Scottie Scheffler won his second Masters in three years. PGA Tour VIA X
The greatest event in golf rolls around every year among the magnolia trees and Georgia hills.
Augusta National Golf Club excels in all the elements of a great golf course: visually stunning, intricately designed, and steeped in tradition. No other course in the world is so aesthetically pleasing, and her conditions are as close to perfect as can be. Augusta requires a player to hit both sides curving, left to right, and draws, bending the opposite way. She punishes the reckless and rewards the brave.
No one mastered the course like Scottie Scheffler last weekend for the second time in three years.
Scheffler and Bryson DeChambeau were in a class above everyone else on Thursday, shooting 66 and 65, respectively. Scheffler’s six-under-par performance was more impressive as it came in the afternoon when the winds were stronger. The course became too firm, even for the greatest in the world, and scores in the 60s became a rarity.
Five-time winner Tiger Woods broke the record for most consecutive cuts — performing in the top half of the field — at the Masters, yet he is only a shadow of what he was even a few years ago. Rory McIlroy disappointed once again, and big names like Dustin Johnson, Jon Rahm, and Jordan Spieth also had terrible tournaments.
In the end, Scheffler won for two reasons: he minimized his errors and many great players did not. He never let his mistakes pile on top of each other. Scheffler wasn’t perfect, and he didn’t need to be, as golf is not a sport of perfection.
Look at Saturday, hole 10: the young rookie Nicolai Hojgaard has just drained a 55-footer for birdie, and Scheffler misses a three-footer and cards a double. He is now two shots back, and staring down the dreaded “amen corner” of 11, 12, and 13. This three-hole stretch earned its nickname as it is the hardest part of the golf course, and it is best to say prayers before playing them. Countless tournaments have been decided there.
Hojgaard now holds a solo lead coming off three birdies in a row, now in a spot only a handful of other masters debutants have been.
Two hours later, Scheffler went two-under in the remaining eight holes, and Hojgaard carded five bogeys in a row, looking like a fish out of water the whole time.
The lesson? Don’t let the highs get you ahead of yourself and don’t beat yourself down when you make mistakes. Kipling said it best: “Meet with Triumph and Disaster / And treat those two imposters just the same.”
One could argue Scheffler lacked competition. Anyone would say the same of when Tiger was dominating — sure, he was insanely good, but he was almost playing a different game, as his driver would be 30 yards ahead of his competitors.
The gap between Scheffler and the rest of the field isn’t nearly as large as the one Tiger had in his prime, but the top guys are very far from their A-game. Yes, Augusta is a hard golf course, but not impossible.
Especially on Sunday, with the wind dying down, we could have expected scores in the 60s. Rory was probably out of it on Friday, but the fact that at one point on Sunday there was a four-way tie for the lead and Scheffler had clinched the green jacket five holes later, says something of the competition.
Morikawa, Homa, and Bryson all should be capable of making a charge, yet they all made silly mistakes. Morikawa chose not to hit it out of a sand trap on hole 9 just before hitting it in the water on 11. Homa carded a silly double on hole 12, killing his energy. The competition had been so close for 63 holes, and then, in a short amount of time, Scheffler was fully in control.
A message to the golf giants: step up your game.
A note must be made for Ludvig Aberg’s performance. Sure, I criticized Morikawa and Homa for making silly doubles and killing the show, and Aberg hit it in the water on hole 11 too.
But this was his first major championship, and just a year ago, he was finishing up at Texas Tech with final exams creeping up on him, just as most of us here do. Not to mention, he held tough and shot two-under after his hole 11, carding one of the few rounds in the 60s of the tournament.
Aberg looks like he doesn’t have any flaws. Keep an eye out for him.
I mention him to disprove the old saying, “putt for dough, drive for show.” Old timers love mentioning it, trying to give you wisdom. It represents this older vision of golf that as long as your long game is okay, putting well will win you tournaments.
The fact is, this isn’t true anymore. Both Aberg’s and Scheffler’s biggest strength is their ball-striking ability. Without a doubt, they are great putters, but you need more than that to win in today’s game.
What Tiger brought to the game was athleticism. What Scheffler is bringing is absolute mastery in every part of the game. As guys keep getting better and better, that is what is needed to win today.
Editor’s note: Reale is a junior on the Hillsdale Charger golf team.
