Scottie Scheffler might officially be the best golfer on the planet right now - but it's a status his wife couldn't care less about as he seeks Masters glory.
Scheffler, 25, is in the form of his life, pushing on from an impressive Ryder Cup debut last year where he beat then world No 1 Jon Rahm in the singles on Sunday. Still, the American entered 2022 still without a PGA Tour win to his name, a notion he emphatically put right in the build-up to Augusta.
He broke his duck in February, winning the WM Phoenix Open on the third hole of a sudden-death playoff against Patrick Cantlay. Both players had finished the tournament at 16- under par.
The following month, Scheffler won a second career PGA Tour title at the Arnold Palmer Invitational in Florida, holding off Viktor Hovland, Billy Horschel and Tyrrell Hatton to win by a stroke. And more was to come at the WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play in Austin.
The 2020 PGA rookie of the year defeated Kevin Kisner in the final to replace Rahm as the new world No 1. Despite this, there was little media talk about Scheffler ahead of this week's tournament at Augusta.
That's because the publicity was dominated by the return of Tiger Woods, who made a remarkable return to professional golf following his high-speed car crash in February last year. Scheffler himself admitted the presence of the 15-time major champion was helpful, given it took the spotlight away from him.
Not that it would have made much difference to his wife, Meredith. She is regularly seen by his side at tournaments, but seemingly isn't bothered about his world ranking.
"I told her that because I want her to be able to experience these things with me, because she doesn't care what I'm ranked in the world, obviously," said Scheffler. He did however, reveal she was well accustomed to the highs and lows of professional golf.
“She gets to see how hard I work" he added. "She's seen the failures I've had over time and the sadness that comes with trying to achieve something and not being able to succeed at it.”
The pair first met at Highland Park High School, Texas, and started dating. They got married in November 2020.
And Meredith has been able to watch her partner continue his scintillating form at the Masters. At the half-way mark, he sat on eight-under par, a five shot lead.
That margin became extended following his front nine on Saturday though, with Scheffler going out in 33 to reach 11-under par. It meant a six shot advantage over Australian Cameron Smith.
