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Masters 2024: Reduced-scale clubhouse trophy and green jacket to Scottie Scheffler

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3 months ago

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In the world of golf, there is Scotty and there is Scottie. Scotty Cameron gave the world of golf a nickname for a prestigious putter line, and Scottie Scheffler has now given the golf world a blueprint for how to negotiate one of the toughest tournaments to win. Sunday, Scheffler won the Masters tournament for the second time in three years. He separated from the field around the turn, making a trio of birdies at holes eight through 10. On the long walk home, he added three more birdie at 13, 14, and 16, to secure a four-shot win over Masters and major-championship rookie Ludvig Åberg.

As the final group moved along the ninth hole, a quadrilateral stood at 7 under par, tied for the lead. Scheffler, playing partner Collin Morikawa, and penultimate pairing Max Homa and Åberg advanced equally toward Amen Corner, with the resolution of the competition well in doubt. Morikawa flinched first, getting too greedy (his words) at nine and 11. Double bogey at each dropped him farther back than he wished, and he ultimately made a 10-foot putt for bogey at the last, to tie for third position.

Ludvig Åberg made the next mistake. Whether he knew the Ben Hogan story about the approach into 11 or not, he bit off way more than he should have. His approach was never hopeful, and ended short and right in White Dogwood’s pond. Åberg finished the hole in six shots. To his credit, he played the remaining seven holes in two-under figures. Finally, Max Homa was the victim of the finicky winds over Golden Bell, the short, par-3 12th hole. His disbelief was evident, as his tee shot flew everything and landed in azaleas behind the putting surface. After two pitch shots and two putts, Homa also had a double bogey, losing shots that he could not surrender.

Why? At the ninth hole, Scottie Scheffler hit one of the finest approach shots of all time, into the final green of the first nine. Scheffler had six inches for birdie and he converted. At the 10th, he lasered another approach shot into a tricky hole location, then made another fine putt for birdie. Within the space of 30 minutes, Scheffler had seized complete control of the tournament, but Amen Corner still lurked.

At the 11th, Scheffler played safely right with his approach. His chip shot was a wee bit too brave and left him a seven-foot comeback putt for par. He missed on the right side and gave one shot back to the course and field. His tee ball on 12 was safely aboard, and he took two putts for par. On 13, the 2022 champion drove slightly through the fairway, then reached the green, with his first two shots. His seventy-foot-plus putt for eagle eased up, four feet past the hole. His second putt went down, and he was back in the birdie zone. As on nine, his approach to 14 green finished brilliantly within six inches. His final birdie came at the 16th, where he negotiated a nine-foot putt for a deuce.

Scheffler reached 11 under par and stood four shots clear of Ludvig Åberg when he reached the 18th tee. His drive found the lower fairway bunker on the left, and his approach settled in a vale, short and right of the green. With dexterous hands, Scheffler pitched to three feet and made the putt for par. With a big smile, he embraced caddie Ted Scott, who won for the fourth time at Augusta National, and the second with Scheffler. Ludvig Åberg finished alone in second spot, four back of the winner. Not a bad performance for the first-time major championship participant Åberg, and not a bad finish for the world No. 1 and second-time Masters champion, Scottie Scheffler.

 

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Ronald Montesano writes for GolfWRX.com from western New York. He dabbles in coaching golf and teaching Spanish, in addition to scribbling columns on all aspects of golf, from apparel to architecture, from equipment to travel. Follow Ronald on Twitter at @buffalogolfer.

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Tour Photo Galleries

Photos from the 2024 Barracuda Championship

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20 hours ago

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Jul 17, 2024

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GolfWRX is on site this week for the PGA Tour’s only Modified Stableford event, the Barracuda Championship.

We have plenty of galleries from Truckee, California, assembled for your viewing pleasure, so let’s get to it.

