Top golfer withdraws from tournament to await birth of second baby

The current top ranked golfer in the world, Scottie Scheffler, has withdrawn from the Texas Children's Houston Open as he and his wife await the birth of their second child.

Key Takeaways:

• Despite being the favorite to win the Texas Children's Houston Open, Scottie Scheffler withdrew in anticipation of the birth of his second child.

• Scheffler is not quiet about his love for his wife, Meredith, and their family.

• Meredith was expecting their first child in 2024 during the Masters and gave birth just before the PGA Championship. When asked if he had a plan going into the tournament, he said that when Meredith called, he would be "ready to go at a moment's notice."

The Details:

Scheffler and his wife, Meredith, are expecting their second child, and his decision to withdraw from the Open was announced last week. At the time, it was noted that his withdrawal was not injury-related before word spread that the decision was due to the impending arrival of their baby.

Prior to withdrawing, Scheffler was the "overwhelming betting favorite to win," according to Golf Digest. He had been the runner-up at the Houston Open three times.

Together since high school, the couple welcomed their first child, Bennett, in May of 2024, soon after Scheffler won his second Masters title and just days before the PGA Championship. At the time, he was asked if he had a plan should Meredith go into labor while he was on the green. He responded, "Yeah, open lines of communication and she can get ahold of me if she needs to. I'm ready to go at a moment's notice."

It seems the same is true this time around. Scheffler opted to be with his wife leading up to the delivery of their baby and will return to golf for the Masters in April.

He previously said that while it's always a great moment to achieve a goal of winning a tournament, it's not everything to him.

"Is it great to be able to win tournaments and to accomplish the things I have in the game of golf? Yeah, it brings tears to my eyes just to think about it because I've literally worked my entire life to be good at this sport," he said, adding, "To get to live out your dreams is very special, but at the end of the day, I'm not out here to inspire the generation of golfers. I'm not out here to inspire someone to be the best player in the world because what's the point?

"You win it, you celebrate, get to hug my family, my sister's there, it's such an amazing moment. Then it's like, okay, what are we going to eat for dinner? Life goes on."

After a win, he always looks for Meredith, and speaking about her and her support brings him to tears. He has called her his "biggest supporter" and "best friend."

In 2024, when Meredith wasn't in attendance because she was nine months pregnant, Scheffler won his second Masters jacket. At the time, he looked to the camera and said, "To my lovely wife, Meredith. I love you, sweetheart. I'm excited to get home. I miss you."

Why It Matters:

Scheffler is receiving support for his decision to skip the Houston Open. Sadly, the same cannot be said for other athletes who have missed games to be present at the births of their children.

In 2024, NBA player Rudy Gobert was criticized for missing a playoff game to be there when his chlid was born. Player Gilbert Arenas insinuated it wasn't important because the baby would be sleeping anyway. Gobert ignored the comments, saying he would never miss the birth of his child.

"This is one thing I decided I was never going to miss in my life," Gobert told FOX Sports. "I love this game. I dedicated my whole life to this game. But this is one thing that is above that. And that's being there for the birth of my child. I think everyone in this locker room understands that."

In 2019, Washington Nationals pitcher Daniel Hudson received pushback for missing Game 1 of the National League Championship Series for the birth of his daughter. However, his teammates and team management defended his decision, and pitcher Sean Doolitte threw his support behind Hudson, saying that a career is temporary but family is forever.

Hudson said after his return:

"I knew I was going to go no matter what. I didn't know that this was a new thing, to have a playoff paternity leave list. I had no idea. I was like, 'I can't be the only person to have a baby in the middle of the postseason.' And for it to blow up like it did, man, it's kind of crazy. But I didn't really give much thought about not going. My family is top priority for me."

In 2016, Boston Celtics player Al Horford was also criticized for missing a game after his daughter was born.

"My family's very important to me," said Horford at the time. "I'm in more of a unique situation because this is our first year [in Boston] and my wife, we all moved in the middle of the pregnancy. And [there is] a lot going on. So I just felt like it was important for me to really be there, supporting her. And we have a son as well. So for her, it's been a lot thrown at her these past few months.

"I know that it meant a lot for me to be there with her. ... So I'm just very happy that the Celtics really take the time and they consider us not only as players but as people. And people that have families."