Scottie Scheffler–twenty-seven year old PGA Tour golfer and #1 player in the world–held off several challengers today on the front nine and solidly closed the deal on the back nine with a four-under par 68, the lowest score of the day, to win the Masters Tournament by four strokes over twenty-four year old Ludvig Aberg of Sweden at the famed and beautiful Augusta National Golf Club in Augusta, Georgia. It was Scheffler’s second Masters win, his first being in 2022.
At various intervals on the front nine, several players were tied with Scheffler for the lead or within one of two strokes of him. So, it looked like anyone of them could have contended down the stretch of finishing holes on the back nine, that is, if it had not been for Amen Corner.
Yes, that’s what Masters tradition calls the 10th through the 13th holes at Augusta National–Amen Corner. But it looked like all of those contenders vying to overtake Scheffler did not say their prayers before entering that foreboding, early stretch of the back nine. Both Collin Morikawa and Ludvig Aberg splashed their shiny white pellet into the small lake bordering the left side of the green on the par four 11th hole to make double bogey and seriously knock them out of contention. Then Max Homa did similarly by airmailing the green on the short par three 12th hole into an unplayable lie in the azalea bushes to escape that scene with a double bogey as well.
Especially Morikawa and rookie Aberg made colossal errors on their second shots to the green on the 11th hole by seemingly going for the pin. Legendary Ben Hogan used to say he avoided that lake by purposely aiming and hitting his second shot barely to the right of the green, hoping to chip close and make his putt for a par. He said it wasn’t worth the risk of going for that green on the second shot, let alone shooting at the pin when it is tucked on the left side, near the lake, as it always is on Masters Sunday.
That is exactly how Scottie Scheffler played the hole, as if he was listening to Hogan’s advice. I’m not sure if he did it purposely, but Scheffler hit his second shot to the right of the green. He failed to get the ball up-and-down and therefore walked away with a bogey. But, of course, that is one stroke better than a double bogey.
Scottie then played his iron shot to the 12th hole just as a leader should, which was at the middle of the green even though the hole was placed where it always is on Masters Sunday, on the far right side of that small portion of green and therefore near Rae’s Creek. After two putting for his par three, Scottie then rattled off four consecutive birdies on the next four holes. Each time he played his iron shots exactly where the leader should hit them, which is never at the pin. Scottie Scheffler therefore played perfectly strategic golf on Augusta National’s back nine, which lurks with so much dangerous trouble. He thereby became the deserved champion that he is and continued to dominate pro golf as the #1 golfer in the world. It couldn’t happen to nicer guy, whom the Masters patrons loved.
[As I repeatedly say about Scottie Scheffler, he is becoming a leading American pro athlete who loves to take the opportunity, when appropriate, to share his faith publicly as a Christian. He is also known as a prominent member of the PGA Tour Bible Study.]
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