In his first start since becoming a father, World No. 1 golfer Scottie Scheffler made a memory for a lifetime.
Scheffler and his wife Meredith had their first baby last week, a boy who they named Bennett. That was the reason why he said he would drop out of the Masters, even if he had a lead during the final round at Augusta National. It is also why he did not play in last week’s Wells Fargo Championship, one of the PGA Tour’s Signature Events.
As a result of the rest Scheffler’s received, specifically away from the golf course, having not played since the RBC Heritage, which he won for his fourth victory in his last five starts, Scheffler was more than ready to try and win back-to-back majors after putting on the green jacket last month.
That motivation started from the get-go on Thursday’s first round at the PGA Championship.
After his 324-yard tee shot landed in the right fairway, he was 167 yards away from the pin. His shot with a 9-iron took a hop about a foot away from the hole and landed directly into the cup for an eagle to start his run to get the second leg of the career grand slam.
Watch Scottie Scheffler’s eagle on the first hole of the PGA Championship
“Hello Dad. His first hole as a father is a memorable one,” said Jim Nantz, who was one of the experts who picked him to win.
His 167-yard hole out for eagle breaks his longest hole out this season, which came during the final round of the Players Championship from 92 yards out. Scheffler would go on to pull off a dramatic comeback and become the first player to go back-to-back in Players Championship history.
Outside of missing the cut in 2022, Scheffler has three top-10 starts in his four PGA Championship appearances, including being the runner-up last year. He finished tied for eighth in 2021 and tied for fourth in 2020.