Scottie Scheffler’s rise just continues

Already ranked No. 1 in the world, Scottie Scheffler reached another summit in the sport of golf.

His continued dominance Sunday ensured the final result was never in much doubt.

Scheffler shot 1-under-par 71 to secure his first major title, cruising to a three-shot victory at the Masters on Sunday at Augusta National Golf Club.

Scheffler finished at 10-under 278 for the tournament despite a four-putt double bogey on his last hole.

“I didn’t have to worry about what anybody else was doing out there,” Scheffler said. “If I took care of stuff and played good, solid golf, I felt like I would get the job done.”

The 25-year-old, entered in his third Masters, was playing his first tournament since rising to the No. 1 ranking. He has been overwhelmingly successful in 2022, winning three PGA Tour events during February and March before conquering the field in the most famous tournament of them all.

“I can’t put into words what it means that I’ll be able to come back here for a lifetime,” Scheffler said.

Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland was the runner-up after posting the best round of the week, a bogey-free 64.

Australia’s Cameron Smith (73) and Ireland’s Shane Lowry (69) shared third at 5 under. Collin Morikawa (67) placed fifth at 4 under. Will Zalatoris, who was the 2021 runner-up in his Masters debut, shot 67 to move to 3 under and tie with Canada’s Corey

Conners (70) for sixth place.

Scheffler’s biggest competition came from Smith, who trimmed a three-shot deficit to a stroke before fading. Smith posted birdies on the first two holes, but Scheffler birdied the third hole with a chip-in from in front of the green and built his lead back to four strokes.