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Tour Rundown: Furious finish from Furue | Mighty Mac wins for country

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3 days ago

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Jul 15, 2024

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The second week of July brought two major championships to the professional tours. The LPGA held its Evian Championship at Evian-Les-Bains, while the PGA Tour Champions celebrated the Kaulig at Firestone. The DP World Tour and the PGA Tour collaborated on the Scottish Open, while another PGA Tour event took place in Kentucky. Finally, the Korn Ferry Tour held The Ascendant at TPC Colorado.

To say that the drama was real is an understatement. Eagles and birdies won two tournaments on the final hole, and one event finished with a five-golfer playoff that lasted three holes and 36 shots. The one competition that concluded with a four-shot win was tame by comparison. It’s mid-season and it’s total tour golf. Time for another Tour Rundown.

LPGA @ Evian Championship: Furious Finish from Furue

Ayaka Furue made a run at the past two US Open championships, finishing T6 at both tournaments. She made an even bigger run at the fourth LPGA major championship of 2024, the Evian. Furue held the lead after two rounds, only to find herself one behind Stephanie Kyriacou through the end of day three. The top pair did mighty battle on day four, with Kyriacou closing with 67 to reach 18 under par. Her finish included three birdies over the final four holes, marred only by a bogey at the penultimate green.

Unfortunately for Kyriacou, Furue made a trio of birdies of her own down the stretch, made a par at 17, then closed with a thunderous eagle at the last, to win the title by one slim stroke. The win was Furue’s second on the LPGA circuit, coming nearly two years after her inaugural win, at the 2022 Scottish Open. For Kyriacou, the Evian was a painful step closer to her first LPGA win. The solo second represents her first top-five finish on the tour.

DP World Tour/PGA Tour @ Scottish Open: Mighty Mac wins Scottish for country

Adam Scott appeared to have his hands around a comeback victory at the Rennaissance Club in North Berwick, Scotland. The Australian held the lead in the closing moments, but Robert MacIntyre came from nearly nowhere, to bring victory to his countrymen.

Scott teed off in the penultimate pairing, with American Collin Morikawa, and posted 67 to reach 17 under par. The final duo contained MacIntyre, who electrified the assemblage with a 16th-hole eagle, surging into a tie with Scott. On the 18th hole, the same one that Rory McIlroy birdied last year for victory, MacIntyre ripped driver into the right rough, then ripped his approach to 22 feet. With nothing but homeland glory on the line, the lefty dropped his putt for three and a one-shot win over Scott. In the space of two months, MacIntyre has climbed from the ranks of decent tour players to proven winners. He certainly emerges as one of the favorites for this week’s Open Championship at Royal Troon.

Korn Ferry Tour @ The Ascendant: Del Solar is no longer “just” Mr. 57

Cristobal Del Solar is a mighty talent from the world’s thinnest country. The Chilean was known best for his four PGA Tour Americas titles, and the 57 that he shot in February of 2024, at the Colombian stop on the Korn Ferry Tour. After a 22-under-par performance at TPC Colorado this week, Del Solar now adds another line to his Wikipedia entry: tour champion. Del Solar outpaced runners-up Brian Campbell and Matthew Riedel by four shots, to win for the first time on the KFT.

Del Solar had just four bogeys on the week in the elite air of the Rocky Mountains. He nearly matched that number with eagles, including two on the closing day. The champion reached the 646-yard fifth in two mighty strokes, then holed a 33-foot putt for the rare bird. He followed that master sequence with another, at the 585-yard 15th. Despite the watery beckons on the right, Del Solar again reached the putting surface in two, then sent a 40-foot effort to the bottom of the tin. He added birdies at 16 and 18, turning a compelling finish into a runaway victory.

