Jordan Spieth calls Scottie Scheffler ‘best ball striker since Tiger Woods’… as he hails Masters favorite and slams ‘haters’, making a big deal about his putting struggles

Jordan Spieth has described Scottie Scheffler as the best ball striker since Tiger Woods and dismissed the “haters” who suggest the world number 1 offers hope for this week’s Masters chasing pack.

Even if just one of those sentiments seems unshakeable, there is no doubt that Scheffler arrives at Augusta as an in-form player and a heavy favorite to claim a second green jacket.

The sense of trepidation among Scheffler’s rivals has understandably been heightened by the marked improvements recently made at his smaller club, which has seen him enjoy a run of two wins and a tie for second place in his last three tenures.

It used to be a surprising anomaly that a golfer with the best tee-to-green stats since Woods was also among the worst with the putter, but the discrepancy has apparently been resolved by his switch to a mallet putter.

Spieth, the winner here nine years ago, has a closer view than most of the 2022 champions because they live a short distance from each other in Dallas and train together regularly. He has also heard the debate around his position and wonders if the ambient debate over this shortcoming has put additional pressure on Scheffler.

Woods was on the Augusta course early Monday morning before the Masters

Woods won the green jacket for the fifth time in 2019 and is back this week

Spieth told Mail Sport: “We all have ceilings and I believe his ball-striking ceiling is higher than we’ve seen since Tiger. But at the same time, this does not mean that you are capable of being the best at everything.

“He showed he could putt really well some weeks and then he was getting harassed for it other weeks.” But if you hit that many greens, it’s almost impossible to be a top 10 or 15 putter statistically, so I think he’s hated way more than he should be.

“It becomes more of a mental challenge for him to cut through the noise and stick with it.” But he’s in a great place. He has a good head on his shoulders.

“I play a lot of golf with him – he lives two miles from me. I’ve seen him make a lot of putts at home and I’ve seen him miss some greens at home. Golf is like That.

“But he is the number one player in the world and that is a true reflection. There is nothing to hide in recent years.

Scheffler’s match with defending champion Jon Rahm will be compelling if both men are in the know. For Spieth, ambient expectations are more modest around the three-time major winner after two cuts in his last three starts and no victory at the PGA Tour level since 2022.

Spieth praised his friend Scheffler, who is the heavy favorite to win this year.

Scheffler won the green jacket in 2022 and donned it again on Sunday during preparation

The American admitted his recent involvement in golf’s political battle has had a draining impact on his game and personal life.

After taking Rory McIlroy’s vacant spot on the PGA Tour board last year, and with it a key role in merger negotiations with LIV’s Saudi backers, he said: “I would just say that it took me some time where I wanted to spend other time.

“But I viewed it as a pivotal moment in the history of professional golf on the PGA Tour and if my peers feel like I can help shape this in the right direction, then I will look back one day and I’ll be glad I did.

“It takes time away from my family and my golf. So we have two (children) under three and no one else (on the policy council), so that combination leaves me in some places where I’m not doing exactly what I want to do sometimes. It’s something I believe is necessary right now, but I’m also excited to get to where the finish line is and get back to what I love doing.