Scottie Scheffler has left nobody in doubt he is the world’s top performing player following his excellent triumph at the Masters.
When he was picked for the Ryder Cup last year, people didn’t really know if he was justified for it.
Four wins before April is unbelievable though, and now he’s topped it off by claiming the Green Jacket. He’s thoroughly deserving of his number one ranking.
He and Cameron Smith have now won six events between them in recent weeks. There have been some big ones as well, such as the Players Championship, the Tour Championship, the Arnold Palmer Invitational and now, of course, the Masters.
Cameron was pushing him all the way, but it was just a shame he produced a six at the 12th on Sunday.
He had just birdied at 11 and it looked like game on.
You see it on that hole so many times, though. It just deflated him, and it was a tough way back for him there.
Whenever Scheffler put a foot wrong, he got out of it no bother.
It was great for him to do it as it can be tough when you are leading. He said in his press interview he was crying all morning, because he wanted to win at Augusta so much.
It’s quite a big stress.
I heard some nice words from his family, saying it didn’t matter if he won or not – just go out and enjoy it.
I thought his demeanour was brilliant. He never got too high or too low, which I think you need around there.
It will be great to see him in the flesh in Scotland, as hopefully he will play the Scottish Open before the Open, which will give us all a chance to look at him up close.
He’s also on fire with the putter just now, as Cameron is too.
People thought the two of them were on such good form, but they questioned whether they could handle the rigours and pressure of the Masters. Boy did they put on a show for us. They are the hottest property in golf just now.
Between Scheffler and Smith, it was always going to be a great final round, and it ended up being a two-horse race.
McIlroy’s stellar finish an encouraging sign
Rory McIlroy coming from out of the blue to challenge was great to watch as well.
He said it was the happiest he has been on the course in his last round, which you could see when he holed from the bunker on 18.
Rory is like that. When he is on form, it’s hard to beat. He’s one of the best at free-flowing when he’s on form.
In the last round, it looked like he just strolled through it and finished eight under.
Even when he hit a few poor shots, it didn’t really bother him. He holed a few putts, which we have not seen him do for a while.
He definitely played with a smile on his face. You never know – this could be the moment.
It’s his best finish at the Masters and it could be the kick start to his season. In my eyes, he’s one of the best when he’s on form.
It could be the catalyst. He missed the cut the week before, but he said he learned a lot. Sometimes you can only learn from adversity.
He has maybe found a bit of inner peace and he’s just going to let it go instead of trying too hard.
It looked like he forgot it was the Masters and just enjoyed himself, which was great to see.
Woods’ Open confirmation a major boost for Scottish fans
Scottish spectators are in for a treat after Tiger Woods confirmed he will play the 150th Open Championship at St Andrews this summer.
What a boost in the arm that was for Visit Scotland. Good luck to anyone trying to get accommodation or tickets now.
He says it’s his favourite course in the world. He has even said he might not make the PGA Championship or the US Open, but he will definitely be at the Open, which is brilliant.
It was a shame at the Masters, as it looked like he just ran out of steam following his sensational comeback.
The first two rounds took so much out of him, and he got caught in the inclement weather on Friday.
He battled his way through and made the cut, but you could see his energy levels draining.
It probably was a bit too soon for him, but you could tell he wasn’t wanting to miss it.
Watching him in the first two rounds was box office stuff. It’s amazing what he can do – he hit some awesome shots.
After not playing for 500-odd days, it just shows how good he is and how hard he has worked to get back to this level.
Hopefully he can get a couple of games in before the Open, and go in there with a chance.
He has won two outings there already, so he knows how to get it done.
He wasn’t giving much away, but no matter what happens I think he’s going to play a very limited schedule.
It may be as few as 10 events a year, but the good thing is he is still going to be playing.
Getting ready to kick start my own season
I am getting myself ready to travel to Spain next week, ahead of the ISPS Handa Championship north of Barcelona.
I’m just trying to get back into it, as it really starts back for us once we get to the British Masters at the Belfry early next month.
The European Tour have done great to add Spain to the schedule as everything got cancelled at the start of the year.
It will be the first of back-to-back events in Spain, with the following week’s Catalunya Championship being held at the nearby Tour School venue in Girona.
