Scheffler wins Green Jacket in another Masters-ful display

AUGUSTA, Georgia — Scottie Scheffler spent more time looking at his feet than any of the white leader-boards at Augusta National, all of them showing what everyone was watching — a Masters champion again, the undisputed best player in golf.

He prefers to stay in his own little world, population one.

Which reflects his position at the top of his sport, as nobody is close to him in the game at the moment.

Scheffler is No 1 in the world by a margin not seen since Tiger Woods in his prime. In nine tournaments this year, he doesn't have a round over par and has earned over $15 million. And, on Sunday, he delivered the greatest piece of evidence that the hype is deserved when he slipped into that green jacket.

Scheffler pulled ahead with magnificent shots around the turn, poured it on along the back nine as his challengers melted away with mistakes, and closed with a 4-under 68 to claim his second Masters in three years with a four-shot victory.

"I had a lot of really talented players trying to chase me down, and I knew pars weren't going to get it done," Scheffler said.

Unlike two years ago, when he won his first major, there were no doubts Sunday morning, no tears, and no wife to reassure him he was built for a moment like this. His wife, Meredith, was home in Dallas as the couple are expecting their first child at the end of the month.

Scheffler made sure there was no drama, either.

Much like Woods he made the outcome look inevitable with sublime control, the only difference being a peach shirt instead of Sunday red, and no fist pumps until it was over.

After sharing hugs with caddie Ted Scott and Collin Morikawa, Scheffler turned to face the crowd with both arms raised. "WOOOOOO!" he yelled, punching the air.

Masters newcomer Ludvig Aberg, among four players who had a share of the lead at one point, lost ground with his approach, went into the pond left of the 11th hole and he made double bogey. Against a player like Scheffler, those mistakes are not easy to overcome.

Aberg closed with a 69 and was the runner-up, not a bad debut for someone playing in his first major championship.

Morikawa, who fell out of the hunt on the back of two double bogeys, shot 74 and tied for third with Tommy Fleetwood (69) and Max Homa (73), whose hopes ended on the par-3 12th with a double bogey from the bushes, not Rae's Creek.

"He is pretty amazing at letting things roll off his back and stepping up to very difficult golf shots," Homa said about Scheffler. "He's obviously a tremendous talent, but I think that is his superpower."

Woods, meanwhile, closed with a 77 and finished in last place at 16-over 304, the highest 72-hole score of his career. This came two days after he set the Masters record for making his 24th consecutive cut.

The 27-year-old Scheffler is the fourth-youngest player to have two green jackets. He now has three victories against the strongest fields — Bay Hill, The Players Championship and the Masters — in his last four starts. The other was a runner-up finish in Houston.

Scheffler finished at 11-under 277 and earned $3.6 million from the $20 million purse.

Perhaps even more daunting for the rest of golf is that Scheffler now has 10 victories worldwide dating to his first PGA Tour title at the Phoenix Open just two years and two months ago. During that stretch, Scheffler has finished in the top 10 a staggering 65 percent of the time.

It was the fourth straight Masters when the winner came to the 18th green with one arm in the green jacket. That doesn't mean Sunday was a walk in golf's most gorgeous garden.

"I felt like I was battling the whole week," Scheffler said. "It was a long week. I had to battle some ups and downs. And, you know, I'm very fortunate to be sitting here with you."

Four players had a share of the lead at various points along the front nine, and then Scheffler began to assert himself with three straight birdies around the turn.

Agencies via Xinhua