By a show of hands, how many of us had heard of the name Scottie Scheffler before, let’s say, the third round of the 2022 Masters? OK, what about the 2022 WGC Dell Technologies Match Play? Surely the 2022 WM Phoenix Open, right? Not many? Well in case you hadn’t, now’s your chance to catch up and get on board the bandwagon. The number one ranked golfer in the world, Scottie has arrived and he’s here to stay.
Who is Scottie Scheffler?
Long before he was named the 2019 Korn Ferry Tour Player of the Year, Scottie Scheffler’s golf career started to take shape as a junior golfer in Dallas, Texas. A dual-sport athlete at Highland Park High School in both golf and basketball (he is 6’3″ after all) and winner of the 2013 U.S. Junior Amateur, Scheffler parlayed his success into a scholarship to play for the prestigious University of Texas Men’s Golf Team, alma mater of such notable golfers as Jordan Spieth, Justin Leonard, Ben Crenshaw, Tom Kite, and the late legendary coach Harvey Penick. As a Longhorn, Scottie only continued to build on his burgeoning legacy by earning the Phil Mickelson Outstanding Freshman Award in 2015, as well as leading his team to three Big 12 Conference Championships before graduating in 2018 with a degree in Finance.
Going Pro
Shedding his amateur status, Scottie Scheffler played his way to the aforementioned Korn Ferry Tour Player of the Year which led directly to a fully exempt 2020 PGA Tour card. That season, he finished tied for fourth at the PGA Championship, shot a 12-under par 59 at the Northern Trust, and finished in the top five three times, en route to winning the 2019-20 Rookie of the Year. The 2021 Ryder Cup participant was only just getting started. Fast forward to 2022. In a 57 day span, Scottie Scheffler earned his first four PGA Tour victories, culminating in his first major championship with the 2022 Masters crown.
Just Getting Started…
If you asked those that knew him, Scottie Scheffler was bound for big things. He’s gifted athletically, he’s determined in his work ethic, and perhaps most importantly to Scottie, he’s grounded in his faith.
Along the way, though, Scottie garnered the attention of his peers. Per Sean Zak of Golf.com…
About four years ago at a Brooks Koepka cover shoot, his agent and I were talking about potential future stars of the game.
— Sean Zak (@Sean_Zak) April 10, 2022
His answer: “The one you really need to watch out for is Scottie Scheffler.”
Indeed!
Talk about high praise. By the way… you want to know Scheffler’s favorite course?
The PGA Championship starts in 38 days at… Southern Hills. ? pic.twitter.com/G58P7olXe2
— Golf Digest (@GolfDigest) April 12, 2022
2022 Masters Post-Mortem: News and Notes
Tiger Woods’ Return
Scottie Scheffler’s performance aside, there were a few other storylines worth noting this past weekend at Augusta National. Tiger’s utter grit and determination were on full display all weekend thanks to his 22nd consecutive cut made in Augusta. While we all would’ve loved to see Tiger in the thick of things on Saturday and Sunday, him playing competitive golf not 17 months removed from a car accident that could’ve claimed his leg was nothing short of remarkable to us weekend hackers. Painful as it looked to see the hitch in his giddy-up, eyes were glued to TVs and mobile devices (thank you Masters app) for four straight days.
The Weather Was the Story… Until Sunday
Heading into Masters week, anticipated conditions for the tournament looked like they were going to be a major storyline as it related to scoring. Rain moved through on Tuesday and Wednesday, cutting short practice rounds and the famous Par 3 Contest. These damp conditions, along with afternoon gusts and 40-degree temperatures on Saturday ensured that the leaderboard was not nearly as red as years past. Even with Sunday temperatures back in the 70s, the final leaderboard yielded only nine players under par for the tournament with only two more at even par. 41 players finished over par for the weekend. That’s not insignificant.
Double Sandy Sunday Finish
Rory McIlroy and Collin Morikawa played together Sunday for their final round. Both competitors had very good rounds going – McIlroy finished 8-under on Sunday/7-under for the tournament and Morikawa finished 5-under on Sunday/4-under for the tournament. But both men found the greenside bunkers on 18. What happened next? First, Rory was up…
What a way to finish. McIlroy holes out on No. 18 to put pressure on the leader. #themasters pic.twitter.com/L5fWWbR9cj
— The Masters (@TheMasters) April 10, 2022
Not to be outdone, next came Collin…
Collin Morikawa sees McIlroy’s chip in and answers with his own. #themasters pic.twitter.com/jGiEEdR1Gu
— The Masters (@TheMasters) April 10, 2022
The best part? While competitors, there was pure excitement from each when the other holed out.
OK, One More Thing About Scottie
So about that four-putt. A thing of perfection. Aside from Justin Thomas’ straight pull of his tee shot into Ray’s Creek on 13 on Friday (or the viral clip of him allegedly shanking a shot on the range on Sunday), I’ve never related to a pro golfer in a major more than Scottie on 18 on Sunday. Thoughts and prayers to the bettors.
Before becoming Masters Champion, the patrons on the 18th green gave Scottie Scheffler one final boost of encouragement. pic.twitter.com/IVRrT8etof
— GOLF on CBS ⛳ (@GOLFonCBS) April 10, 2022
Scottie, if only for a moment, was truly one of us.
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