Get Instant News Updates
Enable
x
Notification Settings X
Time Settings
Done
Clear Notification X
Do you want to clear all the notifications from your inbox?
Settings X
For Quick Alerts
ALLOW NOTIFICATIONS  
For Daily Alerts

The Masters: Scottie Scheffler takes Augusta glory, Rory McIlroy storms into second

Scottie Scheffler showed composure beyond his years to win the Masters, while Rory McIlroy produced the best round of the day to take second place.

Scottie Scheffler

Augusta, April 11: Scottie Scheffler is now the proud owner of a green jacket after winning the Masters with a terrific performance in the last round – even if he wobbled on the 18th green.

Scheffler, 25, finished 10 under overall and shot 71 on Sunday after a double bogey at the last, winning his fourth career PGA Tour title after landing his first just 57 days ago.

A terrific chip-in on the third hole helped him find his footing after a couple of wayward drives early on, but his ability to recover from less-than-ideal situations was on full display on the first nine.

The Masters: Scheffler salvages late, Smith charges on moving dayThe Masters: Scheffler salvages late, Smith charges on moving day

He would birdie the seventh hole on the way to a bogey-free front half, before his first slip-up came with a bogey on the 10th as he missed a makeable par putt. He lost his putting poise on the final green, but had enough shots in hand that it hardly mattered a jot.

The final day shaped up as a two-horse race between Scheffler and Cameron Smith, but any chance Smith had at mounting a comeback went up in smoke as his tee shot on the par-three 12th found the water.

Smith went on to triple-bogey the hole, and fell apart from that point, pulling drives into the trees as his fight turned from a chance to win to a battle to hang on in the top five.

The surge of the day came from Rory McIlroy, who shot one off the course record with an eight-under 64 to finish outright second at seven under.

McIlroy went bogey-free, with birdies on one, three, seven, eight, 10 and 18, and an eagle on 13.

He capped off his round with a remarkable chip-in from the bunker on 18 – only for his playing partner, Colin Morikawa, to do likewise to put the finishing touches on a 67 to earn outright fifth place at four under.

Also finishing inside the top five was Shane Lowry, who finished with a three-under 69 to tie with Smith for third on a five-under aggregate, despite a triple bogey on the par-three fourth.

Corey Conners and Will Zalatoris were tied for sixth at three under, while Im Sung-jae and Justin Thomas tied for eighth.

Last year's champion Hideki Matsuyama was in a log-jam at two over in a tie for 14th, Jon Rahm tied for 27th at four over and Tiger Woods shot his second consecutive 78 to finish 47th at 13 over.

Shot of the day

After a shaky start, which included missing his first three greens in regulation while he watched Smith birdie the opening two holes, Scheffler steadied himself on the third.

After driving into the trees, and recovering to near the green, Scheffler was able to hole his chip to birdie the hole, transferring the pressure back to Smith – who would bogey the hole – and snatching the momentum.

Chipping in

McIlroy spoke proudly of his final-day flourish: "I got off to a great start and kept it rolling. I knew I needed my best-ever score to have a chance. I can’t ask any more of myself. It was the most fun I have had on a golf course in a long time."

Tiger Woods told Sky Sports he will play the Open Championship, saying: "I am looking forward to St Andrews. It's something near and dear to my heart. I've won two Opens there and it's the home of golf, my favourite golf course in the world. So I will be there for that one."

Jon Rahm enjoyed playing with Woods on Sunday, saying: "I believe if at home he can walk and get strength up and stamina in that sense, he will be able to be competitive again. This is the hardest walk all year. He will be able to go somewhere where it's a little easier to walk. It won't be as long, and I believe he'll be able to contend."

A little birdie told me

- McIlroy's 64 matched the lowest final-round score in Masters history – and was one off the course record.

- Smith's triple-bogey on the 12th hole was his first triple-bogey or worse on the PGA Tour since the 2021 Travelers Championship.

- This was only the second time that no eagles have been made on the 15th hole across all four rounds at the Masters , and the first since 1965.

- Scheffler's fourth win in 57 days made it the shortest span from a player's first career win to their fourth in PGA Tour history.

Story first published: Monday, April 11, 2022, 9:31 [IST]
Other articles published on Apr 11, 2022