Masters: Scottie Scheffler Criticises Augusta Greens And Conditions After Near Miss At Augusta National

Scottie Scheffler said the course set-up at Augusta National on Thursday and Friday did not feel fair for everyone, after finishing one shot behind Rory McIlroy, whose 12-under total secured a second straight Masters title.

The world number one closed with a bogey-free 68 and delivered a weekend without dropped shots, yet a second-round 74 left Scheffler 12 strokes behind McIlroy at halfway, a gap that ultimately proved too large to erase.

Across the final two rounds, Scheffler became the first player on record, dating back to 1942, to complete a bogey-free weekend at the Masters, posting nine birdies and one eagle in that stretch at Augusta National.

McIlroy’s win placed the Northern Irishman in a small group of players who have defended the Masters title, joining Tiger Woods, Jack Nicklaus and Nick Faldo, and ended a 24-year wait for back-to-back champions at Augusta National.

"I mean, Im not in charge of course set-up, said the 29-year-old. I would have liked it to have been a little bit more equal in terms of the firmness on Thursday and Friday. I was a bit surprised at how soft things were on Friday afternoon, especially as it got late in the day. But the weather also changes and it was a bit windy on Thursday, so who knows. Thats part of the game. We play an outdoor sport and you dont know how conditions are going to change, especially course conditions. I think I started the weekend maybe 12 back, so to get within one was a pretty good run. Yeah, Id say Friday probably hurt the most in terms of my chances of winning."

"I didnt see many birdies out there Thursday afternoon, he added. We went out on Thursday, Thursday afternoon was some of the most challenging conditions we had all week. So going out on Friday, whatever they did to the greens to soften them up, they did some stuff, and I just wasnt able to take advantage of that going on early on Friday. And then you saw the barrage of birdies that Rory made and Cam Young and a bunch of guys made on Friday late in the day, and I think I finished maybe 2-over par on Friday. So that day probably hurt the most in terms of my chances to win. Overall, over the course of the weekend, I did some pretty nice stuff to give myself a chance."

Scheffler highlighted how the softened greens on Friday aided later groups, including McIlroy and Cam Young, while Scheffler’s earlier tee time limited scoring chances, leaving the two-over-par round as the decisive blow to hopes of a third Masters victory.

Despite frustration with the set-up and timing, Scheffler accepted that changing weather and course conditions are part of elite golf, and stressed that his strong weekend surge, cutting the deficit from 12 to one, still showed a level of performance that kept pressure on McIlroy until late.