AUGUSTA, Ga. — Scottie Scheffler has claimed his position as the No. 1 player in the world for three years. On Sunday, Scheffler declared himself the dominant force of his era.
Scheffler, 27, won the Masters by four strokes on a star-studded leaderboard for his second green jacket in three years. He becomes the fourth youngest golfer to win the Masters twice, after Jack Nicklaus, Seve Ballesteros and Tiger Woods. He joins Nicklaus and Woods as the only three players with two Players Championship wins and two green jackets.
For a while, on a perfect Sunday afternoon at Augusta National, it seemed like an all-time run for the Masters Championship was taking shape. The four men playing in the bottom two groups – Scheffler, Collin Morikawa, Max Homa and Ludvig Åberg – were all tied at 6 under at one point in the top nine.
But then Scheffler, who shot a 68 in the final round, put his foot down and everyone else moved aside.
While standing in the fairway on the ninth hole, Scheffler deployed a shot so good it will have a chance to become part of Masters lore – hitting it just over the flag stick from 89 yards and the looking back at six inches. . A foot from the hole, it looked like it was heading for an eagle, with customers jumping out of their chairs in anticipation. He “settled” for a birdie and took the lead at 8 under.
Scheffler then birdied the par-4 10th, a hole he double-bogeyed on Saturday, to take a two-shot lead over Homa and Åberg.
Morikawa, playing with Scheffler, was the first to withdraw from the competition. He doubled bogey on the 9th hole, parred the 10th, then put his second shot in the water on No. 11, expressing frustration as he watched the Masters slip away from him with a second double bogey.
Åberg was next, also finding the water on Augusta National’s treacherous 11th hole and scoring a double bogey to drop four shots behind Scheffler.
Last was Homa, still within reach of Scheffler until his tee shot on the par-3 12th stole the green, took a nasty bounce into the greenery on the hill behind him and forced Homa to take an unplayable lying penalty . He had a double bogey after a bad chip, and was three shots behind even after Scheffler’s bogey on No. 11, his second of the day.
From there, it became clear it could only be one, with Scheffler adding birdies on holes Nos. 13, 14 and 16 to keep the rest of the field desperately chasing. Åberg finished second (7 under) in his first Masters appearance, followed by Morikawa, Homa and Tommy Fleetwood (tied at 4 under).
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Patrons react to Scottie Scheffler’s birdie at No. 16. (Jamie Squire/Getty Images)
Two years ago, Scottie Scheffler held a three-shot lead on the morning of the Masters and collapsed into his wife Meredith’s arms, confiding in her that he didn’t feel ready for what was to come. It was. He is, even though he didn’t have Meredith with him this week, as she stayed at their home in Dallas to await the birth of their first child. Scheffler had promised to withdraw from the tournament if she went into labor (she was expected later this month). It was not necessary. Nothing stopped him from winning the Masters.
He now has nine victories on the PGA Tour with two major tournaments, compiling a record of excellence unmatched this decade. Those nine wins include two Masters, two Players Championships, two Arnold Palmers Invitationals, two Phoenix Opens and a WGC match play victory. But perhaps more telling is Scheffler’s unprecedented consistency. He played in 15 major tournaments as a tour player, and had all but one top-25 finish. He’s been in the top 10 in 10 of them. The last time he finished a professional tournament outside the top 31 was in October 2022.
Scheffler has been world number one for 83 of the last 107 weeks, and his victory on Sunday further reinforces the belief that no one will reach him anytime soon. The only question remaining for Scheffler was whether he could stabilize his putting to ensure he added more majors and had a trophy room to match his special level. Now he is on a four-event streak to win the Players, Arnold Palmer and the Masters as a 4-to-1 favorite.
Suddenly, the question is no longer whether Scheffler can actually function as golf’s biggest star. That’s if anyone can stop it.
(Photo: Andrew Redington/via Getty Images)
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News Source : theathletic.com
