AUGUSTA, Ga. — It might have been comprehensible if Scottie Scheffler, who has been the paragon of poise as he charged to the No. 1 rating in males’s golf this yr, felt only a bit unnerved throughout the first hour of Sunday’s remaining spherical of the Masters Match. The three-stroke lead he held over his closest pursuer, Cameron Smith, when the day started had shrunk to a single stroke within the opening two holes.
Worse for Scheffler, on the par-4 third gap, he yanked his tee shot into the timber then didn’t get a pitch onto the elevated inexperienced, together with his ball trundling backward right into a dicey spot under the placing floor.
Would it not take solely three holes for Smith to catch Scheffler? Was the usually tranquil Scheffler, together with his everyman nonchalance, about to wilt beneath the stress?
Anybody who has been listening to this yr’s PGA Tour, a circuit Scheffler has dominated since February, may need been in a position to predict what occurred subsequent. Scheffler took a daring, aggressive line and confidently knocked a chip into the outlet for birdie. Smith would make bogey.
Over the subsequent a number of hours, Scheffler, 25, rebuffed each problem with the identical aplomb to say his first main championship, working away to win the 2022 Masters by three strokes. His margin of victory would have been bigger however for a remaining present of some nerves throughout the match’s closing sequence on the 18th inexperienced, when Scheffler wanted 4 putts, together with three from lower than 5 ft, to shut out a spherical of 71. Scheffler completed 10 beneath par for the match, in simply his third Masters look.
Rory McIlroy, who trailed Scheffler by 10 strokes heading into the ultimate spherical, completed second after an eight-under-par 64. Smith and Shane Lowry tied for third, 5 strokes off the lead.
Talking with reporters after donning the ceremonial inexperienced jacket awarded to Masters winners, Scheffler talked of feeling calm on the course throughout the remaining spherical however stated he was “so wired” on Sunday morning.
“I cried like a child,” he stated. “I used to be so overwhelmed.” Scheffler added that he instructed his spouse, Meredith, “I don’t suppose I’m prepared for this.”
Scheffler stated he couldn’t recall any earlier episodes of self-doubt and attributed it to an understanding of how a lot profitable the Masters would imply to him. “I’ve felt at peace on the golf course,” he stated, laughing. “It’s off the course that’s exhausting for me. However I did a superb job of conserving my focus when taking part in. I calmed proper down once I obtained to the golf course.”
For Scheffler, a New Jersey native who was raised in Texas, it was the fourth tour victory in his final six occasions, a shocking win share in a sport with match fields of greater than 130 gamers.
In February, Scheffler received the Phoenix Open. A couple of weeks later, he completed first on the Arnold Palmer Invitational and, late final month, he received a World Golf Championships Match Play occasion. From the primary win, it took Scheffler solely 42 days to ascend to the No. 1 rating.
Regardless of his current successes, Scheffler has remained one thing of an unknown to informal sports activities followers as a result of he had not received a tour occasion earlier than this yr. However there have been indicators final season that Scheffler was starting to seek out his rhythm on the higher degree of males’s aggressive golf. Within the final three majors of that season, he completed tied for eighth on the British Open, tied for seventh on the U.S. Open and tied for eighth on the P.G.A. Championship.
Scheffler, like Smith, is one among a brand new technology of youthful golfers who’re turning into frequent tour winners. The highest seven golfers within the males’s world golf rankings are 30 or youthful.
McIlroy, who has received each main golf championship besides the Masters, was not anticipated to be a part of the late-round heroics on Sunday. He had damaged par in solely one among his first three rounds. However with birdies on two of his first three holes, McIlroy all of a sudden appeared extra comfy than he had in any current remaining spherical on the Masters. He shot a four-under 32 in his first 9 holes, then roared onto the again 9 with birdies on the tenth gap and an eagle on the par-5 thirteenth, which moved him to 6 beneath par — simply 4 strokes behind Scheffler, who was taking part in a number of teams behind McIlroy.
McIlroy continued his scorching streak with three consecutive pars however didn’t capitalize on the par-5 fifteenth gap, which is commonly reachable in two photographs. As a substitute, McIlroy settled for par, a rating he additionally made on the sixteenth and seventeenth holes.
However McIlroy had a final, unexpected flourish. He despatched his method shot to the 18th inexperienced right into a bunker to the precise of it, however then lofted a splash from the sand onto the placing floor and watched the ball traverse a swale alongside the inexperienced and at last sink into the cup for a birdie.
McIlroy, who has not had a lot to have a good time within the closing moments of a Masters, flung his wedge into the sand and thrust each arms over his head.
A couple of minutes after McIlroy holed his bunker shot, his taking part in companion, Collin Morikawa, blasted from the identical hazard and sank his shot. The 2 left the inexperienced space arm in arm.
Whereas McIlroy was surging, Smith additionally made one other run at Scheffler with a birdie on the eleventh gap that stored Scheffler’s result in three strokes. Subsequent up was the pivotal and devilish par-3 Twelfth gap, the place the match is commonly determined and the place match leaders for many years have seen their title desires drown within the gap’s small however harmful water hazard.
Smith had the honors on the tee, which he ascended earlier than Scheffler. He appeared keen to use stress. However Smith’s 9-iron light off the clubface instantly and was caught within the fickle winds that swirl round Amen Nook. Smith dipped his head in disappointment simply as his golf ball plunked in Rae’s Creek in entrance of the inexperienced — to the precise of the flag, which is the most typical spot for a failed Twelfth-hole tee shot on a tense Masters Sunday.
Scheffler missed the inexperienced, however he stored his tee shot dry after which chipped to inside 10 ft earlier than sinking a nervy par putt. Smith made a triple bogey and slid properly down the leaderboard.
“In all probability the worst swing of the week for me,” Smith stated of his tee shot on the Twelfth gap. “And on the worst potential time.”
Scheffler later prolonged his lead over Smith and McIlroy with a birdie on the 14th gap that was arrange by a spectacular method shot. Then, on the par-5 fifteenth gap, Scheffler rifled his second shot round a grove of pine timber to clear the pond fronting the inexperienced and arrange a remaining birdie.
As for his misadventure whereas placing on the ultimate gap, Scheffler took it in stride.
“As I stated, I didn’t break my focus all day; the one time I did was on the 18th inexperienced,” he stated, smiling. “I used to be pondering that now I can get pleasure from this. And also you noticed what occurred.”
