American Scottie Scheffler capped two months of incredible performance by earning his biggest career victory at the Masters Tournament on Sunday. A triumph that confirms his status as the new best golfer on the planet.
The only hitch of the day came at the very end when Scheffler needed four shots to close the 40-foot distance between his ball and the cup to finally get his hands on his first major title.
He finished the tournament with a cumulative minus -10.
In the final round, he shot 71 (minus -1), finishing three strokes ahead of Rory McIlroy, who shot an outstanding 64 to tie the course record in the final round.
And to think that just 56 days ago, the 25-year-old Texan was still looking for his first victory on the PGA Tour. Now he has four titles in his last six tournaments.
But nothing beats a green jacket.
Behind him, Cameron Smith saw McIlroy go past. The Australian committed a triple bogey in the 12th and never recovered. He finished with a 73 card tied for third with Shane Lowry.
Scheffler joined Ian Woosnam, who in 1991 had become the first player to win a major title in his first tournament as world number one.
Already a child, Scheffler saw himself on the professional circuit and to convince himself of this, he always wore the pants on the courses under the hot Texas sun in order to look like the champions. But winning the Masters Tournament seemed too big to even dare to imagine.
“I’ve never gotten this far. I only dreamed of being here and playing, he said just before seeing Hideki Matsuyama help him put on his first green jacket. I don’t know how to express what it means to me to know that I can come back here all my life. »
In the eyes of Justin Thomas, the way the new number one behaves on the pitch is impressive. “These streaks of success, you just have to welcome them and ride the wave as it passes because unfortunately it does not last forever, he warned. But he manages to do it in the biggest tournaments. It’s really, really impressive to see such a young player handle these kinds of moments so well. »
Scheffler’s winning streak began at the Phoenix Open, which he won in overtime on Super Bowl day. Then, he continued with a victorious comeback at the Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill. He then climbed to No. 1 in the world by triumphing in the elimination tournament in Texas two weeks ago.
And finally here he is with a green jacket and a scholarship of US$2.7 million. In six tournaments, he amassed winnings of US$8,872,200.
Sunday, the tournament was played from the first holes. Leading by three strokes, he saw Smith start with two birdies to close the gap to one stroke. Then, Scheffler sent his approach shot from the pine needles to the left of the fairway of the third hole a little short of the green and the ball tumbled downhill.
His next shot went straight for the rod and ended up at the bottom of the cup for a birdie. He regained a three-stroke lead when Smith bogeyed in the same situation.
From then on, no one ever came within three shots, only suitors changed their names.