PGA Tour Champions @ Kaulig: With no Bert in sight, Ernie takes care of business

Since he turned 50 in 2020, Theodore Ernie Els had finished inside the top ten in 12 senior major events. Until Sunday the 14th of July, he had not hoisted a single, senior major trophy. That all ended when he outlasted a field at the Kaulig (nee Senior Players) Championship at Firestone. Els was pitted in a duel with perennial finisher Steve Stricker, until the Wisconsin stalwart went bogey-triple at the 14th and 15th holes on day four. The path to the top was cleared a bit for Els, but then Y.E. Yang arrived on the scene. The 2009 PGA Champion reached 10-under on the week at the 69th hole, but bogeyed number 72 to finish at nine deep.

Els appeared to not want the title that much when he made bogey at the par-five 16th hole, falling to minus ten. He dug deep himself, however, and managed a pair of pars to hold off Yang by one shot. Jerry Kelly finished third on minus-seven, while Stricker and K.J. Choi finished T4 at six under par.

PGA Tour @ ISCO: Hall (no Oates) emerges from crowd with win

No true fan of golf considers the Open Championship to be THE event of July. It’s tournaments like the ISCO, where the grinders and journeymen find salvation, security, glory, and truth, that define the essence of professional sport. Once again on Sunday, the fairway fighters of men’s professional golf took to the corridors of Keene Trace to find the magic that extends careers, defines them, and encourages their inauguration.

Harry Hall is a 26-year-old competitor from England. Before he could consider the football match between his home country and Spain, the UNLV alumnus had other business to sort. Hall found himself in second place after 54 holes, one shot out of the lead. Trouble was, a number of other, hungry golfers also posed a challenge. Among them were leader Pierceson Coody, golfer-turned-architect-turned-golfer Zac Blair, Rico Hoey, and Matt NeSmith. Four golfers would reach 20-under par, but that labor would earn them but a four-way tie for sixth.

The aforementioned quintet, with Sunday numbers like 69, 64, 64, 69, and 70, would meet at the crossroads of 22-under and tied for first. Hoey and NeSmith each made bogey at the last, to fall to that status, while Coody and Blair made closing birdies to rise up. Only Hall made par at the final, regulation green. Three holes later, he would also stand alone. Bogeys at the 18th in overtime meant a farewell cap tip for Hoey and Blair. After the surviving triumvirate again made pars during round two at the watery closer, the playoff shifted to the par-three ninth. Both Coody and NeSmith missed the green left, then pitched within ten feet for par. They never had a chance to hit their putts.

With all the improbability that a 45-feet chip brings, Hall found landing spot, line, and pace, then merged the three for the perfect stroke. He drained the recovery shot for a deuce and a first PGA Tour victory. On to Royal Troon!

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Robert MacIntyre’s winning WITB: 2024 Genesis Scottish Open

Published

4 days ago

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Jul 14, 2024

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Driver: Titleist TSR2 (9 degrees, D4 SureFit setting) Buy here.
Shaft: Graphite Design Tour AD DI 7 X

3-wood: Titleist GT3 (15 degrees) Buy here.
Shaft: Graphite Design Tour AD DI 8 X

Hybrid: TaylorMade Stealth 2 Rescue (19 degrees) Buy here.
Shaft: Graphite Design Tour AD DI 105 X

Irons: Titleist 620 CB (4-9) Buy here.
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue X100

Wedges: Titleist Vokey Design SM10 (46-10F) Buy here, SM9 (50-08F, 56-10S) Buy here, WedgeWorks (60-08K) Buy here.
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold X100 Onyx (46, 50), Dynamic Gold S400 Onyx (56, 60)

Putter: TaylorMade Spider Tour Buy here.
Grip: SuperStroke Zenergy Pistol

Ball: Titleist Pro V1 Buy here.

Grips: Golf Pride Z-Grip Cord (woods, wedges), Grip Master (irons)

Check out more in-hand photos of Robert MacIntyre’s clubs here.

The winning WITB is presented by 2nd Swing Golf. 2nd Swing has more than 100,000 new and pre-swung golf clubs available in six store locations and online. Check them out here.

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