Scottie Scheffler wins second Masters after final-round 68

AUGUSTA, Ga. — A victory on the 2024 Masters appeared inevitable for Scottie Scheffler.

The Texan has been ranked No. 1 on this planet for greater than 80 weeks throughout his quick profession. He’d gained eight occasions on the PGA Tour since February 2022, a stretch that noticed him grow to be the primary golfer ever to win the Gamers Championship in back-to-back years.

Scheffler is thought to be maybe golf’s greatest ball striker since Tiger Woods in his prime, and Scheffler’s magical palms across the greens even have drawn comparability to you-know-who.

Till Sunday, Scheffler had just one main championship victory, the 2022 Masters, which could have been the one cause anybody would doubt his standing as the sport’s subsequent generational star.

After coming into Sunday’s closing spherical of the 88th Masters at Augusta Nationwide Golf Membership in a three-way tie for the lead, Scheffler ran away from the opposite contenders on the second 9 to win a second inexperienced jacket in three years.

Scheffler carded a 4-under 68 over the ultimate 18 holes to beat Sweden’s Ludvig Aberg by 4 strokes. Aberg, who was an beginner at Texas Tech a 12 months in the past, was making an attempt to grow to be the primary golfer to win the Masters in his debut since Fuzzy Zoeller in 1979. Aberg posted a 3-under 69 within the closing spherical.

Max Homa, Collin Morikawa and Tommy Fleetwood tied for third at 4 below.

“I did my greatest to remain calm on the market,” Scheffler stated from Butler Cabin earlier than 2023 champion Jon Rahm gave him the inexperienced jacket. “I did my greatest to remain affected person on the course. And I used to be capable of make some key pictures and key putts right this moment to maintain my spherical going.

“Ludvig performed nice right this moment. He made a transfer on me on the again 9, and I used to be lucky to carry him off there towards the top.”

At 27, Scheffler grew to become the fourth-youngest golfer to win a number of inexperienced jackets; solely Jack Nicklaus (25 years, 81 days), Woods (25 years, 100 days) and Seve Ballesteros (26 years, 2 days) have been youthful.

Scheffler claimed his second Masters title in solely his fifth begin at Augusta Nationwide, which is the second-fewest begins wanted to perform the feat within the event’s historical past. Horton Smith gained two of the primary three Masters, in 1934 and 1936.

Scheffler additionally grew to become solely the fifth golfer in Masters historical past to win a number of inexperienced jackets by 3 strokes or extra, becoming a member of Woods (1997 and 2002), Ballesteros (1980 and 1983), Nicklaus (1965 and 1972) and Sam Snead (1949 and 1952).

Up to now 35 days, Scheffler has gained 3 times towards elite fields on the Arnold Palmer Invitational, the Gamers and now the Masters.

The ultimate two pairings of Aberg-Homa and Scheffler-Morikawa made their option to Amen Nook (gap Nos. 11 to 13) shortly earlier than 5 p.m. ET. By the point they left, solely considered one of them — Scheffler — nonetheless had a prayer to win.

Aberg made the primary large mistake when his sweeping shot from 216 yards went too far left and bounced right into a pond on the par-4 eleventh. He made a double-bogey 6 and fell 4 pictures behind Scheffler.

A short time later, Morikawa hit his method shot from almost the identical spot as Aberg. He yelled, “Rattling it,” after his ball took flight and watched it bounce into the pond. The end result was his second double bogey in three holes — he could not get out of a greenside bunker on No. 9 on his first strive — as he fell 5 pictures behind Scheffler.

Then on the twelfth gap, the place swirling winds, a slim inexperienced and the intimidating Rae’s Creek have spoiled many Masters hopefuls’ goals over time, Homa’s probabilities took a devastating blow. He did not hit a foul tee shot on the shortest par-3 on the course, however his ball leaped excessive off the sunbaked inexperienced and settled in vines on a financial institution.

After watching his ball bounce exhausting off the inexperienced, Homa requested his caddie, Joe Greiner, “The place did it go?”

After a few minutes, Homa discovered it within the thick floor overlaying, however he needed to take an unplayable lie and a 1-stroke penalty. His chip shot bought caught up within the fringe, and he two-putted for a double-bogey 5 to drop to five below.

Scheffler made a bogey of his personal on the eleventh when he missed the inexperienced, chipped to 9 toes and missed a par putt. He performed it safely on the twelfth and made par.

Scheffler ended any doubts about profitable once more when he made back-to-back birdies on Nos. 13 and 14. On the par-5 thirteenth, he reached the inexperienced in 2 pictures and two-putted for a birdie to maneuver to 9 below. Then on the par-4 14th, he spun his method shot to a foot and tapped in to go to 10 below.

By then, Scheffler’s lead was 3 over Aberg and 5 over Homa and Morikawa.

Scheffler added one other birdie on the par-3 sixteenth, and what had appeared inevitable for therefore lengthy was now actuality.