Once again, Scottie Scheffler had that killer instinct on Sunday at The Masters.
Like he did at The Players Championship one month ago, Scheffler relied on his exquisite ball-striking to triumph at Augusta National and thus further cemented himself as the top player in the sport.
Scheffler was a man on a mission, dissecting Augusta’s back nine en route to a second Green Jacket in three years. He had that same drive last month, when he became the first player to win The Players in back-to-back years.
He again looked like Tiger Woods in his prime on Sunday. Scheffler chased down another trophy with a disciplined yet flawless style of play while others around him caved under pressure.
“Anytime you can be compared to Tiger, I think, is really special, but the guy stands alone in our game,” Scheffler said after his victory at TPC Sawgrass. “He really does.”
His post-victory press conference at The Players was not the first time Scheffler received a comparison to Woods.
“I’m not going to remember the exact numbers,” Scheffler reminisced.
“But, we’re playing at Riviera this year, and I hit my tee ball, and this guy yells out, ‘Congrats on being number one, Scottie. Eleven more years to go.’”
The reference to “11 more years” relates to Scheffler’s ascendance to the top-ranked player in the world. He has held that esteemed position for 83 weeks thus far in his career, which equates to roughly 19 months.
Woods, meanwhile, was ranked number one in the world for 683 weeks, or about 13 years and one month.
So, in reality, Scheffler will need to hold the top-ranked spot for another decade at least. He still has a long way to go, as he pointed out after The Players.
But Scheffler checked another major off at Augusta.
The 2024 Masters marks Scheffler’s ninth win on tour and second major championship, thus diminishing the count against Woods to 73 and 13, respectively.
“I feel like I’m playing really good golf right now. I feel like I’m in control of my emotions as I’ve ever been, which is a good place to be,” Scheffler said after his win at The Masters.
“I think it’s hard to argue with the results of the last few weeks. I’ve been playing some nice golf. But I really try not to focus too much on the past. I’m going to go home this week, reflect on this week, and soak it in as best I can.”