Scottie Scheffler Becomes First NJ-Born Masters Champion

AUGUSTA, GA — Scottie Scheffler's road to the green jacket began in Bergen County.

The 25-year-old secured his first Masters win with a tight performance Sunday. He cemented his place in golf history Sunday with a three-shot victory over Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland, his lead so absolute that even a double-bogey six on the final hole couldn't push him from the top.

Scheffler was born in Ridgewood. He, his parents, and his sisters lived in north Jersey until he was 6 and the family moved to Dallas. His parents are both Bergen natives, as NJ.com reported — father Scott from Englewood, and mother Diane from Park Ridge.

New Jersey governor Phil Murphy congratulated Scheffler and said he's the first New Jersey-born golfer to win the prestigious green jacket.

Being on such a high-profile stage was nerve-wracking for Scheffler, who said he woke up crying Sunday and had spilled his dinner in the car the night before.

“I was so stressed out. I didn't know what to do,” he told the official PGA Tour website. “I was sitting there telling (wife) Meredith, ‘I don't think I'm ready for this. I'm not ready.’”

Scott Scheffler remembered his son smacking golf balls in the dark behind Bergen Community College in Paramus — occasionally hitting his sisters accidentally with a powerful, if wayward, shot.

“He’s just a nice young kid,” Scott Scheffler said to the Associated Press. “Born in New Jersey and raised in Texas. He’s got a little bit of both, which is wonderful. Just our son and Meredith’s husband and now I guess he’s the world’s.”

Scheffler celebrated with his caddy, Ted Scott, who was the right-hand man for Bubba Watson for many years, the AP reported. Scott had planned to retire last fall when Scheffler called him, the caddy told the AP. This is his third Masters win as a caddie, the first two coming with Watson in 2012 and 2014.

“I can’t speak highly enough of Ted as a person and as a caddie," Scheffler said to the AP. “I respect him so much just as a person. He’s such a fun guy to be around. He’s a man of faith and I love him. I can’t say enough about him. You know, the qualities you look for in a person, Ted embodies pretty much all of them. He’s humble. He’s hard-working. He’s honest. He’s a good time to be around."

For his part, Scott said he expects to return with Scheffler to the Masters next year.

“I never expected to be sitting where I am now,” Scheffler said at the champion’s press conference. “You don’t expect things to come to you in this life. You just do the best you can with the hand you’re dealt. … I never really thought I was that good at golf, so I just kept practicing and kept working hard, and that’s just what I’m going to keep doing.”