USA TODAY International Edition
Scheffler punctuates No. 1 ranking
Part of what makes Augusta National so formidable is that it baits golfers into being foolish, making them think they need to be spectacular when playing solid is more than enough to get the job done. Now imagine how strong that temptation must be when sitting on a 54- or 63- hole lead at the Masters, the green jacket close enough to feel its fabric.
That Scottie Scheffler was able to resist it, all of it, is an indication that his first major title is not likely to be his last.
“I was fortunate to put myself in a position where I was in control of the tournament today, so I didn’t have to worry about what anyone else was doing out there. If I took care of my stuff and played good solid golf, I felt like I would get the job done,” the new Masters champion said Sunday night.
“The goal going into today was to just keep my head down.”
At this level of golf – any elite sport, really – talent is only part of the equation. It is a player’s mindset and focus, his or her ability to ignore distractions and the doubts that inevitably invade your mind, that separate the champions from the merely great.
When Steve Stricker used his captain’s pick on Scheffler for last year’s Ryder Cup, there were plenty of people who wondered why.
Or, quite honestly, asked who. Scheffler was in his second season on the PGA Tour, still looking for his first win.
But he validated Stricker’s faith in him, his steady play – he was 2- 0- 1 – a large factor in why the Americans were able to win the Ryder Cup back for the first time in five years. To deliver in that spotlight, under that kind of pressure, requires a fortitude that can’t be taught or trained.
So, too, his success this season. Two months ago, Scheffler was still looking for that first Tour win. Now he’s a four- time winner, first- time major champion and No. 1 in the world. In a span of 57 days.
The only way that happens is if Scheffler doesn’t get wowed by his own success. Focuses more on what he’s doing than where he’s doing it. Keeps his head down, and keeps plodding along.
It would have been easy, in only his third appearance at Augusta, to get rattled as he walked onto the first tee. To be spooked when his first drive sailed into the gallery and he had to scramble just to make par on the first two holes while Cameron Smith was chipping into his lead with birdies.
To be petrified when his tee shot on No. 3 landed behind a massive scoreboard, and his next shot hit the side of the green.
But Scheffler didn’t think about anything other than his next shot. Even when his chip skipped onto the green and kept going until it dropped into the hole, he didn’t assume the tournament was won. He simply kept doing what he’d been doing, trusting that it would be enough.
“It was definitely not a shot I expected to see go in, but it definitely changed – I wouldn’t say changed the complexion of the day, but it definitely got things rolling for me,” Scheffler said. “I played some really solid golf after that.”
There are some players who luck into majors, either on their own or through the misfortune of others.
But Scheffler is not one of them. He has the physical talent to contend over the long run, and he has the mental strength, too. There will be more majors in his future.