World No. 1 Scheffler Reclaims Masters Green Jacket After 2 Years
World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler of the U.S. wore the Masters green jacket again after two years.
Scheffler made seven birdies and avoided three bogeys in the fourth round on the final day of the 88th Masters Tournament (total prize money of $20 million) held at Augusta National Golf Club (par 72) in Augusta, Georgia on the 15th (Korea time). She shot a 4-under 68 to win the final round with 11-under 277.
Scheffler, who wore a green jacket for the first time at the 2022 Masters, won his second career championship in two years, while his fourth-youngest age ever (27) after Jack Nicklaus, Tiger Woods of the U.S. and Seb Ballesteros of Spain (2 months and seven days) became the winner of his second win.
Scheffler, making his fifth appearance at the Masters, tied for 19th for the first time in 2020, tied for 18th in 2021 and wore a green jacket for the first time in 2022, earning him a lifetime berth. Last year, he was content to be tied for 10th but regained hegemony in two years and wore his second green jacket, setting a new record as the first player to win two out of five matches since World War II.
Tiger Woods, the "golf emperor" with five Masters wins, competed in the Masters as an amateur in 1995 and 1996, winning his first in 1997 and then his second in 2001, his seventh tournament.
Scheffler, who also won the Arnold Palmer Invitational and Players Championship this season, won the Masters with his third victory of the season and his ninth career PGA Tour trophy.
He is the third player to win the Players Championship and Masters at the same time in the same year, following Nicklaus and Woods.
Schaeffler, who entered the game on the last day as the lone lead by one-par difference, continued to take the lead throughout the game and approached the green jacket. Schaeffler, who had her first birdie on the day at Hole 3 (par 4) and Hole 7 (par 4), briefly tied for the lead by recording bogeys at Hole 4 (par 3) and Hole 7 (par 4), but garnered three consecutive birdies at Hole 9 (par 4) and 10 (par 4) to widen the gap with the second-ranked group. Schaeffler, who bogeyed again at Hole 11 (par 4) starting from the Amen Corner (11th to 13th), lagged behind Max Homa of the U.S., but Homa made a double bogey at Hole 13 (par 3). As she did so, she became the lead by three strokes again.
Scheffler, who was looking for room, booked the win by reducing one more shot at the 16th hole (par 3) after winning with consecutive birdies on the 13th (par 5) and 14th (par 4).
Scheffler, who took the lead by four strokes alone, maintained par on the 17th hole (par 4) and recorded par on the last 18th hole (par 4) to confirm his second career Masters victory.
Rookie Rudvik Aubrey of Sweden, who participated in the Masters for the first time, finished his debut successfully, ranking second with a 7-under 281 total. Colin Morikawa of the U.S., Tommy Fleetwood of England, and Max Homa of the U.S. tied for third with a 4-under 284 total.
Tiger Woods of the U.S., the "Golf Emperor" who finished tied for 22nd in the second round and succeeded in passing the cut for 24 consecutive times in the Masters, showed sluggish performance from the third round and finished the tournament last. Woods shot a 10-over-par 82 in the third round alone, and lost five more in the fourth round, recording a 16-over-par 204 overall, finishing the tournament in 60th place, the lowest.
Among Koreans, Ahn Byung-hoon tied for the highest ranking at 16th, but he was disappointed not to be in the top 12 to receive an automatic berth next year. Ahn was tied for 9th until the third round.
Kim Si-woo , who made seven consecutive cuts in the Masters, shot a five-over 293 to tie for 30th with Kim Joo-hyung (22).
The 89th Masters will be held at Augusta National Golf Club from April 10-13, 2025.