PGA TOUR
Scottie Scheffler Wins Second Masters Title
Golf is experiencing the Scottie Scheffler era. The dominant world No. 1 produced a brilliant 4-under 68 final round to reach 11-under for a comfortable four-shot victory at the 88th Masters. It was his second Green Jacket in three years after winning in 2022. Scheffler, aged 27, became the fourth youngest winner of multiple Masters behind Jack Nicklaus, Tiger Woods and Seve Ballesteros. The American is the first player since World War II to win multiple Masters in their first five starts at Augusta.
Scheffler began the final round with a one-shot margin. At one point late on the front nine on Sunday, he held a share of the lead at 6-under with Ludvig Aberg, Collin Morikawa and Max Homa. When the moment called for a champion, Scheffler stepped up a gear rolling in six birdies over the closing 10 holes. His closest competitors each made costly errors on the demanding Augusta National layout. Morikawa made double bogeys at the 9th and 11th holes. Homa double-bogeyed the 12th hole. And, Abverg produced a six at the par 4, 11th hole.
With the drama surrounding him, Scheffler remained calm and took control producing an array of incredible shot-making. The highlight reel featured his sensational wedge approach to the 9th green that rested next to the cup. At the 14th hole, the game’s best iron player knocked his second shot at the par 4 from 153 yards to one foot of the pin. And, he iced the contest by sticking his tee shot at the par 3, 16th hole to nine feet of the cup. Scheffler paid off that remarkable shot with his seventh birdie of the day.
Aberg announced himself as a player to watch on golf’s biggest stages taking solo runner up at 7-under. The 24-year-old from Sweden was making his first appearance at a major championship. Aberg was seeking to become the first player since Fuzzy Zoeller in 1979 to win The Masters in their tournament debut. The former world No. 1 amateur golfer was super impressive firing rounds of 73, 69, 70 and 69.
Homa, Morikawa and Fleetwood finished in a tie for third place at 4-under. Homa, aged 33, made his 18th start at a major championship. His record includes nine missed cuts and just two finishes inside the top 40. The six-time PGA TOUR winner closed with a 1-over 73 for his best finish at a major championship.
Collin Morikawa was searching for the third leg on the career Grand Slam. The 27-year-old American, who notched the 2020 PGA Championship and 2021 Open Championship, signed for a 2-over 74.
Tommy Fleetwood enjoyed his best finish at The Masters. The 33-year-old from England fired a stunning 3-under 69 final round to eclipse his best finish at Augusta (T14 result in 2022).
Cam Smith was the best of the six Aussies at Augusta this week. The 30-year-old carded four solid rounds of 71, 72, 72 and 71 to get to 2-under for a T6 finish. The former world No. 2 now owns five Top 10s at The Masters from eight starts at Augusta. The Queenslander was joint runner-up behind Dustin Johnson in 2020. Bryson DeChambeau joined Smith at 2-under after his 1-over 73 final round. The big-hitting American led the field on Thursday with a 7-under 65 opening round.
Tiger Woods qualified for the weekend at The Masters to break the all-time record with 24 consecutive cuts. The 48-year-old, who boasts five Green Jackets, carded rounds of 72 and 73 to finish at 1-over after 36 holes and well inside the cut line of 6-over. Woods surpassed Gary Player and Fred Couples (23 cuts in row).
Rory McIlroy made his 16th start at The Masters. It was the Northern Irishman’s 10th attempt to join Gene Sarazen, Ben Hogan, Gary Player, Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods as winners of the career Grand Slam. McIlroy blew his chances with a 5-over 77 during round two. The four-time major winner scored 71 and 73 over the weekend to get to 4-over for a T22 result.
Defending champion Jon Rahm was never in the hunt for his bid to become the fourth player to win back-to back Masters titles. The Spaniard finished at 9-over and in a tie for 45th place.
Neal Shipley won the Silver Cup for the Low Amateur. The 23-year-old American played the final round alongside Tiger Woods. Shipley, who is a graduate student at Ohio State, gained his spot in the field after finishing runner-up in last year’s US Amateur Championship. Shipley signed for 80 and 73 over the weekend to finish at 12-over and in a tie for 53rd place.
The PGA TOUR moves to South Carolina for next week’s RBC Heritage to be staged at Harbour Town Golf Links. England’s Matt Fitzpatrick is the defending champion.
Final Scores
1. Scottie Scheffler -11
2. Ludvig Aberg -7
T3. Collin Morikawa -4
T3. Max Homa -4
T3. Tommy Fleetwood -4
T6. Bryson DeChambeau -2
T6. Cameron Smith -2
8. Xander Schauffele -1
Other Australians
T12. Cam Davis +1
T22. Adam Scott +4
T22. Min Woo Lee +4
T30. Jason Day +5
MC. Jasper Stubbs
Image credit: Gregory Shamus/Getty Images
