The Masters is expected to begin on the back nine on Sunday. Scotty Scheffler didn’t bother waiting that long. It’s a fitting approach for a golfer who is now so dominant that comparisons to the pomp and circumstance of Tiger Woods are more than apt.
Hopes are growing that Ludvig Åberg could become the first Masters debutant to win a green jacket since Fuzzy Zoeller in 1979. Oberg’s achievement is actually more historic. Before Thursday’s appearance at Augusta National, he had never played in a major championship.
From 36 feet above No. 9, Oberg created a stunning moment. His downhill, tight birdie putt hit the bottom of the cup. Galleries cheered. Moments later, Oberg was laughing on the greenside with his caddy. Naked evidence of youthful innocence. Pressure, what pressure? After 63 holes, he was tied for the Masters lead. A year ago, Oberg was attending a college in Texas.
Oberg’s question at this point was the identity of the group behind him. Incredibly, Scheffler’s approach on the par-4 ninth hole didn’t go in, and the ball’s path was off by a few millimeters on its final rolls. Three birdies were enough to regain the personal lead. This is an advantage Scheffler will never admit. Or, frankly, it was an advantage he never wanted to admit. Cheeseburgers and milkshakes are back on the 2025 champion’s dinner menu.
There’s a reason Scheffler was the odds-on favorite heading into the fourth round. The impression is that the 27-year-old could be scratched from head to toe with a feather duster and then stand motionless. In addition to becoming the first golfer to successfully defend The Players Championship, he has won the Masters twice in his last three starts. Scheffler has won nine trophies since February 2022, three in the last four games. His broader results, a string of top-five finishes, demonstrate unparalleled consistency. As the golf world descended into civil war and chaos, this quiet man became a bossy figure in his circle. The GDP he collected in the process was equivalent to that of a medium-sized country. Augusta National paid another $3.6 million. In 2005, Woods was the last pre-tournament favorite to win against a backdrop of azaleas to date.
Scheffler’s 68 was good enough to win by four strokes. In occasionally wild conditions, he shot 11 under. Scheffler’s worst score at the Masters was a 72.
The Amen Corner does show its teeth. The most visually stunning holes on golf still carry that threat. Collin Morikawa stayed in touch and made double bogey on the 11th hole. Max Homa hit his tee shot into the bushes on the 12th hole; two lashes were also his penalty level. Oberg, like Morikawa, fell into a hole earlier. The Swede found water with his second shot. Astonishingly, Scheffler bogeyed the 11th hole, but his lead grew to three thanks to tragedy elsewhere.
Oberg responded in a manner befitting his rising status. He hit a shot on the 13th hole to get within two shots of the world number one. Oberg came back with a birdie on the tricky 14th hole. Scheffler is enjoying the fight right now. He hit the iron into range to put himself ahead of three in the four-man field. Oberg’s loose tee shot on the 15th meant he couldn’t take advantage of the par-5 hole. When Scheffler birdied the 16th hole, Oberg was four shots behind. Good night, Vienna.
Tommy Fleetwood’s bogey-free 69 moved him into a tie for third at 4 under. The Englishman would have been in a better position but for a birdie on the 16th hole, but hit the pin and somehow stayed above ground. Still, it marked Fleetwood’s best finish at the Masters, by some distance. Bryson DeChambeau and Cameron Smith closed at minus-two points.
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Rory McIlroy ended up in a situation he would rather avoid, assessing the strengths of others as the major hurtles towards its conclusion. A 73 meant McIlroy tied for 22nd. He is pragmatic, admitting that technical problems are hurting his prospects. McIlroy will also quietly realize that the wait for a career Grand Slam continues. McIlroy laughed when asked what was going through Scheffler’s mind as he crushed everything in front of him. “Nothing,” McIlroy explained. “There’s not a lot of chaos. When you’re in a state like this, the game feels very simple.
“It’s a difficult thing when you’re not in form. You’re looking and thinking about it a lot, but when you’re in form you don’t think about it at all. McIlroy will bounce back, there’s no point in that. Questionable. However, we are living in the age of Scottie Scheffler.
