Updated April 14, 2024 8:17 pm ET
—Scottie Scheffler had just finished his third round at the Masters, securing his position atop the leaderboard, when he made a confession to an Augusta National member that bordered on sacrilege in these parts.
Someone on his team had a cellphone.
“If that’s alright?” Scheffler inquired.
Scheffler was granted a rare exception to the famously stringent no-phone policy, solely because his wife Meredith is expecting and due later this month. Scheffler was prepared to leave the Masters in a flash if that phone dared to ring.
As fate would have it, Scheffler’s performance on the course was so remarkable that not even the imminent arrival of his unborn child could have halted his momentum toward his second major championship victory.
Scheffler further solidified his dominance in the golf world by securing his second green jacket in three years, holding off a slew of contenders led by 24-year-old Swedish sensation Ludvig Åberg to claim the Masters title by a commanding four strokes at 11-under par. Although the final round saw four players briefly tied for the lead, Scheffler remained steadfast in his performance while others faltered.
This triumph adds to Scheffler’s extraordinary streak as the 27-year-old world No. 1. Since the start of March, Scheffler has now won three out of four tournaments, including back-to-back wins at the prestigious Players Championship. In the single event he didn’t win, he still managed to finish tied for second. His dominance in men’s golf is unparalleled at the moment.
“What is he not good at?” pondered his caddie Ted Scott. “I don’t know.”
Scheffler has now ascended to the ranks of generational greats. He possesses unmatched ball-striking skills, navigates courses with finesse even in challenging conditions, and exhibits unrivaled composure on the course. He stands as the fourth-youngest player to win the Masters multiple times, trailing only legends like Jack Nicklaus, Tiger Woods, and Seve Ballesteros.
Initially, it seemed as though Scheffler might face stiff competition from a different trio of players in his quest to reclaim the same major he triumphed in back in 2022. Starting the day as the sole leader at 7-under, Scheffler found himself in a four-way tie for first after a bogey on the seventh hole, with Ludvig Åberg and the American pair of Max Homa and Collin Morikawa all vying for the top spot.
Sweden’s Ludvig Åberg finished in second, four strokes behind Scottie Scheffler. PHOTO: ELOISA LOPEZ/REUTERS
That’s when Scheffler could have crumbled. Instead, he seized control.
Following a recovery with a birdie on the par-5 eighth, he executed what might be considered the shot of the tournament on No. 9, nearly holing out with his approach shot. With masterful precision, he spun the ball back down a slope, setting up a tap-in birdie. Adding to his momentum, he carded his third consecutive birdie on the following hole, surging to a two-shot lead over Homa and Åberg.
Simultaneously, his closest competitors began faltering on the scorching hot day.
Morikawa, a two-time major champion, stumbled with a bunker shot on the ninth, leading to a double bogey. Then, the renowned Amen Corner proved formidable for his challengers. Åberg, a college student at Texas Tech just a year ago before turning pro and ascending into the world’s top-10, found the water with his approach shot on the 11th. Morikawa experienced a similar fate, resulting in another double bogey, while Homa’s ball landed in the bushes behind the 12th green, also leading to a double bogey.
Throughout the back nine, Scheffler maintained a comfortable lead of three or more strokes over Åberg. The final holes were less of a competition and more of a coronation.
Scheffler emerged victorious in a year when the Masters presented an exceptionally formidable challenge. Dry conditions and strong winds on Friday and Saturday rendered low scores nearly unattainable following a rain delay on Thursday. Tiger Woods, intimately familiar with the course, described one of the days this week as among the most challenging he has ever encountered at Augusta National. Only eight players finished the tournament under par.
“It was insane how windy it was,” Scheffler remarked. “It was just a battle.”
Nevertheless, it comes as little surprise that Scheffler thrived in such conditions. This is a player who hasn’t recorded a competitive round over par since last August, nor has he missed a cut since the previous August.
When Scheffler first claimed victory at the Masters, he was similarly in peak form, marking the onset of his rapid ascent to stardom. He secured his first PGA Tour win earlier that year and swiftly rose to the top spot in just 42 days—a record-breaking progression, surpassing even Tiger Woods’ milestone.
Since then, Scheffler has spent more time at the summit of the world rankings than any other player but has also endured prolonged stretches without a win. He went nearly an entire year between March of last year and March of this year without a victory. There was a reason for that. Last season, Scheffler excelled leaps and bounds above his peers from tee to green, but his performance faltered on the greens: he ranked among the poorest putters on the PGA Tour.
Scottie Scheffler is presented with the green jacket by Jon Rahm after winning the Masters. PHOTO: MIKE SEGAR/REUTERS
Despite those struggles, Scheffler consistently found himself near the top of leaderboards, securing 17 top-10 finishes in 23 starts last season. This indicated that even a slight improvement in his putting could propel him to utter dominance. As it turned out, that’s precisely what occurred. And now, Scheffler’s winning streak seems unstoppable. Seeking guidance from a putting expert, he made changes to his putter, instantly mitigating his putting deficiencies.
This transformation was evident at Augusta National, where he showcased unparalleled prowess from tee to green while maintaining composure with his putter. Although there were occasional setbacks, such as a three-putt resulting in a double bogey during the third round, he actually gained strokes on the field in putting, according to Data Golf.
As his final putt dropped on the 18th hole on Sunday, all concerns about Scheffler’s putting struggles had vanished. With a subtle gesture of slipping the ball into his pocket, he embraced his caddie and tipped his cap.
Nobody could rival his performance. It was Scottie Scheffler’s time to don the green jacket once again.