Scottie Scheffler Wins the Masters
He is a machine. He is the world’s best player by a good margin. He is now a Masters champ for the second time. He is already your 2024 Player of the Year unless someone steals it from him in amazing fashion. He has been the world’s #1 player since late March of 2022. He will be a new father, likely as you read this. He is only 27 years old. He doesn’t deal with social media.
Life is good for Scottie Scheffler.
As mentioned, Scheffler is a two-time Masters champ, having captured his second green jacket last month at Augusta National. He did it as champions do. An opening round 66. A second round, even Par 72 with three bogey tallies and three par marks. A third round 71. We stop here because this was one of two places where the world’s best won the tournament. The back nine, arguably the most challenging, dramatic, daunting and competitive based on those involved on championship Sunday in major golf, is where you can get fitted for your green jacket or be prepared for anything but. Scheffler started horrendously on the back. After firing a -1 front, he went double bogey then bogey to start the back. Perhaps he was human. Perhaps the upcoming birth of his child was on his mind. Perhaps golf, being golf, just got to him. Nope. Eagle on 13. Birdie on 15. And just like that, he erased those above par three strokes. But wait, there is more. He bogeyed 17. Losing confidence going into the final round? Nah. Bang. Birdie on 18. A third round, -1 mark of 71, which could have been much worse.
Let’s face it, from Jordan to Brady to Gretzky to Tiger and on and on it goes, the elite of the elite in sports history aren’t perfect, even if they look that way most of the time. No one can go 100% from the floor or score a goal on every shot or win every major or make every touchdown pass. It feels like that, but even the greats slip. What happens when they do? More times than not, they solve it. The foot comes off the throat for just that small amount of time and then, boom, they push right back down again, when you, the inferior athlete and competitor thought you had a chance to win and beat them and push them off the mountaintop. Scheffler was vulnerable. And then he wasn’t.
And then on Sunday, during Round 4, he did it again. Four players, including him, all were tied with plenty of golf to play. After two bogey marks on #4 and #7 and the other charging players, Scheffler birdied six of the next nine holes with two par’s and a bogey on the others. Meanwhile, Collin Morikawa took two attempts to get out of a bunker at #9 before going in the water two holes later to card two double bogeys. And you had Ludvid Aberg’s chances disappear as he found the pond at #11. Double bogey. Max Homa? His tee shot at the 12th flew off the green and deep into a bush. Scheffler made a par 3 on that hole and it was off and running. Again, the door was opened for a bit, but the champion slammed it shut on every other player, eventually winning by four strokes.
Scheffler has a few other things going for him that should terrify the rest of golf in major play. He can show up and play a B or B+ game and win. He is the best ball striker on tour, but he isn’t the best at anything else. He can be, but not consistently like a Tiger Woods or Jack Nicklaus in his prime. His approach shots are elite at times and average at others. His putting can be elite but it is just overall very good. But he is clutch. When it’s on the line, the approach shot is close and the putt goes in and the mental game is stronger than yours. Scheffler is also confident in himself. He can play well and know he can keep playing well, or slip up a little and then have the confidence and mental strength to put the foot back on the throat again.
These are the things champions do, even when they aren’t the best at everything all the time. But, what if one day, we get Scottie Scheffler, world #1, who is the best at everything, the best at driving and ball striking and approach shots and putting and the mental part and the confidence part, on top of this, which is pretty darn great? Perhaps we will start asking a question again that reminds us of arguably the greatest of all-time, with the initials TW, but this time with the initials SS.
Scottie Scheffler or the field?
