Charlie Riedel/Associated Press
Scottie Scheffler may have been the No. 1 ranked golfer in the world, but he had yet to win a major tournament. However, the 25-year-old entered the 2022 Masters Tournament among the favorites, and he delivered on those high expectations.
On Sunday, Scheffler captured his first career Masters title, finishing at 10 under par after shooting a 71 in the tournament’s final round. It was a strong enough performance to hold off a late charge from Rory McIlroy, who posted a score of 64 on the last day to end up within three strokes of Scheffler.
Before this year, Scheffler had only played in the Masters twice before, as he tied for 19th in 2020, then tied for 18th in 2021. He’s now finished in the top eight at each of the past four major tournaments, and he could soon be adding more titles.
Here’s a look at the final Masters leaderboard, followed by reaction to Scheffler’s win.
Final 2022 Masters Leaderboard
1. Scottie Scheffler: -10
2. Rory McIlroy: -7
T-3. Shane Lowry: -5
T-3. Cameron Smith: -5
5. Collin Morikawa: -4
T-6. Will Zalatoris: -3
T-6. Corey Conners: -3
T-8. Justin Thomas: -1
T-8. Sungjae Im: -1
T-10. Cameron Champ: Even
T-10. Charl Schwartzel: Even
Complete leaderboard available at Masters.com
Reaction
Scheffler jumped out to an impressive lead through the first two rounds of this year’s Masters. He shot a 69 in the first round, then a 67 in the second. And at that point, he had a five-stroke lead over the rest of the field heading into Saturday.
After shooting a 71 in the third round, Scheffler had a three-stroke advantage heading into Sunday’s final round, and it became clear that he had a great chance of winning. Still, Scheffler needed to avoid a collapse on the last day of the tournament, and he knew the pressure that came with that.
“I cried like a baby this morning. I was so stressed out. I didn’t know what to do,” Scheffler said, per Doug Ferguson of the Associated Press. “I was sitting there telling [my wife] Meredith, ‘I don’t think I’m ready for this.’ … And I just felt overwhelmed.”
McIlroy shot a 64 during Sunday’s final round, and if he hadn’t been one over par through the first three rounds, he could have made a run at the Masters title. Instead, it wasn’t enough to catch Scheffler, whose 71 was enough to hold off McIlroy and the rest of the field.
McIlroy noted that Scheffler had “sort of been head and shoulders above everyone else this week,” per Ferguson. And Scheffler impressed some of his other counterparts as well.
“You get on those hot streaks, and you just got to ride them out because they, unfortunately, don’t last forever,” Thomas said, per Ferguson. “But he is doing it in the biggest tournaments. … It’s really, really impressive to see someone that young handle a moment this big so easily.”
According to ESPN Stats & Info, Scheffler is only the third golfer in the past 40 years to win the Masters at age 25 or younger, joining Jordan Spieth (2015) and Tiger Woods (1997, 2001).
In the process, Scheffler impressed one of the greatest golfers of all time, as Jack Nicklaus took to Twitter to share his thoughts on the performance:
Jack Nicklaus @jacknicklaus
The world No. 1 proved why he’s No. 1! Congrats to @TheMasters winner & first-time major champ Scottie Scheffler! Scottie didn’t have his best game at times but he did what champions do. That was to resort to a great short-iron game, excellent putting, and very good discipline. https://t.co/9MOfemJloU
Before turning pro, Scheffler played golf at the University of Texas, and the Longhorns celebrated his huge victory:
And shortly after Scheffler emerged victorious, he shared a special moment with his father:
This year may only be the start of an impressive career for Scheffler. Coming into 2022, he hadn’t won a PGA Tour event. Now, he owns victories at the WM Phoenix Open, the Arnold Palmer Invitational and, most impressively, the Masters.
What’s next for Scheffler? It should be exciting to watch and find out.
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