Scottie Scheffler was going for a historic third green jacket this week at Augusta National. He looked to join the incomparable Jack Nicklaus as the only player to win three times in a four-year stretch. The golfer faced challenges throughout the tournament, ultimately finishing in fourth place with a total score of 8-under 280.
Scheffler came to Augusta looking for redemption, having not yet won on the PGA Tour this season. He turned in one heckuva performance on Sunday to go out with a bang, posting a blistering 3-under 69. He could never find the rhythm that had propelled his wins at the same track in 2022 and 2023.
Even in the last round when Scheffler was two shots back at one stage. He recovered just as fast, draining birdies on holes 13 and 14. As he made the turn toward home, he was faced with the realization that birdies were almost an imperative on the last three holes. Sadly, he didn’t do much better than par on every hole. This unfortunate stroke proved fatal to his chances of playing his way up the leaderboard.
Scheffler smiled in that moment, shaking his head at how easy it would have been to go down the path of irritation. He was constantly fighting his performance, his swing and his foibles on the course that resulted in some tough mis-hits. It was his resolve and resilience during the tournament that won over music fans and fellow competitors alike.
Looking back on his performance, Scheffler told reporters he was most proud of the way he kept his cool. I was really just proud of the way we hung in there and put up a good fight. A few different things need to happen today and I probably still have only a one in four chance of advancing out of the tournaments. I wasn’t far off.
Even after a T-4 finish, Scheffler leaving the week confident about his recent mental changes. I feel like this was the most mentally sharp I’ve been all season. I feel like my game just wasn’t up to par,” he shared. He realized that while his athletic performance was still a bit hit-or-miss, his mental game was really on-point.
Even as that tournament wrapped up, Scheffler’s fourth-place finish highlighted both his frequent woes and his bright future just ahead. With this experience under his belt, he should have a nice foundation to build off of as he heads into the rest of his season.
Leave a Reply