Scheffler is a Masters champion again
Scottie Scheffler manages enormous expectations so well because he never spends too much time thinking about the past or the future. The temptation was never so great at the Masters.
Behind him was a swift sequence of events that put him in control at Augusta National when three of his closest challengers made double bogey in the heart of Amen Corner. Ahead of him was the dreamy prospect of another Masters green jacket.
All he thought about was the 215 yards between his golf ball and the flag on the par-5 13th late Sunday afternoon. His lead was two shots over Ludvig Aberg, the 24-year-old Swede who a year ago was in college and played his first Masters as the No. 9 player in the world.
Scheffler was oblivious to everything except what was in front of him.
“He just seemed focused on doing Scottie Scheffler things,” said Ted Scott, the caddie who has been on Scheffler's bag during his amazing ride to the top of the golf world.
“That's what he said on 13. He goes, `Should we go for it?' I said: `Absolutely. Why don't we do what we do and what we're good at?' He's the best ball striker in the world,” Scott said. “He hit an unbelievable 4-iron, which is just incredible to that small target.
“Those targets seem big when you're caddying for Scottie Scheffler.”
The ball hit the safe part of the green, setting up a two-putt birdie to extend his lead. His wedge on the 14th settled a foot away for another birdie. And then he made another.
Before long, Scheffler twice slipped into the green jacket — first in Butler Cabin, and then on the 18th green, both times accompanied by a wide smile.
And to think it was only two years and two months ago that Scheffler was trying to win for the first time on the PGA Tour. Since then, he has picked up 10 victories worldwide and has finished in the top three a staggering 44% of the time.
“It's been a while since we've had a guy out there that tees it up and he's supposed to win, and he wins,” Xander Schauffele said. “I feel like we've had a bit of a bounce-back with three or four guys for that top spot. And he's cruising along pretty nicely.”
He is No. 1 in the world by a margin not seen since peak Tiger Woods. As for expectations, consider Scheffler and Woods are the only players to twice win the Masters as the No. 1 player.
It only looks like Scheffler is cruising.
Remember, it was just two months ago when his position as the No. 1 player in the world was in question because he couldn't seem to make a putt. Scheffler spent a lot of energy trying to block out the noise, believing he was on the right track.
And then he won at Bay Hill by five shots, he won The Players Championship by coming from five shots behind, he missed a playoff in the Houston Open by one 5-foot putt and he won the Masters for the second time in three years.
Only three other players who were younger than the 27-year-old Scheffler have won a second green jacket — Jack Nicklaus, Seve Ballesteros and Woods.