Master 2022: Scottie Scheffler’s cool head ignites a historic hot streak, starting a career with a blue jacket

AUGUST, Ga. – Most Masters champions start to cry when they put on the green jacket. Scottie Scheffler cried shortly after waking up Sunday morning before the final began.

Scheffler, who has now won four of the last six golf tournaments and raked in $9 million in the past 57 days, won the 2022 Masters by three strokes ahead of Rory McIlroy after shooting 1 under 71 to finish in position 10 under the week. Of course, there were photos that stood out on Sunday. He sang a ridiculous birdie on number 3. He also played number 9, number 14 and number 15. But it was his presence – his hasty refusal even when the tournament was a bit exciting. — and the long, slow Texas run up and down the fairways of Augusta National stood out above all else.

Scheffler is a super-talent. Coming into 2022 after a singles win over then-world No 1 Jon Rahm at the 2021 Ryder Cup, every conceivable statistic points towards him going to win soon and win often. But then again, when you’re 70 years old on the PGA Tour to start your career, you have to actually go out and win.

Scheffler did so in batches starting in mid-February. He’s ticked the Phoenix Open, the Arnold Palmer Invitational and the WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play as part of a whirlwind run in the run-up to the 86th Masters. He seemed more surprised at how quickly he rose to number 1 in the world than we did.

“I’ve always wanted to be out here, and I never expected it,” he said Sunday night at Augusta National. “I never expected to be sitting where I am now. You know, you don’t expect everything to come to you in this life. You just have to do the best you can and with your hands. and just go from there.

“I never really thought I’d be that good at golf, so I just kept practicing and kept working hard, and that’s just what I’m going to keep doing.”

In fact, Scheffler has always been pretty good at golf. You can’t win the US Junior Amateur and make it to the Walker Cup team unless your talent isn’t off the charts.

But there are plenty of juniors who can swing it and never make it to the press center on Sunday night at Augusta. What seems to set Scheffler apart is his even demeanor, which was a struggle in high school and college. That’s also why what he described Sunday evening was such a surprise.

It could be as early as Sunday for Scheffler. He split the first two holes while Cameron Smith was always dangerous, playing in the last game against Scheffler, catching both and coming within one stroke of the 36- and 54-hole lead.

Scheffler must have thought for a moment about what he had said to his wife, Meredith, a few hours earlier. They fell asleep watching “The Office” on Saturday night as he tried to quell the stress that comes with hosting a Master’s lead on Sunday.

In the morning, the pressure overwhelmed him.

“This morning was a completely different story,” said Scheffler. “I cried like a baby this morning. I was so stressed. I didn’t know what to do. I sat there and said to Meredith, ‘I don’t think I’m ready for this.’ I’m not ready. I don’t feel like I’m ready for something like this. ‘ And I just felt overwhelmed. “

Scheffler’s emotions are reminiscent of those described by Shane Lowry in 2019 during the Open Championship at Royal Portrush.

“I suppose I woke up this morning and wasn’t sure if I had what it took to win a Major,” Lowry said after winning the Claret Jug.

Scheffler used different words from Sunday, but the context was the same.

“I think [I felt that way] because of masters“, said Scheffler. I dream of having the chance to play in this golf tournament. I shed tears for the first time when I received the invitation by mail. We were lucky enough to play here in college, and I love this place. I love this golf course.

“If you were going to pick a golf tournament to win, this would be the one I’d like to win. You don’t know how many chances you’ll get. And so if there’s a chance, you know, me. thinking I had a five-shot lead on Friday and then a three-shot lead today, I don’t know if you get better chances than that. You don’t want to waste them.”

Scheffler did not waste her. He came in third from an impossible position when Smith made a fool of himself, and for the rest of the day no one came out on top within his two shots.

“Later [birdie and pars at Nos. 4 and 5] I’ve only just started flying,” added Scheffler.

With McIlroy posts a hero, sets a record 64 before him – round of the day and three-stroke tournament – Scheffler put on a Masters-winning clinic on the second nine. He relies on caddy Ted Scottm, who won two of these on Bubba Watson’s bag, while playing smart, clean golf he’s aged (25) and experienced (played 10 majors) ) before this week.

Scheffler then finished 18th, hit two greens and had six putts to win the game. Shockingly, he used four of those as he missed a 7-legged and a 5-legged to win the Masters before eventually knocking a 3-legged down in the cup.

He said it was the first time all day he let his mind drift to the fact that he would return to the tournament for the rest of his life. It shows.

When he finally made the decisive putt of the tournament, Scheffler raised his fists and cheered on the sponsors who roared for him for four straight days and 72 holes.

But he didn’t cry.

Tears were shed that morning at the rental home that Schefflers was sharing with Sam Burns and his wife, Caroline. As Scheffler struggles to face the enormous task of fending off Smith, McIlroy and the rest of the world’s best playing field – at a course that has left even greater talents to ashes in the game. history of Sundays – he says his wife’s words are a balm.

Big Texans never seem too tall or too short on the golf course to even think of how the day might turn out.

That is the miracle of Augusta National. You think you have the key to it; then they add another padlock. It’s mystical. More than the sum of its parts represents that it will be.

Think of it this way: The world No. 1, who beat everyone he looked at for two months in a row, was terrified as he drove down Magnolia Lane on Sunday afternoon.

Fear of failure is a unique human condition. One could say it’s a feature, not a bug. We don’t want to disappoint those who believe in us. We don’t want the world to remember us for what we couldn’t do.

However, the fear of success is far more terrifying. When you’re scared of success, what you’re really afraid of is people looking at you with disbelief (“Wait, that boys? “) or the fact that your success does not satisfy your soul.

Scheffler seemed humble enough to handle the former, but his wife needed to advise him on the latter.

“My identity is not golf scores,” Scheffler said. “It’s like Meredith said to me this morning, ‘If you win this golf tournament today, if you lose this golf tournament 10 shots, if you never win another golf tournament again… I still will. love you, you will still be the same person Jesus loves you, and nothing will change.’ All I’m trying to do is glorify God and that’s why I’m here and there. is why I am in this position.

“Meredith has always prayed for peace because that’s what I want to feel on the golf course is peace and joy and just feeling his presence. So that’s her prayer every single day. That’s my prayer, and I really feel it today. I feel the Peace.”

The high school and college hotboy bills himself as one of the most serene players on the PGA Tour. At least on the golf course. His faith clearly affects his identity and prevents him from buying a lie that a golf tournament is a life-or-death event.

The questions remain, though. They will always talk – about our profession, our parenting, and our ability to function as humans.

Coincidentally, McIlroy’s words from last fall after he won the CJ Cup are relevant here. “I realized that just being me was enough,” he said after that win.

For Scheffler, “being me” is enough, with or without a blue jacket. Meredith reminded him on Sunday morning that life is bigger than the golf course. But when he smiled in amazement as afternoon turned to evening and the green coat slid around his torso, he also realized that Scottie Scheffler, golfer is more than enough. At least this week.

“I mean, it’s Augusta National,” Scheffler said. “It was great. It was fun to play. I can’t believe I could go back for the rest of my life and enjoy this golf course.”