Another close call for ‘hyperaggressive’ Schauffele
AUGUSTA, Ga. — Xander Schauffele had closed the gap on Hideki Matsuyama toa mere two strokes.
Schauffele decided to hit one right at the flag.
“I was coming in hot. I was feeling good,” he said. “I was a little hyperaggressive on 16.”
Schauffele wound up becoming the latest victim of the iconic par3 hole known as Redbud — and added another close call to a major championship resume that he says is becoming “a big ball of scar tissue.”
His 8iron didn’t go quite as far as he planned, skipped off the side of a bank and plopped into the water.
Schauffele wound up with the first triple bogey he’s ever had in a major — in 1,042 holes — and squandered any chance of catching Matsuyama.
Schauffele tied for third with Jordan Spieth, three shots behind the winner at 7under 281. Masters rookie Will Zalatoris slipped through to take the runnerup spot, just one stroke back after Matsuyama bogeyed the final hole.
This is starting to get real familiar for Schauffele, a 27yearold Californian who is regarded by his peers as one of the game’s best.
In 2019, he made five birdies in seven holes to briefly tie for the Sunday lead at the Masters before giving way to Tiger Woods and finishing one shot back in a tie for second. He was in the hunt at the 2018 British Open at Carnoustie until a bogey on the 71st hole ended his hopes. And let’s not forget a thirdplace showing at the 2019 U.S. Open, along with a top10 finish at last year’s PGA Championship.
Schauffele was at it again Sunday, taking a run at Matsuyama before that big mistake at 16 left him with yet another closebutnocigar major.
“I’ll be able to sleep tonight,” Schauffele insisted. “I may be tossing and turning, but I’ll be OK.”
Big daddy: Jon Rahm had a great week before even getting to the Masters. He arrived Wednesday, the last player to get to Augusta National after he and his wife Kelley welcomed a son — Kepa Cahill Rahm — into the world March 2. Rahm showed up, played nine practice holes and pronounced himself ready to go.
After three evenpar rounds of 72, Rahm shot a 6under 66 in the final round of the Masters to tie for fifth place at 6under, four shots behind. The 66 on Sunday gave him 15 consecutive rounds of par or better at Augusta National, one shy of matching the record in that category held by Woods.
“It’s still a top five at a major with a great round on a Sunday,” Rahm said.
Cink’s big putt: Stewart Cink’s 286th and final shot was a 5foot putt of great importance. It earned him an invite back to Augusta National next year.
There are 19 ways that a player can qualify for the Masters, one of them being by finishing 12th or better the preceding year. Cink tied for 12th, after shooting 2under for the week.
“I think I can definitely compete and win a major right now,” Cink said. “I’ve never played with the kind of control I’m playing with right now.”
Bad Bryson: It was a largely unspectacular week for Bryson DeChambeau, who shot 7575 on the weekend and finished 5over for the week.
His length has been the talk of golf, but his accuracy was nowhere near the level he needed to contend at Augusta National. DeChambeau missed 25 of 56 fairways, his 55% rate of hitting them well below the field average.
“You’ve still got to hit it straight out here,” said Harris English, who played with DeChambeau on Sunday. “You can hit it as far as you want, but if you’re playing out of the trees all day, it’s not going to be good.”
Briefly: In 85 years of the Masters, nobody had birdied the par4 10th hole in all four rounds. Until now. Spieth made a 3 there in each round of this year’s Masters . ... Robert MacIntyre led the Masters in birdies this week with 21. He finished the tournament 2under. MacIntyre nearly wasted them all, with 17 bogeys and one double bogey as well on his cards. Add it all up, and he didn’t even make par on half his holes — out of the 72 played, he had just 33 pars . ... Cameron Champ also had an allornothing week when it came to scoring. He had 19 birdies and shot 1over for the tournament, thanks to 14 bogeys and three double bogeys. Champ wasn’t alone in the highbirdie, notlowscore formula. Collin Morikawa and Sebastian Muñoz each made 18 birdies; Morikawa finished at 1under, Muñoz at 4over . ... Nobody has ever made two holesinone in their Masters career. Tommy Fleetwood nearly made two in this tournament. Fleetwood aced the 16th on Thursday, and came close to another at No. 6 on Sunday. His tee shot was right on line, hit the pin but didn’t bounce straight down and came to a stop a few feet away. Fleetwood tapped in for birdie.