Scottie Scheffler pays tribute to pregnant wife Meredith and insists 'I'm coming home as quick as I can' after scooping record $3.6m Masters prize money: 'It's a very special time for us'

Scottie Scheffler picked up the green jacket – and then vowed to get home in time for another present.

The clinical 27-year-old secured his second Masters victory in three years at a sun-drenched Augusta, responding to everything Swedish sensation Ludvig Aberg could throw at him to win by four shots.

Scheffler left his wife and childhood sweetheart Meredith in Texas ahead of the tournament as she is expecting the couple's first baby in the near future.

'I'm coming home!' he said after walking from an adoring 18th green. 'I'll be home as quick as I can. I love you and I'm coming home!'

Scheffler briefly FaceTimed Meredith, who was watching in Dallas, and will take a private jet to Texas from the nearby airport for a late-night reunion.

Scottie Scheffler paid tribute to his wife during his green jacket ceremony on Sunday

Scheffler was prepared to leave the tournament - even if he was in the lead - if his wife Meredith (seen here at The Players Championship just weeks ago) went into labor

Meredith walked with her husband at Augusta in 2023 - but this year she was at home in Texas

Scheffler and Meredith laugh together back in March after he won the Arnold Palmer in Florida

'All I can think about now is getting home,' he said. 'I wish I could soak this in more but all I can think about is getting home as soon as I can.'

Scheffler stayed at Augusta with friends but said he spoke to Meredith on Sunday morning. 

'She just asked if she could pray for me,' he explained. 'My neck was bugging me. I asked her to pray for some healing.'

Scheffler, a devout Christian, suggested that his victory was pre-planned. 

'I believe that today's plans were already laid out many years ago, and I could do nothing to mess up those plans,' he said. 

'I have been given a gift of this talent, and I use it for God's glory. That's pretty much it.'

Scheffler added that he is now looking forward to starting a new chapter in his life. 

Scheffler dominated proceedings at this year's Masters to win his second Green Jacket 

Scheffler and Meredith (pictured right at the Ryder Cup in 2023) are childhood sweethearts

'When it comes to having a kid, every single person says that it changes your life and it's the most special thing in the world,' he explained. 'Marriage has been such a tremendous aspect of my life, I cannot even imagine what being a parent is going to be like.'

Scheffler's almost-methodical win adds further weight to the belief that this is his era, and he may well dominate for years to come. 

When asked if the pending new arrival would shift his focus – and raise the hopes of his rivals - he sent out a defiant message. 

'I'm not going to take my eye off the ball,' he said. 'We'll enjoy the birth but I still love competing. My son or daughter and wife will be main priority so golf will be maybe fourth in line but I definitely don't plan on taking my eye off the ball any time soon.'