The first major of the year may not have had the most exciting of finales but it was compelling in its own way and it has certainly whet the appetite for this summer’s 150th Open at St Andrews.
Scottie Scheffler emerged victorious at Augusta to claim the Green Jacket but it was the performances of Rory McIlroy and Tiger Woods that convinced me they will both relish the opportunity to go for another Claret Jug in July.
At Augusta, I wasn’t hoping Scheffler would blow up but it would have been a lot more intriguing if he hadn’t built up such a big lead over the closing stretch.
It’s always better when three or four players are in contention than one player way out in front.
The emotion of winning his first major clearly got to Scheffler on the last when four-putted the final green. That’s understandable. It would have been very interesting to see how he dealt with it if he’d ended up going into a play-off as a result of that blip.
The 25-year-old deserves a lot of credit because it’s not easy to be a frontrunner at a major. The pressure was on him for a long period and he responded very well to that challenge.
His record since teaming up with Bubba Watson’s former caddie Ted Scott is incredible.
He has won four of his first eight events in 2022, including a major and a WGC.
Is he going to dominate golf now? I’m not convinced. We are in an era with five or six players who are on a different level and can go on these winning streaks.
One player can rack up a few wins over a six-month period when they hit top form. Jon Rahm, Rory McIlroy and Justin Thomas are all capable of doing what Scheffler is doing right now.
At the moment it is Scheffler’s time.
I don’t think it is sustainable because there are too many good golfers. Nobody has really dominated golf in the way Tiger Woods did.
But Scheffler is playing great golf and he may pick up a few more wins very soon.
I can’t believe he is only 25. I remember a lot of people talking about him when he was a junior but you never know if these guys are going to fulfil that promise.
Can he win multiple majors? Majors are exceptionally hard to win. He could maybe win another one this year if he keeps it going but is he going to win more than three in his career? That is difficult to predict.
The performance of Tiger Woods at Augusta was hugely encouraging. We weren’t sure how fit and competitive he would be but he showed plenty to suggest he can be competitive.
I loved that in his post-round interview he immediately turned his attention to St Andrews and confirmed he would be there.
The Old Course won’t be as challenging for him to walk round as it was at Augusta where there are lots of hills and steep climbs between holes.
If St Andrews plays fast and firm then I don’t think you can count him out.
He has made a living out of proving people wrong and defying the odds – he’ll think he can win in July.
Rory McIlroy also provided plenty of encouragement for the other majors with his final round at Augusta. That one round could change his attitude towards Augusta.
He knows every time he goes there he is chasing a Grand Slam. It feels like the ghosts of his 2011 collapse have really haunted him but his superb final round may change his mindset towards Augusta.
Shane Lowry was my tip for The Masters and he wasn’t far away. I thought the conditions would suit him. I can see him contending at Augusta again.
Robert MacIntyre also seems to like the place. There are advantages to being a left-hander with the way the course is set up.
He had a great debut at Augusta last year and he will take confidence from another solid showing. He seems to have good vibes at Augusta so hopefully he can keep playing his way into the field.
I’m not playing this week’s DP World Tour event in Spain. I’m taking an extra week to work on my fitness following a shoulder injury. It is feeling better but I feel I need another week before I’m ready to play competitively.
Hopefully all goes well and I can play the second event in Spain, the Catalunya Championship, and then the British Masters.