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Marcus Hayes: Scottie Scheffler's empty mind earns him a second Masters title in three years

Marcus Hayes, The Philadelphia Inquirer on

Published in Golf

AUGUSTA, Ga. — Bryson DeChambeau came to the Masters with a brand-new set of irons that weren’t even deemed legal until 72 hours before he teed off.

Collin Morikawa switched putters for the week, then, after shooting 1-under in the first round, switched again.

Max Homa spent the week near the top of the leaderboard because, he said, he’s been journaling himself to sanity.

What’s been on Scottie Scheffler’s mind?

“Nothing. Nothing,” said Rory McIlroy.

McIlroy rode four worldwide wins in a stretch in 2022 and 2023 to a 16-week run with the world No. 1 ranking. Scheffler has held it for 52 of the last 61 weeks, including 48 in a row come Monday.

 

With a clear mind Sunday, Scheffler ran away from the Masters field with six birdies in his last 11 holes for a four-shot win over Masters rookie Ludvig Åberg. At 4-under, it was Scheffler’s 34th consecutive round of par or better, and he set a PGA Tour record with 28 under-par rounds last month.

“I feel like I’m in control of my emotions as I’ve ever been, which is a good place to be,” Scheffler said.

He’s simply playing on another level. After Åberg, the next three finishers, Homa, Morikawa, and Tommy Fleetwood, finished seven strokes behind, tied for third; they were a combined 12-under, and Scottie won at 11 under.

The throng on No. 18 erupted as golf’s king putted out as the shadows of the pines crept closer to the green. They knew that the last two hours had been a coronation, not a competition.

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