It’s been a hectic year since the last Masters.
The last time we left Augusta National, Jon Rahm not only left a legendary place wearing the green jacket for the first time in his career, he left behind as one of golf’s most dominant players.
Since then, Rahm has become the best player to take his talents to LIV Golf for hundreds of millions of dollars, but feels like he is in witness protection due to LIV’s limited national television visibility.
While the 29-year-old Spaniard has been away, Scottie Scheffler has become the newest addition to the team and has proven himself to be by far the most dominant player in the sport – No. 1 in the world rankings and just arrived. Last month, he won both the Arnold Palmer Invitational and the Players Championship.
Scheffler was so good that he was compared to Tiger Woods for the way he separated himself from the pack.
So what can we expect from Rahm, who defends his Masters title this week, and Scheffler, the 2022 Masters winner who draped the green jacket over Rahm’s shoulders a year ago in Butler Cabin?
It feels more predictable that Scheffler will play well and compete for the new green jacket than Rahm. This is due to the efforts each player has made over the past week.
Not only has Scheffler won two of the eight tournaments he has played this season, he has finished in the top six in six of those tournaments, never finishing worse than 17th. He also leads every ball-striking category on the PGA Tour, ranking No. 1 for a total of 78 weeks.
So let’s compare Woods.
“Anytime I’m compared to Tiger, I think it’s really special,” Scheffler said. “But, I mean, I think this guy is isolated in our game.”
Scheffler jokingly said after winning The Players that he was at least tied with Woods for the most Players Championship titles (two).
“Other than that, I have 14 more majors and 70 or so PGA Tour events to catch up on,” he said. “So I’m going to stick to my routine and just keep walking slowly and try to keep my balance as much as possible.”
That, too, is how Rahm approaches his work with quiet dignity.
Interestingly, Rahm entered last year’s Masters with a similar advantage to Scheffler this year. Rahm has played in eight PGA Tour events leading up to the 2023 Masters, winning three of them.
Rahm will come to Augusta National without a win in five LIV events this year, but he played well with a 3rd place finish, 5th place once, and 8th place twice, leading to this weekend’s performance at Doral. Attend the event.
Keep in mind that LIV tournaments are 54 holes, so you’ll have fewer rounds to play in the Masters.
“What I think will be interesting to observe is…his path to the Masters is going to be very different this year,” said CBS analyst and former Masters winner Trevor Immelman. “He’ll have finished playing by Augusta National’s less competitive 17th round in preparation. Whether that’s a good thing remains to be seen. That’s one thing I’ll be watching closely. ”
Rahm acknowledged the unknown circumstances surrounding schedule and tour changes before the LIV Miami tournament.
“Last year I didn’t play the week before the Masters, but I can play this year,” he said. “It’s hard to say who’s better or who’s worse. Mentally I feel very good. My game is progressing in a very good direction. I’m not playing my best yet, but I’m improving little by little with each tournament. I see myself getting better and getting to where I want to be heading into the Masters.”
said Curtis Strange, a two-time U.S. Open champion and current ESPN analyst. [to LIV], he may feel he needs to prove a little more. There’s no reason he can’t be a champion there again this year.”
However, Scheffler is considered the favorite to win his second Masters.
“I know exactly where Scotty is,” Rahm said. “I’ve seen him the last couple of years. He’s a great competitor and when you have to get it done in tough situations, he’s the guy who can get it done.
“I don’t think you need to play next to him to know what’s going on. Whenever you look back at the history of what he’s accomplished, it’s very impressive. That’s what makes many of the major tournaments so enjoyable, not only for me and the players, but also for the spectators, is that we all get to play together again and showcase what we’re capable of.”
