Scheff's Kiss: World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler races to first major championship at Masters

The 86th Masters Tournament was Scottie Scheffler’s for the taking. In true Tiger Woods fashion, the world’s No. 1-ranked player grabbed it and never let go Sunday.

Scheffler, who started the day with a three-shot lead, ended up winning by same margin after firing 1-under-par 71 in a final round that really wasn’t that close.

Rory McIlroy finished second after shooting 64, the low round of the tournament by three shots. Shane Lowry (69 on Sunday) and Cameron Smith (73) tied for third place, five shots behind Scheffler.

Scheffler was the only player in the field to break par in each round and had the luxury of four-putting the 18th green for double bogey and still shoot under par for the round. Scheffler said he was focused on the task until he got the 18th green, where he hit his 41-foot first putt to 5 feet and three-putted from there.

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“The only thing I imagined (about winning the Masters) was probably that walk up 18,” Scheffler said. “I’ve seen some guys do that, the first one that comes to mind is watching Jordan (Spieth) take that walk up 18 with that huge lead (in 2015).”

The 25-year-old Scheffler – the youngest Masters champion since Spieth was 21 in 2015 – opened with 69-67-71 and finished at 10-under 278, the same total Hideki Matsuyama had to win in 2021.

It's his first major championship title in his third Masters appearance and seventh major overall. As a winner, he earns a lifetime invitation to the tournament.

“That’s the coolest part about this whole deal,” Scheffler said. “This is such a fun golf course, it’s such a fun piece of property. It’s Augusta National. It’s about as cool as it gets. It’s so fun to play. I just can’t believe I can come back for a lifetime and enjoy this golf course.”

He followed Woods’ familiar final-round game plan. Woods, who made an inspirational comeback this week 14 months after a car accident that could have taken his life, was famous for his prowess as a front-runner. In 14 of his 15 major championship victories, he carried a lead into the final round and won, the lone exception being the 2019 Masters, where he rallied from two shots back.

There was no catching Scheffler on Sunday, though. McIlroy, who needed only 22 putts, holed out an 18-yard bunker shot on No. 18 and also eagled the 13th hole, but was too far behind after 54 holes to throw a scare into Scheffler, whose game is solid from top to bottom.

“Man, he checks all the boxes,” Scheffler’s caddie, Ted Scott, said of his boss. “The skill level he has in every area of his game is amazing. He really doesn’t have a weakness. He’s tough mentally.”

Scheffler’s breakout performance in a major this week didn’t surprise fellow Texan Will Zalatoris, who grew up playing in junior events with Scheffler. They are the same age.

“The kid had a great short game back then,” said Zalatoris. who shot 67 on Sunday to tie for sixth place. “He was a gamer. He wore pants to every tournament even if it was 110 degrees. He tried to be a professional at a young age, and obviously seeing what he is doing now, it's pretty cool on my part to see it.”

“I wore pants when I was a kid because I wanted to play golf on the PGA Tour,” Scheffler said after he won. “I would wear pants and a collared shirt to third-grade class and get made fun of – rightfully so. I always wanted to be out here. I never expected it. I never expected to be sitting where I am now. You don’t expect to come to you in this life, you just do the best that you can.”

Scheffler lived up his No. 1 ranking in the world, winning for the fourth time in in his past six starts. With the Masters-record first-place payout of $2.7 million, Scheffler has gone over $10 million in earnings this season. His hot streak started with a win in the Phoenix Open on Feb. 13, followed by wins in the Arnold Palmer Invitational on March 6 and the Dell Match Play two weeks ago.

Scheffler’s caddie, Scott, knows something about winning at the Masters. Scott was on the bag for both of Bubba Watson’s victories in 2012 and 2014. They parted ways after last season and Scott wasn’t planning to caddie this year until Scheffler talked him into itin November.

“I was going to retire when I got the call from Scottie,” Scott said. “I didn’t think I’d be caddying in any more Masters and now I come here with the No. 1-ranked in the world and he wins it. It’s very surreal.

“I’m humbled to be a part of the team, honestly,” Scott said. “I’ve never hit a shot. To watch these guys this close is the coolest thing. To walk up 18 and have six putts or however many we had to hold (the flagstick from No. 18) is super amazing.”

It was another rough day on the course for Woods, who shot 78 but was showered by appreciation from the galleries for his effort he put in just to play. By the end, he was limping badly on his right leg.

Woods’ friend and 1992 Masters champion Fred Couples thought Woods could contend this week, but Woods had a 78-78 weekend and finished 47th, his worst as a pro in the Masters. Only twice before in his previous 23 appearances had had back-to-back over-par rounds, but because of his leg issue he said “I wasn’t exactly playing my best out there.”

Woods, the ultimate competitor, was just thankful he was just able to “have the opportunity to be able to grind through it. A lot of different things could have happened, but 14 months (after his car accident), I'm able to tee it up and play in the Masters.”

Woods played Sunday alongside Jon Rahm, who shot 69. He tied for 27th, ending his streak of top-10s in the Masters at four.

“You can just tell that his leg is just not quite up there yet,” Rahm said of Woods. “Obviously, he is trying very hard to play, but it's not easy to walk up and down those hills. At the end you can just tell that his leg and his body are just not used to walking this much, right? I believe if at home he can walk and get strength up and stamina in that sense, he will be able to be competitive again. This is the hardest walk all year. He will be able to go somewhere where it's a little easier to walk. It won't be as long, and I believe he'll be able to contend.”

This article originally appeared on Augusta Chronicle: Scottie Scheffler backs up No. 1 ranking with dominant 2022 Masters win