American Scottie Scheffler with The Masters winner trophy
The Rise and Rise of Scottie Scheffler –
American Scottie Scheffler capped one of the best two-month stretches in golf history by winning the 2022 Masters by three shots with a score of -10 (278). At the start of February, the 25-year-old Scheffler was still winless on the PGA Tour and relatively unknown outside of his home state of Texas. Since then he has won four of his last six tournaments, risen to No.1 in the world, and owns a green jacket. He is also only the fifth player since the Official World rankings began in 1986 to win The Masters as World No. 1.
Scheffler did it not by overpowering Augusta National, but by keeping his composure and showcasing a devastatingly effective short game (he led the field in scrambling this week). On Sunday, with his three-shot lead cut to one and facing a tough pitch on the third hole – Scheffler couldn’t even see the bottom of the flag from where he was – he hit a low-spinning shot that hit the flag and dropped in for birdie.
When Cameron Smith bogeyed the same hole from the same spot, it felt like this would be Scheffler’s day.
His only wobble on Sunday, his only wobble all week really, came on the final hole, where he four-putted for double-bogey. With a five-shot lead, it didn’t matter, and he could afford to let his emotions show.
Scheffler had an accomplished junior amateur and amateur career. He won 90 out of 136 events on the junior amateur circuit in Texas and won the 213 U.S. Junior Amateur. He played four years of college golf at the University of Texas, where he was on three Big 12 championship-winning teams and was named “Phil Mickelson Freshman of the Year” in 2015. He was the Korn Ferry Tour Player of the Year in 2019, which earned him his PGA Tour Card for 2020. In August 2020, he shot 59 at the Northern Trust.
But he was never marked for stardom. In fact, he seems as surprised as anyone by his recent success. During his interview in the Butler Cabin, he was asked when he first dreamed about winning the Masters. His answer: “I have dreamed of being here and competing. Friday is the first time I actually thought about winning”. For him, just getting to play on the PGA Tour was an accomplishment and a privilege.
Now he sits forever alongside all-time Texas legends Byron Nelson, Ben Hogan, and Ben Crenshaw as a Masters Champion.
The return of Tiger Woods –
As improbable as Scheffler’s rise has been, that Woods even played in this year’s Masters was something close to a miracle. Just 14 months removed from a car accident that could have killed him and almost cost him a leg, he managed to make the cut comfortably and complete all four rounds.
There’s no doubt Woods was in pain though. In a brief shot of him hugging his mother Tilda after the final round, Woods was clearly struggling to walk. That he doesn’t show it on the course is testament to his will and determination. He was cheered all the way around by the patrons too, who were thrilled to see him play, even if he wasn’t in contention as they had hoped.
When we will see Woods again on tour remains an open question. In an interview with Sky Sports, he said he won’t ever play a full schedule again. It will only be the big events.
“I don’t know if I’ll be able to play (the PGA Championship) at Southern Hills or not, but I am looking forward to St. Andrews,” Woods said. “That is something that is near and dear to my heart. You know, I’ve won two Opens there, it’s the home of golf, it’s my favourite golf course in the world. “I will be there for that one. Anything in between that, I don’t know. I will try, there’s no doubt. This week, I will try to get ready for Southern Hills, and we’ll see what this body is able to do.”
Given Woods’ determination and previous returns from multiple surgeries, one would expect him to be back sooner rather than later. But whether he can actually ever win again is much harder to predict. You don’t want to ever bet against him, but the odds grow larger with every passing day.
Rory McIlroy, golf’s missing superstar –
Rory McIlroy celebrates his birdie on the final hole
The reception the patrons gave Woods pointed to the vacuum at the top of the game. Golf currently lacks a transcendent star. McIlroy was supposed to be that star, especially after he won two Majors in 2014. That placed him in the company of Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods as one of only three players to win four majors by the age of 25.
It hasn’t gone exactly to plan since then. McIlroy is 32 and still searching for his fifth major. Over the last five or six years, his quest for his first Masters title, and the career grand slam, have been one of the dominant storylines at Augusta. This year Woods overshadowed everything else and perhaps that took some of the pressure off McIlroy, who matched the lowest final round in Masters history with 64. That propelled him all the way up the leaderboard to second at -7 (281), his best ever finish in the tournament.
Yet it never felt like he was actually in contention.
There are a bunch of really good players in their 20s in the top 10 of the World Golf Rankings, led, of course, by Scheffler. But the game needs McIlroy to regain his place among its elite.
The 12th hole continues to be a heartbreaker –
The 12th hole is also known as the ‘Golden Bell’
A lot of attention has been paid to the many changes that Augusta National has made to the golf course, especially lengthening it in order to “Tiger-proof” it. One hole that has been left untouched is the par-3 12th. At just 155 yards, it seems innocuous on the card, but is the perfect example of how length isn’t everything. The swirling wind combined with the narrow green make it a hard target to hit. You can make birdie or you can make 10, as Tiger Woods did in 2020. Jack Nicklaus has called it the toughest little hole in the world.
This year it once again played a pivotal role in determining who got to put on the green jacket. Cameron Smith had just birdied the 11th, the hardest hole on the course, and was back to within three shots of Scheffler. That’s when he decided to take on the flag at the 12th. One bad swing later, the ripples in Rae’s creek told the story. Smith made a triple-bogey 6, which ended any chances he had of winning the tournament.
Masters ups purse to US$15 million –
On Saturday the Masters made a surprise announcement that it was increasing this year’s total prize money to $15 million, a $3.5 million jump from last year’s purse of $11.5 million.
As a result Scheffler won $2.7 million compared to the $2,07 million Hideki Matsuyama took home last year. Second and third place were not too shabby either, receiving $1.62 million and $1.02 million respectively.
This puts The Masters ahead of the U.S. Open, which last year had a purse of $12.5 million. But they too are likely to announce a larger purse in 2022, given current trends.
The Players Championship became the richest tournament in the history of golf this year, with a $20 million prize purse, also a new high in 2022.
Who is Scottie Scheffler?
The new Masters champion is a 6 foot 3 inch tall 25-year-old Texan who has enjoyed a stellar junior and college career, hails from New Jersey and has already won four PGA tour titles in the current season, becoming the first player since Tiger Woods to do so.
Scheffler played golf and basketball in school, won the 2013 U.S. Junior Amateur and later played college golf at the University of Texas from 2014-2018. In 2017, he was a part of the 2017 American winning team in the USA v Europe amateur team contest, the Walker Cup.
In 2018, after college, Scheffler turned pro and earned his Korn Ferry Tour card ( the PGA Tour’s Developmental Tour where he won two titles in 2019.
Those two wins got Scheffler onto the main PGA Tour in 2020, where he finished fourth at the 2020 PGA Championship winning $528,000 in prize money. In 2021 he earned himself a place on the victorious US Ryder Cup Team.
He started 2022 in great style and has already notched up four tour wins and risen to world no 1 !!
PGA Tour wins in 2022 – Phoenix Open, Arnold Palmer Invitational, WGC Dell Technologies Match Play & Masters Tournament.
Credits:-
Photo – Getty Images