Scottie Scheffler clinches second Masters title with virtuoso display

CNN
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Scottie Scheffler clinched his second Masters title in type on Sunday, cementing the American’s standing because the preeminent power in males’s golf.

The world No.1 was unshakeable at Augusta Nationwide, shrugging off assaults from a number of challengers to complete 4 pictures forward of Sweden’s Ludvig Åberg and add to his victory in 2022.

Scheffler had arrived on the 88th version of the event because the odds-on favourite and proved bookmakers right, a closing four-under 68 lifting him to 11-under general and sealing his third win in simply over a month, in addition to a $3.6 million reduce of a Masters-record $20 million prize purse.

Unmoved by blustering winds that swept away a lot of his big-name rivals throughout the week, at instances it regarded like the one particular person able to denying Scheffler one other inexperienced jacket was his imminent first youngster.

The Texan had vowed to desert the event if his spouse Meredith went into labor, with the due date anticipated throughout the subsequent few weeks.

“I’m coming house. I’ll be house as fast as I can. I really like you,” Scheffler replied when requested by Augusta Nationwide chairman Fred Ridley if he had a message for his spouse.

“You’re about to make me cry right here in Butler Cabin. It’s a really particular time for each of us. I can’t put into phrases what it means to win this event once more. I actually can’t put into phrases what it’s going to be prefer to be a father for the primary time.

“I’m trying ahead to getting house and celebrating with Meredith. Its been a protracted week right here with out her.”

Scheffler may have an opportunity for extra glory when the lads’s main circuit heads to Kentucky’s Valhalla Golf Membership subsequent month for the PGA Championship, gained for the third time by Brooks Koepka final yr.

Scheffler’s ninth PGA Tour title – and third in his final 4 begins – sees the 27-year-old turn into the 18th participant to tally a number of Masters wins, and the fourth youngest to attain the feat after Jack Nicklaus, Seve Ballesteros and Tiger Woods, who completed sixtieth following his a centesimal spherical on the main.

5-time Masters champion Woods – making solely his third aggressive begin since limping out of final yr’s event – had quelled doubts over his capacity to navigate the hilly Augusta terrain to make the reduce for a record-breaking twenty fourth consecutive time, however struggled over the weekend.

Having opened with rounds of 73 and 72, the 48-year-old shot 82 – his worst-ever spherical on the event – and a 77 to complete 16-over par, final of these to make the reduce.

“It was week,” Woods advised reporters.

“Coming in right here, not having performed a full event in a really very long time, it was combat on Thursday and Friday. Sadly yesterday it didn’t fairly prove the best way I needed it to.”

Åberg ran Scheffler closest with a superb show in his first main look, carding a closing spherical 69 to fall simply wanting turning into the primary participant since Fuzzy Zoeller in 1979 to win on his Masters debut.

It accelerates the 24-year-old’s meteoric rise since turning skilled final June. The world No. 9 performed a starring function in Workforce Europe’s Ryder Cup victory in Rome lower than 100 days after calling time on a prodigious beginner profession, and clinched his first PGA Tour title on the RSM Basic a month later.

“Enjoying right here at Augusta Nationwide is a dream come true,” he stated.

“To be on this state of affairs and really feel the nerves and the strain of strolling down the final couple holes is what you dream of. That is what I’ve been desirous to do for such a very long time, and it’s fairly surreal to truly have the chance to expertise it.

“I’m so pleased with myself, the entire individuals on my crew, my household and everybody concerned.”

American duo Max Homa and Collin Morikawa had joined Scheffler and Åberg atop the leaderboard throughout the closing spherical, however noticed their challenges falter to slip to a share of third alongside England’s Tommy Fleetwood at four-under par, seven pictures behind the victor.

World No.2 Rory McIlroy’s anticipate the elusive profession grand slam continues. The Northern Irishman is a Masters away from profitable all 4 majors however completed tied-Twenty second on his sixteenth look at Augusta Nationwide.

Spain’s Jon Rahm by no means regarded prone to turn into solely the fourth participant to defend the Masters, failing to shoot under par as he completed tied-Forty fifth at nine-over par earlier than presenting Scheffler along with his inexperienced jacket in a task reversal of final yr’s ceremony.

Considerably surprisingly given his constant brilliance on the largest stage, solely as soon as earlier than had Scheffler woken up on Sunday at a significant championship because the chief.

Ominously for the chasing pack although, that one event simply so occurred to be at Augusta Nationwide two years in the past, because the Texan completely preserved his three-stroke closing spherical benefit to ease to his first main crown.

It was a suitably much less snug one shot cushion this time round, and that slender benefit evaporated quickly.

By the point Scheffler made his method onto the eighth fairway, he was joined atop the leaderboard by taking part in companion Morikawa, in addition to Homa and a streaking Åberg, who birdied two of his first seven holes to make brief work of his three-stroke beginning deficit.

Uncharacteristically, Scheffler had began sloppily, lacking greens and skewing one tee drive right into a tree en route to 2 bogeys.

These in sizzling pursuit smelled blood, and even when the world No. 1 corrected course with a birdie on the eighth, taking part in companion Morikawa instantly adopted him in to keep up parity.

Mesmerizing pictures adopted in fast succession. Aberg beamed from ear to ear after curling in a 36-foot birdie putt to get a fleeting style of his first ever main co-lead, however Scheffler responded with a surprising iron strategy that – having come inside inches of spinning again into the cup for eagle – arrange a easy tap-in that restored his lead on the flip.

The roars proliferated as droves of patrons crammed behind the ropes for what regarded set to be probably the most thrilling finale in latest reminiscence at Augusta Nationwide.

Rahm needed to come from behind final yr however shortly pulled away from a fading Koepka to ease house, whereas Scheffler had stood on the 18th tee with a five-shot lead on the earlier event.

Immediately although, the 2022 champion regarded on a mission to repeat the feat. Scheffler had calibrated his sights, cashing in on yet one more magnificent spinning strategy to roll his third consecutive birdie into the tenth cup.

Followers hoping on a multi-player shootout for the ages shortly noticed their issues compounded.

Scheffler’s ascent coincided along with his taking part in companion plummeting in a tailspin, as Morikawa took two makes an attempt to flee a bunker on the ninth earlier than splashing a shot into the water two holes later to card two double bogeys in a matter of minutes.

Stage on the high on the ninth tee, the surprised world No. 20 headed to the twelfth 5 pictures adrift.

No matter mysterious affliction had gripped Morikawa was spreading to his fellow chasers, too.

Aberg’s cost got here to a soggy standstill as he joined the American to find the pond at 11, his double bogey quickly matched by Homa after his tee shot on the par-three twelfth was swallowed up by a bush, forcing him to take a drop.

The ball was nonetheless nestled amongst the shrubbery when Scheffler rolled in for par on the identical inexperienced shortly after, extending his result in three.

Aberg did his greatest to show up the warmth with back-to-back birdies, however the stone-faced Scheffler was at his unflappable greatest, extending his buffer to 4 pictures along with his sixth birdie of the day – and twentieth of the week – on the par-three sixteenth.

His first Masters triumph had resulted in a shaky – albeit inconsequential – four-putt, however there have been no such blips this time spherical. After a standing ovation on his stroll to the 18th inexperienced, Scheffler signed off with a easy putt for par.

In the end, the world No. 1’s steely expression lastly cracked as he shared a protracted hug with caddie Ted Scott earlier than roaring in delight.