Scottie Scheffler landed his second green jacket in 24 months at Augusta National, after seeing off the likes of Max Homa and Ludvig Aberg to win the Masters by four shots
Scottie Scheffler has been crowned Masters champion at Augusta National, as the world No. 1 continues his domination at the top of professional golf.
Scheffler carded an impressive four-under-par 68 in Sunday’s final round, having fought off the likes of Ludvig Aberg, Max Homa and Collin Morikawa to secure his second Masters title. The world No. 1 headed into the final 18 holes of the week with a one-shot lead over Morikawa who he joined in the final pairing.
After getting off to a strong start with consecutive pars, he made three birdies on the par-4 third hole. But his first mistake of the day came one hole later, on the fourth hole, and he quickly gave up on that chance, dropping his record to 7 under for the week. Scheffler, who has proven time and time again over the last few months that he is the best on the planet, was in hot pursuit all Sunday with a sizeable chasing pack.
And the tournament spiraled completely out of control after the 2022 champion hit yet another bogey on his par-4 seventh. Although he fell back to 6 under par, Homa and Aberg quickly moved up the order, allowing them to share the lead. The latter continued the surprising rise of the young Swede, who looked like an Augusta regular despite making his debut.
Aberg played the first nine holes at 3 under, grabbed a share of the lead and was on track to become the first man to win the Masters on his first try since Fuzzy Zoller in 1979. However, his hot start soon had to be halted as disaster struck on the 11th.
The European star dragged his second shot over the green and found a water hazard in the lower left, before making double bogey and retreating back into the field. Scheffler, on the other hand, was heading the other way with three birdies between 8-10 to take a three-point lead.
After making bogey on the 11th, he made a comeback with a birdie on the 13th and solidified his position in the lead. But Aberg didn’t let his guard down and the youngster provided the perfect answer to the wound in No. 11. After making par on the 12th, he birdied the 13th and 14th to once again close the gap on Scheffler to two strokes.
But the American didn’t just become world number one, as he completed a perfectly timed routine with his own kick-in birdies on the 13th and 14th. Given his recent dominance, Scheffler has been compared to the great Tiger Woods, earning him the biggest compliment in the golf world.
And while the 15-time major champion still has a ways to go, the American is looking to write his own modern-day legacy, and he finished the tournament on Sunday to do just that. I just kept going. After making par on the 15th, he made two spectacular birdies on the legendary 16th, showing off his green jacket skills.
As calm as ever he kept his four-stroke lead as he walked to the 17th tee and the scorecard showed him recording two pars before returning home to Augusta again to crown him his national champion. It shone.