Scottie Scheffler wanted to become a professional golfer so much that he wore pants for his lessons at the Royal Oaks club in Dallas or even during junior tournaments, despite the oppressive heat of Texas. However, he never imagined himself wearing a green jacket.
Winning the Masters Tournament is the dream of any junior golfer, especially in Texas, a state that has several champions, such as Byron Nelson, Ben Crenshaw, Charles Coody, or more recently Jordan Spieth and Patrick Reed.
Scheffler was not a young person like the others. “I’ve never been someone who throws himself very far ahead,” Scheffler said Sunday night, still trying to realize the full magnitude of his three-stroke win at Augusta National.
Tiger Woods told an anecdote this weekend about the ‘window of opportunity’ a golfer enjoys when everything seems to work for him, whether it’s Fred Couples in 1992, or Woods himself, more times than he can. remember. The hope is that this period coincides with the holding of a major tournament.
Scheffler’s could not have come at a better time.
He’s won the Phoenix Open, Bay Hill and the holeshot tournament in the last seven weeks. This last victory allowed him to rise to the first rank in the world, just before going to Augusta.
As he was about to put on the green jacket for the first time, he was asked when he first dreamed at this time. “Probably Friday afternoon, after my second game,” he said.
” Really ? was the reporter’s response. Yes really. Scheffler has said over and over for the past two months that all he wants is to have a chance to play the tournament. Such was his dream. What made him cry was discovering his first invitation in the mail for his first Masters Tournament, the one moved to November 2020.
Win the tournament? Only after building a five-shot lead after the first 36 holes did he start to believe it. All Scheffler wanted was a chance to do it. It hasn’t changed.
At the Royal Oaks, when Scheffler was just 10 years old, he liked to challenge the professionals who trained with his short game. If he didn’t accept their money, he stole part of their ego.
short game
This short game had a key role in this victory in Georgia. The final margin of three shots was even thinner than it looks. Scheffler held a five-stroke lead when he finally decided to soak up the atmosphere on the course, earning him four putts at the 18and for a double bogey.
He played 71 instead of 69 and won by three strokes instead of five. But these are just numbers for the record books.
When Cameron Smith stepped up with two birdies on the first two holes, Scheffler responded with perhaps the most important shot of his final game on the third. On his approach shot, the ball hit the rod before ending up deep in the cup for a birdie. The bogey scored by Smith made sure to widen the gap by two shots.
“If I had to choose one part of my game where I excelled, it would be with my lob approach wedge [lob wedge], Scheffler explained. Same [dimanche], I made some good shots at the start of the game which allowed me to keep my good position. »
He also hit long putts for pars, which saved him from making it harder for him, like on the 11andwhere after a bogey at 10and and a missed green, seven-foot putt gave him par, while Smith birdied and his lead slipped to three strokes.
It’s been like that all day. All week in fact. All that remained was to stroll down the aisle of 18anden route to the green jacket.
And now ? “I want to go home,” Scheffler said with a laugh. I’m pretty tired right now. »