Arweave TX
If we weren't already there, we have reached a point with Scottie Scheffler where we can never count him out. After a double bogey on 10 in Round 3 Saturday, Scheffler answered with a 31 foot Eagle putt to bring him right back into the lead. This was as other plays like Morikawa, Homa and Aberg were making their moves towards the lead, yet he remained even keeled and focused, knowing where his opportunities were. He would close out the day in the lead by one stroke with a birdie on 18 after just bogeying the 17th as well. Scottie made it clear on Saturday, when he makes a mistake, he will bounce right back. These are moments we see in sports time and time again from greats, whether its Tom Brady, LeBron James, Rafael Nadal or Patrick Mahomes -- they take back momentum as soon as they lose it.
On Sunday, Scheffler did not get out to a great start as he was even par thru 7 holes but he flipped the switch right when necessary. Amen Corner is noted as one of the hardest tests at Augusta and we saw other leaders like Ludvig Aberg, Collin Morikawa and Max Homa make a mess of that stretch. On holes 10-12, these were the players results:
Scheffler: E
Aberg: +2
Homa: +1
Morikawa: +2
Scottie gained strokes on all of them and grabbed a secure lead when it was all said and done. It's like he mapped it out. Let them make the mistakes we have seen over the years on those holes, and just stay the course. Scheffler is a seasoned veteran at this point, he is an expert at getting out of trouble and executing when he needs to. He is on another level right now that no other golfer can compete with in these moments.
In not only his first Masters appearance but his first major appearance, Ludvig Aberg made sure everyone will know his name moving forward as the 24 year old Swede had a legitimate shot heading into the back 9 on Sunday. It was remarkable to watch him handle this opportunity with seemingly no stress, smiling after each hole for most of the tournament. You can tell this is a golfer who simply enjoys the game, appreciates the opportunity and has the skills to win anywhere.
What was surprising this week is that Ludvig actually putted better than he struck the ball this week, leading the entire field in strokes gained putting and ranking just 13th in his approach game. Ultimately, it was that approach game that did him in as he hit his approach shot on 11 into the water, forcing him to double bogey and fall from 1 stroke off the lead to 3. Nonetheless, he went on to birdie two more holes and finish in second for the tournament, an unbelievable achievement for the first timer. It's clear that he has the talent and the mind to win these tournaments and he will be a favorite in the foreseeable future.
LIV golfers did not fare as well this year as last year but Bryson was certainly a bright spot for the LIV side. He was locked in as anyone on Thursday with an opening round 65 and held the lead into the weekend until his putting performance started to drop. Regardless, Bryson had a great weekend of golf and exceeded expectations at Augusta, where he had not finished better than 29th before. More so, Bryson brings a bit excitement to the game that no other golfer can at the moment. He manufactured his own irons and wedges just weeks before the tournament, got them approved and then showed the world that it can be done another way. He is constantly progressing the game of golf and someone that is a very good ambassador for it. The only unfortunate thing is that we can only watch him 4 times a year, maybe less if he does not find a way to qualify every year.
If you tuned in over the weekend, you probably did not catch a lot of highlights from the second best golfer in the world (according to OGWR). That's because Rory struggled in every facet of the game outside driving. While his t22 is significantly better than last years missed cut, Rory has been clearly feeling the stress of his major title drought that has extended over a decade coming into this year. This couldn't be more evident than watching him hit the driving range at dusk after his round on Friday, where he finished with a 77 (+5). As anyone that has played golf can attest to, its a hard sport where as soon as you find something with the driver, you lose it with the putter. Then you find something with the putter, but lose something with your wedges. That seems to be where Rory is right now. His driver has almost always been there but the other major 3 phases of his game keep flipping. If you want to include the 5th major phase, Rory's mindset seems off. He carries a lot of pressure on his shoulders to not only complete his grand slam (win the Masters) but win a major.
He had a completely different game plan coming into Augusta this year, playing more rounds leading up to the tournament to get his game in good shape. That didn't work. He tried to even take on the week differently by skipping the Par 3 Contest. That didn't work. In my opinion, Rory needs a new person to talk to constantly about his game and we started seeing that recently as he reached out to the great Butch Harmon to work on some things. Butch is a legendary golf instructor who not only is great within the physical aspect of the game, but the mental aspect. Butch mentioned on the broadcast that the wedges have a little way to go until they are in good shape and Rory's data on his short game backs that up (he was ranked 45th in strokes gained, around the green). The next big switch that I think must come for Rory to take the next step forward is a new caddie. I believe he needs someone that pushes Rory to think differently and not just agree with him all the time. It's only a matter of time until Rory needs to make another major change in order to capture that 5th major.
