Scottie Scheffler lives up to his No. 1 ranking by winning his second Masters title
Scottie Scheffler said all last week that he would pull out of the Masters if his expectant wife went into labor during the tournament.
Instead, Scheffler delivered a second green jacket.
The world’s No. 1 player was true to form Sunday, remaining steady through “Amen Corner” when the rest of his top competitors got wobbly during that brutal stretch comprising 11th, 12th and 13th holes at Augusta National.
It was the second Masters victory for Scheffler since 2022, and this third win in the past four events. Last month, he won both the Arnold Palmer Invitational and Players Championship, and finished tied for second in the Houston Open.
A lot of people don’t know about the silver trophy, a model of the clubhouse that weighs about 20 pounds and is the size of a modest birthday cake.
Scheffler said he never allowed himself to relax with the lead. He shot a four-under-par 68 on Sunday, won the Masters at minus-11, beating runner-up Ludvig Aberg by four strokes.
“Just like any human would, your mind starts to wander a little bit out there on the golf course,” Scheffler said. “I mean, we’re out there for four or five hours at a time. You got to let your mind wander. I tried to soak in stuff around me today. I looked up at the trees at times. I looked up at the fans occasionally to try to soak in some of their energy.
“But did not ever let myself get attached to the lead. I just tried to keep pushing.”
Said Aberg: “Obviously Scottie is an unbelievable golf player, and I think we all expect him to be there when it comes down to the last couple holes of a tournament. He’s proven it again and again, and I think, you know, he makes us better.”
When he won the Masters in 2022, Scheffler had a meaningless four-putt on 18. This time, he needed only to sink a three-foot putt for par.
At 27, Scheffler is the fourth-youngest player to win multiple Masters, behind Jack Nicklaus, Tiger Woods and Seve Ballesteros.
At one point in the final round, there was a four-way tie atop the leaderboard among Scheffler, Collin Morikawa, Max Homa and Aberg.
But Morikawa and Aberg found the water on 11 and double-bogeyed, and Homa doubled 12 when his tee shot rolled into the bushes above the green.
“I got greedy,” Morikawa said. “When you’re playing really good, you don’t get greedy, and I got greedy on nine, I got greedy on 11. I wasn’t pressing, I just was trying to hit it a little bit too close, and greed can get the best of us. I’m going to take a lot from this week.”
A two-time major winner, Morikawa said, “It’s been a rough season so far, but hopefully this is kind of the turning point. I’ve seen a lot of good, and watching Scottie today, I know it’s doable for me, I’ve just got to put the pieces together.”
Scheffler, meanwhile, played Amen Corner in bogey, par, birdie and emerged with a three-shot lead.
Scheffler and his wife, Meredith, are expecting their first child at the end of the month. She usually caddies for her husband in the Masters Par-3 Contest but didn’t make the trip from Texas this time.
While conceding that his life is about to change in a big way, Scheffler said he has no plans to coast in terms of his career.
“I will go home, soak in this victory tonight,” he said. “Will definitely enjoy the birth of my first child. But with that being said, I still love competing. My priorities will change here very soon. My son or daughter will now be the main priority, along with my wife, so golf will now be probably fourth in line.
“But I still love competing. I don’t plan on taking my eye off the ball anytime soon, that’s for sure.”
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