North Texas native Scottie Scheffler gets first major win at Masters

AUGUSTA, Ga. — That new No. 1 rating for Scottie Scheffler appears to be like even higher in a Masters inexperienced jacket.

Two months after Scheffler lastly broke by way of for his first PGA Tour victory, he capped off a most unbelievable 56-day stretch by making his fourth win the largest of all of them, the Masters by three pictures over Rory McIlroy for his first main.

At the same time as a junior, he was sporting lengthy pants in stifling Texas warmth as a result of he wished to look the a part of a tour professional he all the time wished to be. Successful the Masters was past his hopes.

“I by no means made it this far. It was only a dream of being right here and competing,” Scheffler stated in Butler Cabin, moments earlier than Hideki Matsuyama helped him into the inexperienced jacket. “I am unable to put into phrases what it implies that I am going to be capable of come again right here for a lifetime.”

The one stumble got here on the finish when Scheffler, from Highland Park within the Dallas, Texas space, wanted 4 putts from 40 ft earlier than he may declare his first main, and that solely mattered within the document guide.

He closed with a 1-under 71 for a three-shot victory over McIlroy, who holed out from the bunker on the ultimate gap for a record-tying remaining spherical of 64. McIlroy may solely hope that Sunday stress at Augusta Nationwide may get to Scheffler.

No likelihood. Not on Sunday. Not the final 4 days. Not the final two months.

“You get on these scorching streaks, and also you simply bought to trip them out as a result of they, sadly, don’t final without end,” Justin Thomas stated. “However he’s doing it within the largest tournaments. … It’s actually, actually spectacular to see somebody that younger deal with a second this large so simply.”

The Sunday theater, thrilling and tragic, belonged to everybody else. Scheffler, additionally a College of Texas at Austin alum, overcame a nervy second early within the spherical by chipping in for birdie. He delivered key putts to maintain Cameron Smith at bay and by no means appeared rattled, whilst he was swatting at brief putts on the finish.

McIlroy was the runner-up. It was Smith who felt as if he let one get away. The Aussie was nonetheless within the recreation, three pictures out of the lead, when he dumped his 9-iron in Rae’s Creek on the par-3 twelfth gap for triple bogey and ended his hopes.

“Only a actually dangerous swing on the incorrect time,” Smith stated.

Smith closed with a 73 and tied for third with Shane Lowry, who birdied the 18th for a 69.

Scheffler joined Ian Woosnam in 1991 as the one gamers to win a serious — the Masters in each circumstances — of their debut at No. 1 on the planet.

Everybody ought to have seen this coming. He received the Phoenix Open in a playoff on Tremendous Bowl Sunday. He adopted that with a comeback win at Bay Hill to win the Arnold Palmer Invitational. He rose to No. 1 on the planet by successful the Match Play two weeks in the past in Texas.

Scheffler, who completed at 10-under 278, received $2.7 million from the $15 million prize fund. That brings his complete to $8,872,200 over his final six begins.

Scheffler’s large second got here early within the spherical, and it was no much less important.

Beginning the ultimate spherical with a three-shot lead, he watched Smith open with two straight birdies to the minimize the deficit to at least one, after which Scheffler’s method from the pine needles left of the third fairway got here up brief and rolled again down the slope.

His pitch was racing towards the outlet when it banged into the pin and dropped for an unlikely birdie, and a two-shot swing when Smith from the identical place made bogey.

Nobody bought nearer than three the remainder of the best way. Solely the contenders modified.

The twelfth gap stays essentially the most riveting par 3 in golf, the scene of extra collapses than comebacks. Smith turned the most recent sufferer.

Coming off birdie at No. 11, his shot was nonetheless within the air when he let his membership slip by way of his fingers and he slowly closed his eyes twice because it splashed into Rae’s Creek. The subsequent shot wasn’t a lot better, however no less than dry, and Smith’s hopes ended there with a triple bogey.

He was three behind standing on the twelfth tee. Three holes later, he was eight again.

From there, any hope resided with McIlroy. All he wanted to finish the profession Grand Slam was to match one of the best remaining spherical in Masters historical past and get some assist from Scheffler. He solely bought a kind of and needed to accept his first silver medal from Augusta.

Not that he did not create some Sunday magic. McIlroy went bunker-to-bunker on the 18th gap, leaving himself proper of the inexperienced and aiming some 25 ft proper of the flag. It rode the slope all the best way into the outlet, setting off one of many loudest roars of the week.

Morikawa adopted him in from the identical bunker, completely different angle, and McIlroy may solely chortle.

“This match by no means ceases to amaze,” McIlroy stated. “That’s as comfortable as I’ve ever been on a golf course proper there. Simply having an opportunity — after which with Collin, we each performed so effectively all day — and for each of us to complete like this, I used to be simply so comfortable for him, too.

“I’ve by no means heard roars like on the 18th inexperienced.”

The very best ones had been saved for Scheffler.

Scheffler nonetheless had 5 holes in entrance of him, with no proof he was going to be something however the clean, good operator who seized management on Friday within the hardest situations to construct a five-shot lead and by no means misplaced it.