– There were those who said (or thought): if Scottie Scheffler putts well at Augusta he will win the Masters very comfortably; if he putts regularly, he will win it with difficulties; and if he putts badly he will still manage to fight for the victory until the end.
Well, the fact is that the Texan putted well… And he took the Masters with undeniable authority.
But what is truly grand is that Scheffler has managed to putt for birdie at this Masters on 36 occasions from distances that did not exceed 25 feet (6.5 meters). That is, on one out of every two holes. And that, in a tournament marked by difficulties of all kinds, especially due to the wind, as evidenced by the fact that only eight players finished with a cumulative under par.
In the first round he putted from distances not exceeding those 25 feet on holes 2, 3, 6, 9, 10, 13, 14, 15, 16 and 17.
In the second he did so on holes 1, 2, 3, 8, 10 and 15.
In the third he did so on holes 2, 5, 6, 8, 9, 13, 14, 15 and 18.
And in the fourth and decisive round on holes 3, 5, 6, 8, 9, 10, 13, 14, 15, 16 and 17. A real Martian feat.
There will be those who are even more impressed by this other fact, and it is reasonable: on 19 of the 72 holes Scottie putted for birdie from distances less than three meters away, or in other words, on one out of every four holes. And it must be stressed: on a course like Augusta National, with those moving greens, and in sometimes terrifying conditions.
Collin Morikawa said yesterday, a partner of the Texan in the stellar match on Sunday: “what he does with his irons is an impressive madness because he hits every shot and moves the ball in both directions. It’s something I admire, I wish I could take my game to that level”. And it is said by who says it, a player considered by many to be the best hitter of medium and long irons in the world.
– There continues Tommy Fleetwood, making his way. Yesterday he finished in third position, but it is the third consecutive Major in which he finishes in the top ten (he was tenth in the Open 2023 and fifth in the US Open 2023). He has not yet won on the PGA Tour and obviously has not yet won a Major, but we should start thinking about making a place for him among the permanent favourites.
– The X-Files of the year 2024 so far has to do with the moment of Viktor Hovland. Winner of the Fedex Cup in 2023, protagonist in the Ryder with a great display of game and personality, second place in the Final of Dubai of the European circuit… And it was entering 2024 and his star went out. He does not appear. He has been passing all the cuts, it is true, but in this Masters of survival he was left out of the weekend. He is more than downcast, he has lost freshness and the smile… And this week, in addition, he has withdrawn from the RBC Heritage, next Signature Event of the PGA Tour. Strange, very strange.
– Speaking of the RBC Heritage: this week, in Harbout Town, 51 of the 89 participants in the Masters repeat. Including Scheffler (will this guy really be able to give himself a chance of victory?) and Aberg.
– We stay with the young Swede to highlight a small detail: there is no one who spends less time than Aberg over the ball. Not even Snedeker, although they are close. Not even half a second passes and he is already lifting the club. Just watching him is dizzying, but deep down we all intuit that it is probably the best way to play golf…
– And no, the greens of the Augusta National were not as firm on Sunday, compared to Saturday. Nor probably as fast. There are already theories about it and one certainty: we will never know the real data. Whatever it is, once again, they hit the right key.
– Perhaps it is not an X-File like Hovland’s, but it is striking that a large group of excellent PGA Tour players have agreed on a low peak of form, or at least nothing brilliant: Cantlay, Thomas, Spieth, Fowler, even Finau, despite his second place in Houston… In this group could also be included McIlroy and, until this very week, Morikawa, who at least has already got into the stellar match on Sunday in a Major (hey, it’s not a small thing).
– Matthieu Pavon became yesterday the best Frenchman in the history of the Masters with his twelfth final place, taking the honour from Thomas Levet, thirteenth in 2005. The French player was playing his first Masters, by the way. Attitude, above experience.
