of two ways: a dog fight would unfold across the back nine at Augusta, or Scheffler would do what we've grown so accustomed to seeing out of him and flip the switch.

Despite Scheffler not having his A-game consistently over the weekend, the latter unfolded, and the 27-year-old sucked every ounce of life from the golf tournament with consecutive birdies on the ninth and tenth holes to cap off what was a run of three straight.

In a half-hour stretch, Scheffler went from being tied for the lead to holding a two-shot advantage with eight holes to play. Some may try to make up a narrative that Aberg and Morikawa finding the water on No. 11 and Max Homa's double-bogey on No. 12 helped hand Scheffler the green jacket, but that downplays what Scheffler was able to accomplish while everyone around him was crumbling.

Scheffler played holes 10-12 on Sunday at even par while all three of Morikawa, Aberg, and Homa played the stretch at 2-over.

 (Photo by Warren Little/Getty Images)

That stretch of holes - plus Scheffler executing down the stretch and playing his final six holes at 3-under - was when the window of the 2024 Masters was slammed shut while another window was pushed wide open.

Scheffler is now a two-time Masters champion, putting him in the unique and lonely spot of being the only player in the world with a chance to win the Grand Slam. 

On paper, the spot Scheffler is in after Sunday's Masters victory is the exact same one he found himself in after putting on his first green jacket in 2022. In reality, the two scenarios are wildly different thanks to perspective, both perspectives Scheffler has gained while becoming the No. 1 player in the world, and the perspective he'll soon be afforded when he and his wife Meredith welcome their first child.

READ: Emotional Scottie Scheffler Speaks To His Christian Faith When Asked What Defines Him As A Person

Perhaps the biggest story of this year's Masters outside of the ropes centered around Scheffler reportedly deciding to withdraw from the tournament if his wife went into labor back home in Dallas. Meredith's due date is over two weeks away, but the chances of her going into labor certainly weren't zero.

 (Photo by Keyur Khamar/PGA TOUR via Getty Images)

Shortly after securing his second green jacket, Scheffler took off his golf hat both literally and figuratively and slipped on his dad hat.

"It's a very special time for the both of us," Scheffler said inside Butler Cabin "I can't put into words what it means to win this tournament again, and I really can't put into words what it's going to be like to be a father for the first time."

Scheffler already appears to be one of the most humble and selfless professional athletes we've seen in all of sports. Every major champion has perspective, but Scheffler is already oozing it both on and off the golf course and soon that cup will be overflowing when little Scheffler arrives.

Outside of losing sleep, it's impossible to predict what impact becoming a father will have on Scheffler for the remainder of the 2024 season and beyond, but if you were to ask him, it's safe to assume he would say it'll only improve his attitude and mindset on the golf course.

That's bad news for every other player on the planet given that Scheffler already possesses the best mental game in the sport.