Scotty Scheffler is unstoppable and wins another Masters green jacket

AUGUSTA, Ga. (AP) – Scotty Scheffler spent more time looking at his feet than at any of the white leaderboards at Augusta National, all of which showed what everyone else was seeing – the Masters champion again, the undisputed best player in golf.

He prefers to stay in his own little world, one of the people.

No one is close to him in the game right now.

Scheffler is a world No. 1 that hasn't been seen since Tiger Woods was in his prime. He earned more than $15 million in nine tournaments this year. And on Sunday, he delivered the biggest proof yet when he donned the green jacket.

Scheffler took the lead around the turn with a flurry of shots, as his opponents melted away with errors and closed with a 4-under 68, pouring it down the back nine and finishing with a four-shot victory for his second Masters in three years.

“There were a lot of talented players trying to catch me, and I knew Parsi wasn't going to be able to do that,” Scheffler said.

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

Scheffler also made sure there was no drama.

Like Woods, he made the result seem inevitable with great control, the difference was a peach shirt, not Sunday red, and no fist pumps until it was over.

Scheffler after cuddling with caddies Ted Scott and Colleen Morikawa raised both hands and turned to the crowd. “WOOOOOO!” he shouted, pumping his fist.

Masters rookie Ludwig Aberg was among the four players who had the lead at one point, losing ground on the left-side pond of the 11th hole, and he made double bogey. Against a player like Scheffler, these mistakes are not easy to overcome.

Aberg closed with a 69 and finished second, not a bad debut for someone playing in his first major championship.

Morikawa, who had two double bogeys to fall out of the hunt, shot a 74 to tie for third with Tommy Fleetwood (69) and Max Homa (73), whose hopes ended with a double bogey from the bushes on the par-3 12th. Not Ray Creek.

“It's amazing how he can take things off his back and take really difficult golf shots and treat them like they are,” Homa said of Scheffler. “He's a great talent, but I think that's his greatest strength.”

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

Scheffler, 27, is the fourth-youngest player with two green jackets. He now has three wins in his last four starts against the strongest fields – Bay Hill, The Players Championship and The Masters. The other was second in Houston.

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

Even more ominously for the rest of golf, Scheffler has 10 wins worldwide dating back to his first PGA Tour title at the Phoenix Open two years and two months ago.

During that stretch, Scheffler finished in the top 10 at an astounding 65% of the time.

It was the fourth consecutive Masters when the winner arrived on the 18th green with one hand on the green. That's not to say Sunday was a walk in golf's greatest garden.

“I felt like I was struggling all week,” Scheffler said. “It's been a long week. I had to deal with several ups and downs. You know, I'm very happy to be sitting 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.

He went up and down with a 10-foot birdie putt on the par-5 eighth. He hit a perfect wedge that caught the ridge and Inched into No. 9, leaves him a flying bird. He then made another 10-foot birdie putt on the 10th to build a two-shot lead.

“I didn't hit a lot of good iron shots, which is unusual for me,” Scheffler said. “And going into No. 9, it was really nice to feel like I hit a really good shot, and then it made me a really good back nine.”

Then, as in Woods' best days, he let others put up big numbers.

On the next par, Aberg's approach to 11 hit the bank and into the water, resulting in a double bogey.

On the 11th, Homa made a difficult par, but he hit it long on the par-3 12th, the golf ball dropped deep into the bushes and left him with no choice but to take the penalty. His chip missed the green, and two putts later he made double bogey.

Morikawa started his slide by two-putting out of a deep bunker left off the ninth green for double bogey. He only shot into the water on the 11th and sealed his fate with a double bogey.

Only Aberg countered, and Scheffler responded with birdies. He hit the 13th green in two and two-putted for birdie. His Approaching the 14th He hit a ramp to the back and rolled from the pin to the leg.

His the last bird Came from inside 10 feet on the 16th.

Defending champion Jon Rahm, now at the Saudi-funded LIV Golf, finished with a 76, 20 shots behind Scheffler, tied for 45th. He was at Butler's cabin to help Scheffler put on his green jacket.

Rahm hasn't faced Scheffler all year and has witnessed what PGA Tour players struggle with every week. His green game is reminiscent of Woods, but not the emotion, worldwide appeal or number of wins.

Scheffler's emotions rose as he thought about the next prize.

“You're about to make me cry in Butler's Cabin,” Scheffler said when asked about the upcoming birth. “This is a special time for both of us. Winning this tournament again is indescribable. Words cannot describe what it's like to be a first-time father. I can't wait to go home and celebrate with Meredith.

“It's been a long week here without him, but I'm looking forward to going home.”

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AP Golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golf

Doug Ferguson, Associated Press