The best golfer in the world is now the new Masters champion.
Scottie Scheffler won the 86th Masters on Sunday after a final round of 71 and a total of 268 strokes (10 under par), the first major of the year, so superior that he even made four putts and a double bogey on the 18th green, the first of the tournament, could afford.
In just sixty days, the 25-year-old Texan celebrated his fourth tournament victory in six starts.
Scheffler secured the greatest success of his young professional career thanks to his impressive game.
Because he managed to stay below the course standard (par of 72) in all four rounds, the only one in the field of 52 players who had survived the cut.
“For the first time on Friday night I thought about winning the Masters.
I never dreamed of it," said Scheffler, "I just wanted to play here." He did more than that: "After three days I was in control of the tournament and just had to watch my game."
Second place went to Northern Ireland's Rory McIlroy, three strokes behind. In ideal conditions, no wind, bright sunshine and 23 degrees, he managed by far the best round of the four days with 64 strokes (8 under par).
But since the 32-year-old, ninth in the world rankings, had started the last 18 holes in tenth place, ten strokes behind, the crowd favorite had only two things to celebrate with his total of 281 strokes: his best round of 14 appearances at Augusta and his best result there since 1936 held traditional tournament.
Scheffler was able to relax and enjoy his last nine holes on Sunday at the Augusta National Golf Club in Georgia, because McIlrory never got closer than three shots to him.
The fact that Scheffler never got into trouble also had something to do with the fact that his closest pursuer after three rounds (three shots behind) and teammate Cameron Smith collapsed on the back nine, the second nine holes, on Sunday.
The 28-year-old Australian, sixth in the world rankings, only put Scheffler under some pressure on the first two holes with two birdies, which brought him close to the leader in just one shot.
But with two bogeys he quickly fell back.
After that, the professional from Brisbane never managed to get close to the leader.
On the contrary: Smith, who, like Scheffler, had won his last tournament before the Masters, the Players Championship, gambled away all chances of winning on the twelfth hole, which at 160 yards (146 meters) is the shortest of the four par 3 holes.
His shot came way too short and landed in Raes Creek, the small creek in front of the green.
He took six shots, a triple bogey on that hole.
"One bad 9-iron shot and the tournament was over for me," Smith said.
In the end, the mullet-haired Australian recovered somewhat, moving up to third place with a round of 74 and 283 total, his second top-three finish at the Masters after finishing behind American Dustin Johnson two years ago had occupied two.
He shared third place with Irishman Shane Lowry, the 2019 British Open winner.
Tiger Woods, who was the focus of the first two days of his comeback after his bad car accident of thirteen and a half months, was unable to match the performance of the first two rounds on Sunday after his round of 78 strokes the day before (71+74). connect.
Although the putting worked, in contrast to the day before, he simply played too imprecisely, especially since it was clearly noticeable that three rounds on this physically demanding course had left their mark.
When he said goodbye after another round of 78 and a total of 301 shots and 47th place with the words that his memory of this Masters was grateful, he lagged extremely badly back into the clubhouse.