April 14 (UPI) — Scottie Scheffler smoothly swept his iron blade off the Bermuda grass, routinely landing shots close to the pin and setting up a brilliant final-round run Sunday to win his second major at the 2024 Masters Tournament.
“I did my best to stay calm out there,” Scheffler said on the CBS broadcast. “I tried to stay patient on the course and was able to make some key shots and key putts.”
The world’s top-ranked golfer and tournament favorite entered the day with a 1-stroke lead on the field. He carded seven birdies en route to a 4-under 68 over his final 18 holes.
Scheffler, who also won the 2022 Masters, was 11-under in 2024, four strokes better than second-place Ludvig Aberg.
Collin Morikawa, Tommy Fleetwood and Max Homa tied for third at 4-under.
“I think there are a lot of things we did very well this week, especially today,” Aberg said. “I came out and I was very nervous. … But it was a privilege to be able to hit all of these shots and to be in this position.”
Scheffler held his edge until he carded bogies on Nos. 4 and 7. He then dropped into a tie several times with Morikawa, Aberg and Homa before his foes faltered and he heated up.
Scheffler took a two-stroke lead on Morikawa and Homa with a birdie on No. 3. His bogey on No. 4 dropped his lead back to one. His bogey on No. 7, his second of the day, dropped him into a three-way tie with Morikawa and Aberg atop the leaderboard at 6-under.
Morikawa and Scheffler each holed birdie putts on No. 8 to jump ahead of Homa and Aberg.
Scheffler then hit one of the best shots of the day after his drive on No. 9. He pulled out an iron for that 89-yard shot and proceeded to drop the attempt just 6 inches from the hole, nearly carding an eagle.
He made the proceeding putt for birdie, taking over as sole leader for the remainder of the tournament. Morikawa made a double bogey on the same hole, and dropping out of contention.
Scheffler, who claimed a $3.6 million first-place prize, made his third-consecutive birdie on No. 10. He also birdied Nos. 13, 14 and 16 to cement his victory.
Morikawa, the only player to card under-par rounds through the first three days, was 2-over in the final round. He was 1-under through his first eight holes, before making double bogies on Nos. 9 and 11. He was 3-over par on his final 10 holes.
“I got greedy,” Morikawa said. “When you are playing really good, you don’t get greedy. Greed can get the best of us. I’m going to take a lot from this week.”
Defending champion Jon Rahm was 4-over Sunday and finished 9-over for the tournament, tying for 45th. Tiger Woods finished 60th at 16-over.
The PGA Tour season will continue with next week’s RBC Heritage. That event will be held from Thursday through April 21 in Hilton Head, South Carolina.
The PGA Championship is the next major on the schedule. That will be held from May 16 to 19 in Louisville, Kentucky.
