Scottie Scheffler wins the Masters! The red-hot world No. 1 pulls away from Ludvig Aberg and Collin Morikawa to earn his second green jacket in three years at Augusta National
Scottie Scheffler lived up to his pre-tournament favorite status to achieve Masters glory.
At a sunny Augusta National, the fiery world number one won the green jacket for the second time in three years, cementing his place at the top of the sport.
The unflappable Scheffler started with a one-shot lead and, despite a few early bogeys, made a series of stunning birdies to reach the finish line at 11 under.
The devout Christian faced an incredible challenge from Swedish sensation Ludvig Aberg – with the 24-year-old entering his first major tournament less than a year after turning professional and finishing four shots behind.
Scheffler’s clinical victory further reinforces the belief that we are in the era of the ice-cold 27-year-old who could well dominate for years to come.
Elsewhere, Tommy Fleetwood led the British field with four under. Although never seriously in contention, the Ryder Cup star was a mainstay on the leaderboard and shot a fine bogey-free 69 to comfortably secure a tie for third place, his best Masters result .
Earlier, Tiger Woods – who broke the record after making 24 cuts – worked his way up to 16 after returning from surgery.
Rory McIlroy also struggled, his Masters curse continuing after finishing with a hugely disappointing four. “I’m going to keep coming back until it’s my year.” says the Northern Irish philosopher.
THIS IS A DEVELOPING STORY. MORE SOON.
American golfer and world number one Scottie Scheffler won the Masters for the second time in three years.
Scheffler was tied for the lead through 36 holes and held the sole 54-hole lead heading into Sunday’s final round.
All of this happened before Sunday – with Scheffler leading by one shot over Collin Morikawa.
The American finished strongly – making seven birdies to finish the tournament at 11 under par and four shots ahead.
Scheffler crosses the Nelson Bridge on the 13th hole during the final round of the Masters
Scheffler lines up a putt on the 17th green during the final round of the Masters
It’s Scheffler’s third victory of the season, after winning two tournaments in Florida.
Behind Scheffler was Ludvig Aberg, who performed well in his very first major tournament.
The 24-year-old finished second in his first ever Masters, scoring seven under.
The Swede showed that he had his place at Augusta by making five birdies and a double bogey.
Aberg hits his approach shot on the 13th hole during the final round of the Masters
Aberg reacts after missing a putt for Eagle on the 13th hole during the final round
Behind Aberg, there was a three-way tie for third place at four under – starting with Collin Morikawa.
Morikawa entered Sunday at six under, just one shot shy of Scheffler’s mark at seven under.
But any chance of improving his score (birdies at 8, 13, 15) was hampered (double bogeys at 9, 11)
Morikawa reacts to a missed birdie opportunity on hole 7. He would finish with a par.
American Max Homa completed a unique round to also finish tied for third at four under par
Homa had a strong top-nine performance, finishing the first leg at one under par.
But Homa went over the green into the bushes at No. 12, resulting in a double bogey.
This double-bogey on the 12th hole was his biggest mistake and he didn’t win a stroke after that.
The last member to tie for third place was Tommy Fleetwood, who performed well on Sunday.
Fleetwood made 15 pars and three birdies to finish flawless for the final round
Fleetwood lines up a putt on the eighth green during the final round of the Masters
Sunday also saw the end of Tiger Woods’ worst 72-hole performance ever at Augusta.
After carding an 82 on Saturday, Woods carded a 77 on Sunday for a 16-over throughout the week.
Woods waved to fans on the 18th green as the 48-year-old Florida native walked away
Defending champion Jon Rahm looked like a shell of himself compared to the year before
Rahm struggled throughout the tournament, finishing the tournament at nine over par.
His final round mirrored his performance in the second round – shooting at four on both times
