SCHEFFLER’S ENCORE
27-year-old is 4th-youngest player with 2 green jackets after he pulls away from field
AUGUSTA, Ga. — Scottie Scheffler had no doubts about this Masters, and neither did anyone watching. He pulled ahead with magnificent shots Sunday around the turn and poured it on along the back nine at Augusta National for a 4-under 68 to claim his second green jacket in three years.
Scheffler is simply unstoppable at the moment, and he had help from a faltering cast of contenders to make it look easier than it was.
Much like Tiger Woods, he made the outcome look inevitable with sublime control, the difference being a peach shirt instead of Sunday red, and no fist pumps until it was over.
After sharing hugs with caddie Ted Scott and Collin Morikawa, Scheffler turned to face the crowd with both arms raised. “WOOOOOO!” he yelled, slamming his fist.
Scheffler won by three shots in 2022 with a meaningless four-putt on the final hole. There was no drama this time, either.
No uphill climb in golf is sweeter than toward the 18th green at Augusta, thousands of spectators rising to their feet with every step to salute the best player in the game. Scheffler made a 3-foot par putt for a fourshot victory over Masters newcomer Ludvig Aberg of Sweden, who did his best to make a battle out of it.
Aberg, among four players who had a share of the lead at one point, lost ground when his approach went into the pond left of the 11th hole and he made double bogey. Against a player like Scheffler, those mistakes are not easy to overcome.
Aberg closed with a 69 and was the runner-up.
Morikawa, who had two double bogeys to fall out of the hunt, shot 74 and tied for third with Tommy Fleetwood (69) and Max Homa (73), whose hopes ended on the par-3 12th with a double bogey from the bushes, not Rae’s Creek.
The 27-year-old Scheffler is the fourthyoungest player to have two green jackets. He stretches his lead at No. 1 in the world to levels not seen since the prime of Woods. Scheffler now has three victories against the strongest fields — Bay Hill, The Players Championship and the Masters — in his last four starts. The other was a runner-up finish in Houston.
Woods closed with a 77 and finished at 16-over 304, the highest 72-hole score of his career.
Scheffler said he was in tears before the final round in 2022 when he had a three-shot lead going for his first major. His wife, Meredith, gave him the assuring words and he sailed to victory. His wife had to watch this one from home in Dallas, where she is expecting the couple’s first child at the end of the month.
Scheffler finished at 11-under 277 and earned $3.6 million from the $20 million purse, pushing his season total on the PGA Tour to over $15 million in just nine tournaments.
Perhaps even more daunting for the rest of golf is that Scheffler still hasn’t had a round over par this year. He has 10 victories worldwide dating to his first PGA Tour title at the Phoenix Open just two years and two months ago.
During that stretch, Scheffler has finished in the top 10 a staggering 65% of the time.
Scheffler had a lonely walk toward the scoring area with his wife. His two sisters, Sara and Molly, were the first to greet him, followed by his parents and Randy Smith, the only coach he has ever had.
It was the fourth straight Masters when the winner came to the 18th green with one arm in the green jacket.