Scottie Scheffler, world number one 80 weeks ago, has conquered with authority his second Augusta Masters two years after winning for the first time. The 27-year-old American completed the final round at four under par and finished with a card of 277 (-11).
Second place at -7 went to 24-year-old Swede Ludvig Aberg, while third place was shared at -4 by Englishman Tommy Fleetwood and Americans Max Homa and Collin Morikawa.
Jon Rahm, winner in 2023 and who did not have a good tournament in this edition with a cumulative +9, was in charge of handing the green jacket to Scheffler. The Barrika native gave up the green jacket without competing for the trophy with the favorites and finished in 45th position, 20 strokes behind the winner.
The double champion at Augusta José María Olazábal also finished in 45th position with a cumulative +9 after reaching par on Sunday (72 strokes) with three birdies and three bogeys.
Scheffler completed the tournament with a final round of -4 with seven birdies and three bogeys.
His victorious campaign began on Thursday with a -6, on Friday he signed for par and on Saturday he was isolated in the lead after a -1.
“I did my best to stay calm out there. I tried to be patient on the course to hit some key shots,” said the winner.
The final day seemed to pose a close duel with Morikawa, but it was the Swede Aberg who showed his defiance by matching the leader on -6 after the seventh hole, in which the Swede made a birdie and the American a bogey.
Scheffler, however, strung together three birdies in a row (six in nine holes) to knock out Aberg.
Although his victory at Augusta National was unquestionable, the golfer had announced his intention to withdraw from the tournament if his first child was born, which did not happen.
“I’m coming home,” he said with a chuckle in a message dedicated to his wife, Meredith. “I’ll be home as soon as possible. I love you and I’m coming home,” he said.
“I can’t put into words what it means to win this tournament again and I really can’t put into words what it will be like to be a father for the first time,” said the also 2022 winner.
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Rahm’s bad experience
Augusta was especially hard for the 2023 champion, who gave up the green jacket without competing for the trophy with the favorites and finished in 45th position with a cumulative +9, 20 strokes behind Scheffler.
On Sunday, the Basque signed a card with +4 (76 strokes) after making birdies on holes 1, 3 and 7, but incurred in three bogeys and two double bogeys.
Rahm had started the tournament with a +1 on Thursday, made a +4 on Friday and a par on Saturday, with which he had practically said goodbye to his chances.
If the 2024 Augusta Masters was especially painful for anyone, it was for five-time champion Tiger Woods, who closed his worst 4-day, 72-hole tournament as a professional golfer with a +16, a total of 304 strokes.
Woods, who had started the day with a +11 (+1 on Thursday, par on Friday and +10 on Saturday) signed a +5 on Sunday with a birdie, two double bogeys and a triple bogey.
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