Shortly before world No 1 Scottie Scheffler teed off in the final round of his seventh Masters, his mother Diane leant over the white railings fencing off the restricted area outside Augusta National’s iconic clubhouse.
Diane was not trying to get a glimpse of the neighboring first tee box past the throngs of bustling Augusta patrons to check if her son was in position. No, she was passing Azalea cocktails – the Masters’ signature pink beverages – to members of the Scheffler family beyond the ropes.
In the Scheffler household, those on-course beverages likely change to bottles of champagne once the golfer has wrapped up a tournament. More often than not, they have cause to celebrate.
And on Sunday, even though he started the day four shots back of Rory McIlroy and Cameron Young’s overnight lead, there was belief that the American could still be the one slipping into the green jacket.
That’s because wherever he goes a sense of inevitability follows Scheffler, especially around these parts.
On Sunday, it took until the 15th for that sense to sink in. Despite two early birdies on the first and third, Scheffler was steady but far from explosive. At first, it appeared the customary charge just wasn’t to be. But, as McIlroy knows all too well, Scheffler is never one to count out.
Golf’s world No 1 Scottie Scheffler finished second at the Masters on Sunday
The American shot a four-under 68 in the final round to finish at 11-under for the tournament
The two-time Masters winner had pushed his tee shot on the par-five 15th into the pine straw weaving through the trees to the right of the fairway.
He lined up his escape, finding a narrow window through the towering trunks. However, his ball clipped an overhanging branch, which sent it pinballing back through the trees.
The recovery was spectacular. Firing his third to within 28 feet of the pin, Scheffler rolled in the subsequent putt for birdie.
The galleries framing the 15th green and 16th tee, brimming with sunsoaked patrons, erupted. He couldn’t. Could he? They certainly believed so.
That was the turning point. The moment the belief shifted. The air, suddenly charged with a ripple of excitement, carried murmurs of anticipation. Anticipation that only heightened at the next when he rolled in another birdie putt at the par-three 16th. At 11-under, Scheffler had suddenly slashed McIlroy’s lead to two shots.
Scheffler shot 133 over the weekend. In doing so, he became the first player going back to 1942 to have a bogey-free final two rounds at the Masters. But ultimately, the charge came a little too late.
His first two rounds of two-under 70 and two-over 72 had left him too far off the pace and with just too much work to do to close the gap to McIlroy on Sunday.
Instead, it was the Northern Irishman who triumphed at Augusta National once again. Liberated from his ghosts of Masters past last year, McIlroy became the first player since Tiger Woods in 2002 to win back-to-back at the Masters.
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Scheffler couldn’t quite chase down Rory McIlroy who won his second consecutive Masters
Scheffler and his wife Meredith (right) welcomed their second son just 16 days ago
Birthday boy Russell Henley also fell short in his pursuit of the green jacket on Sunday
Scheffler became a father-of-two just 16 days ago when he and wife Meredith welcomed their second son, Remy. The last time Meredith gave birth on the eve of a major championship, he was arrested while trying to enter Valhalla ahead of the second round of the US PGA.
A second-place finish at the Masters may sting, but it’s still preferable to jail.
Elsewhere around Augusta, several American rallies flatlined. Russell Henley and Collin Morikawa both launched charges up the leaderboard.
A green jacket would have been the perfect present for birthday boy Henley. But the Georgia native, who turned 37 on Sunday, could not close out the fairytale ending. After shooting a six-under 66 on Saturday, Henley mustered a four-under 68 Sunday to finish in a tie for third alongside Tyrrell Hatton, Justin Rose and Cameron Young.
Before coming to Augusta, Morikawa hadn’t played since March 12 when he injured his back after only one hole of the Players Championship. He admitted earlier this week that he had ‘never felt this nervous’ in his life, revealing that he was still ‘battling’ the injury and was struggling to even walk.
Yet, that didn’t hinder him on the back nine where he rattled off five consecutive birdies to claw his way to nine-under alongside Sam Burns, who despite a promising start to the tournament, faded throughout the final day.
