AUGUSTA, Ga. — Insights from Scotty Scheffler
On Saturday, Scotty Scheffler shared his thoughts on what it means to push yourself when you’re in a competitive situation. “Really, the beauty of great players is their ability to step up when it counts,” he remarked.
Fast forward to Sunday—Scheffler was in striking distance of his third Masters title. He was gaining ground on the leader, but ultimately fell short, finishing just one stroke behind Rory McIlroy.
“I have, well, not too many regrets honestly. It’s a bit disappointing, though. I started the weekend 12 strokes back and ended just one shot off the lead. If I’m looking for someone or something to blame, maybe it should be those first two rounds before I even think about today,” he reflected.
“I knew I had to deliver something special today if I wanted to catch up,” he continued. He put effort into his game but had some near misses along the way.
Ranking as the world’s No. 1, Scheffler didn’t back down, hitting birdies on the 15th and 16th holes to push his score to 11 under, now just two strokes behind McIlroy.
Yet, he could not convert birdies on the last two holes. “If you’re leading, you’re going to play a certain way,” he observed. “I had chances but that par on 13 was disappointing, and not making it onto the fairway on 14 was another misstep. Those are shots I’d love to have back, but I made good birdies on 15 and 16, and I thought I was giving it a good run on 17. I hit two solid shots on 18, but the second one just didn’t land where I wanted.”
Ultimately, he played the final rounds without any bogeys, finishing the weekend at 11 under after a shaky start in the earlier rounds.
In discussing McIlroy, who he’s faced many times, Scheffler acknowledged, “You don’t win all the tournaments he has without being resilient. It’s tough to build a significant lead at Augusta, and it’s equally tough to lose it. But at the end of the day, coming into Sunday tied for the lead, he played a strong round and earned the victory.”
Meanwhile, Collin Morikawa found himself unable to don the green jacket at this year’s Masters, a title he hoped to reclaim.
Morikawa faced considerable uncertainty due to recent back issues that forced him to withdraw from the Players Championship last month. His preparation was notably limited, and he ended up tying for 4th at 9 under.
“All my expectations were exceeded this week,” he said, adding that each day was a challenge. “My main goal was just to get through it all. Frankly, I wasn’t sure how uncomfortable I’d feel, but I managed to complete all 18 holes and all 72 of them in the end.”
He concluded, “This will definitely be one of my fondest tournaments for many reasons. The strength of spirit that carries you through the game, convincing yourself that everything will work out—it’s invaluable.”
