Scottie Scheffler won the 88th edition of the Masters Golf Tournament this past Sunday by four strokes over a top notch leader board of past major champions, Ryder Cup heroes, a pair of Cal-Berkeley golfers, and perhaps the next great one. Scheffler won his second Masters in three years and put himself in the record books as the fourth youngest linkster to win a second green jacket standing alongside the likes of Jack Nicklaus, Tiger Woods, and Seve Ballesterios. Scheffler, who is anticipating the birth of his first child in a mere matter of days, shot an aggregate score of 277 for a -11 under par total and a four stroke margin of victory.
Close followers of the game know that the Masters really doesn’t get determined until the back nine on Sunday, and yet this time around it was pretty much over by the start of the back nine on Sunday. The early theme in the Masters was the weather as there was an early Thursday rain delay that set things back by about four hours. Once play resumed and morphed into Friday, gusty winds made Augusta National Golf Club more difficult than usual. The low 50 and ties would make the 36 hole cut, and by 2pm Friday the projected cut was at +2 over par. It rose by one stroke almost on an hour by hour basis and by the time the sun set on Friday evening, the cut was at a very high +6.
Bryson DeChambeau got out early on Thursday and shot a most impressive -7 under par 65. One shot back was the world’s number one golfer, Scottie Scheffler. Former Cal-Berkeley golfer Max Homa was tied for third with D.P. World (European) Tour regular Nicolai Hojgaard. A good portion of the field didn’t finish as the sun set. Friday was down-right unpleasant with cold winds and high scores. DeChambeau, Homa, and Scheffler were all tied at -6 under and Hojgaard was two back. In the hunt was another Cal-Berkeley alum, namely two time major champ Collin Morikawa. Ryder Cup stars Tommy Fleetwood and Ludvig Aberg, who was playing in his first Masters, were also on the leader board. After day one, the combined field at the Masters was +75 over par. Friday was far worse as contestants were a combined +326 over par. Five time Masters champ Tiger Woods did make the 36 hole cut. The 48 year old limped to scores of 73-72 for a +1 total and set a record in the process with 24 consecutive made cuts.
Saturday dawned, and although the winds calmed down a bit, they were still brisk and impactful. Scheffler gutted out a 71 to take the solo lead at -7 under par. He led by one over Morikawa, who shot the day’s low round of 69 to finish at -6 under. Homa was one behind Morikawa, Aberg was at -4, and DeChambeau was further back at -3. Tiger took some big numbers on his front nine and came in with an 82. Only 12 golfers in the field were under par.
Sunday was by far the nicest day of the week although the gusting winds would continue to confuse the contestants. Shots that were lower than the tree lines were seldom impacted, but balls high in the air had their issues with winds that also swirled. Iron play was largely guess-work.
The front nine on Sunday was reminiscent of a U.S. Open round of golf as everyone kept making pars. Chipping was essential as the greens were firmer than ever. Standing on the 9th tee in the penultimate pairing, Morikawa and Scheffler were atop the leader board at -7 under par. Aberg was on the 10th hole and stood at -7 iunder while his playing partner, Max Homa, was one back.
And then the 2024 Masters came to an abrupt end. Scheffler made birdie on the 9th hole, Morikawa had sand issues and made a double bogey six, and now Collin was three shots back. Scottie birdied the 10th hole. Aberg found the water alongside the 11th green, made double bogey, and was two back. Homa went into the back bushes on the par three 12th and he too made a double bogey. Morikawa then found the very same greenside pond on 11 that Aberg had and that too resulted in a double bogey.
That was pretty much it. The multiple double bogeys by Scheffler’s closest pursuers spelled golfing doom for Aberg, Homa, and Morikawa. After a hiccup bogey on 11, Scheffler would birdie the 13th, the 14th, and the 16th holes to finish at -11 under par with a score of 68. Aberg shot 69 to finish at -7 while Homa, Morikawa, and a charging Tommy Fleetwood were in a three way tie for third place at -4 under. DeChambeau and Cameron Smith came in at -2 under. Xander Schauffele came in eighth at -1 under. Tiger shot 77 to finish in 60th place. Aside from inching his way closer to a Hall of Fame career, Scheffler pocketed $3.6 million for his efforts.
For Scottie Scheffler, it was his third win in his last four tournaments. His lead in the world golf rankings over number two Rory McIlory is as comprehensive as McIlroy’s lead over number 80 Robert McIntyre. To put it succinctly, his performance over the past three years is close to Tiger-esque. Yet it’s hard to know if he can sustain this in a golfing world that includes Ludwig Aberg. His first Masters was also his first major entry. One year ago he was playing college golf. Now it is off to Louisville and the Valhalla Golf Club for the playing of the PGA Championship, the year’s second major. We will see if Scottie Scheffler can maintain this great run of outstanding golf.