AUGUSTA, Ga. — Collin Morikawa climbed the hill to the ninth green here Saturday at the Masters and was met with screams and cheers.
After two sets, Max Homa found a louder ovation, perhaps the loudest of anyone not named Tiger Woods here on Saturday, as fans chanted his name.
In between arrived Scottie Scheffler, the No. 1 ranked golfer in the world for 47 straight weeks, a Dallas native who hasn't posted a higher-than-par score in 39 consecutive rounds, dating back to 2023, and a seemingly unassuming family man who actually won here in 2022.
There was muffled applause and some polite catcalls. But that's about it. If you don't know who he is, you won't know who he is.
Why the golf public hasn't warmed up (at least not yet) to Schaeffler is anyone's guess. His run should have caused quite a stir. Whatever the case, they're missing out on a great show.
Schaeffler scored 71 here on Saturday and sits above Masters Leaderboard at 7 under heading into Sunday's final round. Morikawa is 6 under, and Homa is 5 under.
It leaves Scheffler in prime position to win a second Green Jacket in three years, at least as long as his nine-months pregnant wife, Meredith, doesn't go into labor (Scheffler has pledged to hop on a private plane from Augusta to be there). .
“The most exciting thing for us right now is not winning the Masters, but a kid coming soon,” Scheffler said.
Maybe this isn't the most interesting personality trait, but that's who Schaeffler is.
Yes, it's quiet. Yes, it's not very colorful. Yes, he doesn't always show emotion — although his fist-pump three-pointer after draining a 31-foot putt for eagle on 13 might change that. If not, there was one fist pump after a birdie on 18.
Regardless, the man can play golf, and now he does it better than anyone else.
“He's clearly the best player in the world,” Bryson DeChambeau said.
Scheffler will not be wearing red and walking around this course on Sunday daring anyone to challenge him. This is not his game. He is efficient, focused and patient.
In the course, he says he tries to focus “on my process.” He tends to walk down the aisles with his eyes looking at his feet, not the galleries.
“I do my best to stay in my little world over there,” Scheffler said. “Just doing my best to stay in the moment.”
Beyond golf, he hopes to be defined by “Iman.” As for any drama or rivalries on tour, “I'm the type of person that likes to stay out of the way of things.” He noted that this was his first tournament in a “long time” without Meredith.
“I made breakfast [Friday]“That was an adjustment,” Scheffler said of the egg-and-toast dish he was able to put together. He had some friends cooking for him on Saturday.
Obviously this doesn't impact TV ratings much, but that's someone else's problem. Schaeffler's job is to win, and no one is currently doing more of it.
The most notable part of his round Saturday wasn't the aforementioned eagle putt, the 32-yard birdie putt on No. 1, or the 34-foot birdie putt (after a slice of woods) on 3.
It happened when he bogeyed the 10th hole, a rare fluctuation in golf's most consistent force. This turned heads.
“I did a good job of being patient,” Scheffler said afterward.
Of course he did. If fans want more than that, they may have to be patient as well.
Scottie Scheffler isn't changing and he's certainly not going anywhere.
