He came in the world’s No. 1 golfer and he’s going to leave champion. Scottie Scheffler was able to hold on, and he wins his first Masters. In the third round, he gave his opponents a little glimmer of hope that he might slip up. However, he played just well enough, even with two strong golfers surging against him. Scheffler takes his first green jacket with a score of 10-under-par at just 25 years old.
This was an exciting finish. With some pre-Masters drama involving Phil Mickelson, then the exhilaration of Tiger Woods returning, and all of the action on the course along the way. Over the course of the weekend, there were feel-good stories. Early favorites that struggled. Then, of course, there was the haircut that stole the show. Cameron Smith. The Aussie and his hairdo captured the hearts and minds of fans at the course and those watching at home.
Smith started his comeback against Scheffler while the two fought in the same group the whole way. Rory McIlroy finished his round with an incredible eagle to bring him into second place.
When Smith and Scheffler lined up for the 11th hole, a shot into the water sank the hearts of those cheering for the 28-year-old Australian. It would appear that his day, and the comeback, would be ruined by that water hazard. He found himself going from -7 to -4 while chasing Scheffler at -10. Not exactly a winning battle.
Sometimes, the Masters is able to bring us some exciting upsets and things like that. However, there are other times when you just have to sit back and watch the best in the world do what they do. Scheffler is the top golfer in the world, and he’s gone and backed that up with a win at Augusta National.
Scottie Scheffler Wins His First Masters
While Scheffler and Smith battled head-to-head, further on in the round was McIlroy. He really made a strong push at the end. He golfed the best last round of the entire field and got himself down to -8 for the round. Rory came into the final day one above par and left -7 before the end. McIlroy put enough pressure on the lead to make it interesting at least. That’s impressive no matter how you cut it. His pairing partner, Collin Morikawa was also able to surge late and place among the top golfers at the tournament.
Despite finishing his day as the clubhouse leader, it wouldn’t be long until Scheffler came along. He’s just been so good the entire tournament and showed little signs of weakness. Even when he did falter, he was able to rebound and maintain his lead. When he got to -10 for the tournament, he floated around there and held everyone else off.
You hate to see a guy like Smith who won over so many fans, close out his tournament how he did. However, that’s the way the game goes sometimes. When it’s good, it’s good. When it goes bad, it can go really bad. At the end of the day, Scottie Scheffler wins the Masters. As the sport’s top man, he’s got a big target on his back. But, it looks so good on that new green jacket of his, don’t you think?
