AUGUSTA, Ga. — Statistical models have it all mapped out. His latest narrative is the most obvious foreshadowing in the world. His pre-tournament press conference – in which he once again spoke of golf as something he “does” rather than something that defines his life – actually solidified that.
Scottie Scheffler always wanted to win the 88th Masters. On Sunday, he made it happen.
“It’s really impressive,” Max Homa said after losing to Scheffler by seven strokes. “You just know he’s going to be there and he’s going to play well.”
On Sunday afternoon, Scheffler donned his second green jacket in two years and became just the second player, joining Tiger Woods, to win the Masters and Players Championship in the same season. Scheffler already frequently uses the same phrase as the 15-time major champion, but it’s now clear that this will become a weekly routine, perhaps for many years to come.
We are witnessing a performance of greatness that we have not seen in some time, and we should cherish this gift. Scheffler is the kind of player who possesses a rare gravitational pull. It’s hard to look away as he expertly plots his course around the golf course and leaves his peers far behind. It looks like we won’t need to do that anytime soon.
Scheffler’s dominance comes from his 6-foot-3 frame. The freedom and elasticity in his swing defied physics. Randy Smith, Scheffler’s coach since he was 7 years old, said the Texan has “the best hands I’ve ever seen in my life.” His athletic frame allows him to harness tremendous power, while his unwavering fundamentals allow him to keep the ball in the fairway. While it might fade away at times, he proved his touch and eye for Augusta National’s undulating greens are unparalleled.
Champion again. #Masters pic.twitter.com/iQtyCyNekc
— The Masters (@TheMasters) April 14, 2024
But the real source of Scheffler’s dominance lies in his ears.
During his green jacket ceremony, Scheffler apologized to Augusta National’s sponsors for walking with his head down during Sunday’s game.
Scheffler heard loud applause from every tee box and every green. He felt the roar. He saw outstretched hands crossing the gallery ropes. Out of the corner of his eye, he sensed the presence of hundreds of young golfers who wanted to contribute in any way to their role model’s final-round push to, in some way, score his second Masters victory. To have a role to play.
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But Scheffler’s gaze remained downward. He didn’t like it, but there was no time that Sunday. Never – just like there was no time to hunt for unnecessary TrackMan data or conduct lengthy interviews to gain insight into his personal life. Scheffler did not have any social media platforms downloaded on his phone. He blocks all digital golf publications from his feed online so he can stay informed but stay out of the action.
“Nothing,” Rory McIlroy said when asked what’s going through Scheffler’s mind right now. “Nothing. There’s not a lot of chaos. When you’re in a situation like that, the game feels very simple. When you’re That’s a hard thing to do 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.
The scariest part of Scheffler’s greatness is that it starts to get easy.
Scheffler’s four-stroke victory at the Masters looked emotionless until the final putt fell and he had a long hug with caddy Ted Scott. But in fact, it’s not. Scheffler’s performance coach Troy Van Biezen said Scheffler’s superpower is that you can never tell if he’s 5 over or 5 under.
Scheffler wanted to win this game badly. He told his friends Sunday morning that he wished he wasn’t so competitive. “I told them I wish I wasn’t as desperate to win or as bad as I am now. I think it will make the morning easier,” Scheffler said.
Scotty Scheffler celebrates with his family after winning his second Masters title. (Adam Caines/USA Today)
Scheffler has the ultimate desire and will – he always has. As a teenager, Scheffler would show up to Royal Oak, his home course in Dallas, wearing pants instead of golf shorts to emulate his PGA Tour idol. He remained patient and rode out a year-long growth spurt that derailed his swing in his early twenties. He played one season on the Korn Ferry Tour and four years on the PGA Tour, and Scheffler never threw in the towel when things didn’t seem to go his way.
Scheffler has power, but he also has separation. The 27-year-old, a devout Christian who will soon be a father to his wife Meredith as she gives birth to their first child, knows golf isn’t everything. Scheffler was prepared to withdraw from the Masters if he got a call from Meredith, and now, he just wants to get back to her.
“My identity is safe,” Scheffler said Sunday night. “I can come out here and compete, have fun, enjoy it; and then at the end of the day, win or lose, my identity is safe.
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Scheffler’s unique mental and physical characteristics made him a generational genius. Scheffler proved that on Sunday when he easily found the table-sized landing zone at Augusta National and went on to make the birdie putt when the game was already his.
His character isn’t going to change, and he’s not going anywhere.
This is just the beginning and we have to remember it.
(Top photo: Andrew Reddington/Getty Images)
