I really wish I had put money down on my Masters prediction because it would’ve generated a lot more than just pride in knowing I was correct. Scottie Scheffler, one of my favorite golfers, did it on the 18th hole, a 40-foot shot and a 5-shot lead before the last shot to solidify his eventual win in Augusta.
In the first round of the Masters Tournament, Scheffler of America shot 69 and was in third place at the end of the round. This set the tone for the rest of the week, and Scheffler maintained his early success with ease, building off it with each tee. He won the second round 5-under par with seven birdies, saving him from the two bogeys he incurred. Although the last two rounds saw more bogeys, with even a double bogey on the final hole, Scheffler was still collected in his approach and was the clear winner of the tournament. In addition to a green jacket and first major championship win, Scheffler also took home $2.7 million as he continues to solidify his spot at No. 1 in the world amongst official rankings.
Still, Rory McIllroy was on Scheffler’s heels for the last two rounds. The Northern Ireland golfer had a tough start to the weekend and finished just barely in the top-20 golfers of the second round after coming in 37th after the first 18 holes. He did redeem himself in the later part of the tournament, with a huge fourth place spot in the third and then winning the final round 8-under 64. This was actually one of the lowest scores during the final round in Masters history. However, the time that it took for him to get comfortable on the course was what cost him. Not even the round four victory and an eagle in the round could catch him up to Scheffler’s strong lead.
While he didn’t reach the golfers at the top of the list on Sunday afternoon, Tiger Woods still had an incredible performance in his comeback to the sport after being off the green for about a year and a half. The American golfer finished 6-over 78 and No. 47 on the weekend but did so with incredible grace. He had more bogeys than birdies, but Woods still showed up and made his presence known. Tiger Woods is officially walking again and back playing golf, which is all that he and fans were looking for. Woods came and he competed well and signaled that he will be back on the course soon. How soon is still to be determined but he said that he plans on being in the field for the Open Championship in Scotland this upcoming July. Walking Augusta National is a huge part of what makes a golfer successful when approaching the green as the massive course takes a huge toll on performance. Woods, no matter his history of greatness, was not exempt from that and felt it even more throughout the tournament as his limp got worse.
Up next on the PGA Tour schedule is the 2022 RBC Heritage at Harbour Town Golf Links on Hilton Head Island in South Carolina. The tournament will start on Thursday, April 14 and American golfer Justin Thomas is favored to win again, just as he was the predicted champion of the Masters, per Golf Digest. Thomas finished the Masters in a tie for eighth place, only shooting 1-under par by the end of the tournament. He shot 287 on the weekend and took home $450,000. He had a tough first round, especially with several bogeys but couldn’t seem to completely shake them off and played with a chip on his shoulder for the other three rounds. Birdies were sprinkled in, and he came out in the top 10 which is a notable accomplishment, but I still wouldn’t slate him as the RBC Heritage winner. If I had to guess, I would say that American golfer Collin Morikawa has the best chance of winning. The No. 2 golfer finished fifth in the Masters and he looked good, good enough to beat out Spanish golfer Jon Rahm of the No. 2 spot. He had a few too many bogeys, 13 to be exact, and only had two more birdies. However, he shares a driving accuracy of 76.8% with Scottie Scheffler and is someone else who is playing some respectable golf right now but isn’t getting a lot of notice—as was Scheffler not too long ago.
Scheffler, who has now had four wins in his past six events, will not be at RBC Heritage looking for another victory. Notable golfers, along with Morikawa, will be Cameron Smith, Justin Thomas, Dustin Johnson, Jordan Spieth and Jason Kokrak, to name just a few.
The action starts on Thursday and can be viewed on the Golf Channel at 3 p.m.
