Scottie Scheffler used this Masters champion’s perk on his mother

To the victor go the spoils — and that’s especially true for Masters champions like Scottie Scheffler at Augusta National.

Every year, past Masters champs are allowed to bring a guest to play on the Sunday before the Masters. And this year Scheffler, a two-time green-jacket winner, used his invite on someone special: His mother, Diane.

“It’s tradition on Sunday at the Masters [that] past champions get to bring a guest to play, and the last few years I’ve brought a guest to play one year,” Scheffler said during a pre-Masters interview in March. “I think last year it was my sisters, and this year I think my mom is going to come play. And so I think that day is a good day for me to soak in being back at the Masters, enjoy the memories, and have some fun with a family member or close friend and just enjoy the golf course, enjoy the day, before the work week starts on Monday. I kind of try to get everything out of the way on Sunday and get all the lore and everything.”

For the defending Masters champion, that Augusta National lore hits him the moment he enters the property. It’s a feeling that’s hard to describe. One Scheffler soaks in from a special spot on the property.

“I think when you pull in the gates, I think that’s the most special thing for me,” Scheffler said. “I really feel like you’re just kind of turning into this whole other world. It’s like a different place than the world just outside the gates. And you pull in, and everything else just kind of melts away. I forget about a lot of stuff that’s going on. I just kind of get really in tune to just try to play golf and get ready and prepare to play the golf course. Pulling into the gates is always a really special feeling. It feels to me like we’re going into a different world.

“Maybe my favorite spot is outside of the locker room there. There’s a little patio that’s upstairs, and you can kind of loop around to the other side, and you have a little view of the first tee and No. 10 and the golf course, and it’s a pretty cool little spot to sit and watch. I kind of sit up there and just watch what’s going on, and nobody really knows that I’m up there. Just kind of sitting there watching the crowds, enjoying the sights and sounds of Augusta, and nobody really knows that you’re there, so it’s pretty nice.”

Scheffler arrives at the 2025 Masters fresh off a T2 at the Texas Children’s Houston Open.

The world No. 1 missed the first month of the season due to a puncture wound in his hand that he suffered while making ravioli for Christmas dinner. Following an up-and-down showing at the Players Championship, Scheffler admitted the injury “set him back” a little and that he was getting frustrated as he continued to knock the rust off and build back to top form.

“I think any time you don’t play up to your expectations, it’s frustrating,” Scheffler said in March. “So with the game of golf, you’re going to be frustrated probably about 95 percent of the time. And this year, my ball-striking hasn’t been as good as it has been the last few years … a lot of that is just not being able to get the reps. It takes time for me to get back into 100 percent golf shape.”

Scheffler felt like he dialed in his game further in Houston and arrived at Augusta National with his game in a good place as he looks to become the first player to win back-to-back Masters since Tiger Woods in 2001 and 2002.

“I liked the way my swing started to feel over the weekend,” Scheffler said in Houston. “I felt like I holed a good amount of putts this week, especially under pressure on the back nine today. Felt like I hit my lines really well and did some good things out there. So definitely some positive momentum going into next week.”