Scottie Scheffler watches a tee shot during the third round of the Texas Children’s Houston Open on Saturday.

Scottie Scheffler looks down at his tee shot during the third round of the Texas Junior Tournament in Houston on Saturday.

The Wells Fargo Championship, the sixth marquee event on the PGA Tour, begins Thursday. World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler is not on the field.

During Masters Week, and also at RBC Heritage, there was a running joke in the stands and on TV that the only thing that could stop Scotty Scheffler was his wife, Meredith. Of course, you already know this story. The Schefflers are pregnant with their first child and will quit once Meredith, who started the last two games (Augusta National and Harbor Town) but stayed at home in Dallas, Texas, instead of attending either event, has the baby. He said he was deaf. Or any sign of more work. But that didn’t happen. Scheffler won both tournaments and established himself as the No. 1 golfer in the world. The distance between Scheffler and world No. 2 Rory McIlroy in the Official World Golf Rankings also continues to widen, similar to the gap seen when Tiger Woods was at his peak. But we probably won’t hear about a possible last-minute withdrawal scenario until next week, when the PGA Tour’s sixth major event begins with the Wells Fargo Championship in Charlotte, North Carolina. The only qualified player not in the field.

The field for next week’s Wells Fargo Championship will be finalized after THE CJ CUP Byron Nelson. The only eligible player who had not committed by 5 p.m. Extraterrestrial – Scotty Scheffler.

Although at this point it shouldn’t come as much of a surprise. Scheffler didn’t compete in the Byron Nelson CJ Cup this week near his home in the northern Dallas suburbs, so he obviously won’t be heading to Quail Hollow in North Carolina as Baby Watch draws to a close.

But his odds of making it into the tournament will certainly improve. Scheffler was a lopsided favorite to win both the Masters and RBC Heritage, but his absence should make the playing field more level for bookmakers.

Tourism experts also don’t have to worry too much about its absence. Scheffler has won four of his past five starts, but the one time he didn’t win was at the Texas Children’s Houston Open, where he missed a short putt on the final hole that would have required a playoff and finished second. Ta.

“I spoke to Meredith on the phone last night, and I don’t think either of us have officially realized that we’re going to be parents yet,” Scheffler said in a post-win message on April 22. told the day. Press conference at RBC Heritage. “I always look to my parents for good advice. They raised me and my three sisters well. “They still hold an important place in our lives. This will be their second grandchild, with a third due shortly after. My sister is also pregnant. This is an exciting time for Meredith and me. This is an exciting time for our entire family. We look forward to the next journey in our lives together.

It’s unclear when Scheffler will be able to play. One week later, Wells Fargo will host its second major tournament of the year, the PGA Championship, May 16-19 at Valhalla Golf Club in Louisville, Kentucky.