Scottie had a double bogey, but it was enough to get him his first major and green jacket. The time is 1:05.
A golf cart rushed Scottie Scheffler to the back door of the cabin after he won the Masters. There were a few birds and a drone overhead. His jacket was inside. He looked confused. Of course he did. In the past 57 days, he won four tournaments and changed his life. He cannot go back to the way things used to be.
He is 25 years old. He has made $10 million this season. He wore that jacket for the first time inside the cabin and then came back outside after finishing an interview to a crowd waiting for him around the 18th green. He looked a little sleepy and had a few seconds of silence, but the patrons started cheering and clapping when he came back.
He said he didn't know what to say.
He broke down and cried like a baby this morning, feeling overwhelmed by the fact that one round of golf to win the Masters can take over a life. He has seen it hit people he knows. He looked at his wife and cried.
He told her that he was not ready for it.
She tried to calm him down by making him a big breakfast. She said she loved him even if he lost. They talked about their faith. He prepared for the course after getting to it.
He said it was a long morning. My stomach hurts for two days in a row.
The members and staff at the Royal Oaks Country Club prepared too.
The head pro told me that it was calm before the storm.
After his parents took out a loan to join, he began playing there as a kid, with the goal of following in the footsteps of club members like Justin Leonard.
Royal Oaks club president Todd Moen said that Scottie grew up in the area and that everyone has gotten to know him.
He wanted to be a professional.
I wore pants when I was a kid at Royal Oaks because I wanted to play golf on the PGA Tour, he said.
He wore polo shirts and khakis to school as a boy. His classmates were laughing.
He said Sunday night that he was laughing too.
He was a schoolboy golf legend in his home state and played college golf. John Fields answered his phone at the airport and took his team out to California for an event. The tournament was designed by Alister MacKenzie, who also designed Augusta National. Fields wanted to make sure his men were prepared for the big stages. He won that tournament when he was a student. Fields was waiting at his gate when he watched the Masters on his phone. He is almost part of the family. Five years ago, he played in the U.S. Open. His coach and father were behind him as he walked down the fairway. The dad turned to Fields.
He asked if he thought he would be out here one day.
It's funny now, but the dad didn't know. Fields did. He explained to his friend that the young man in front of them was going to make the tour and build a career in it.
In the past 57 days, that prophecy has come true.
On Super Bowl Sunday, he won his first tour event. Back at the club, Moen bought a round of drinks for the 19th-hole crowd and raised a glass to Scheffler. Everyone was loud. These were his people. At the WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play, he kept winning. He moved up the world golf rankings. He worked with the kids on the range at Royal Oaks between victories, often going as long as an hour. He played a round with three other people. He was going to the Masters. He was not sure he could believe it. He cried when he received his first invitation. He has been living in a dreamscape for the past 57 days.
He said that nothing has sunk in at the moment.
Even though he had a lot of success, he didn't get a lot of attention in Augusta. Tiger Woods returned to competitive golf 14 months after a car wreck that almost cost him his leg. When Woods won for the first time here, he was just a year old.
He is an inspiration to me because of his YouTube clips.
He wears Tiger brand golf shoes and shirts and uses his irons, although he is likely to have his own line of all three coming soon. He beat the legend on Thursday. On Friday, as Tiger's knee began to fail, the leader was Scheffler. He went out Sunday afternoon to defend it after a long night and emotional morning.
His toughest opponent was the Masters record-holder,Rory McIlroy, who tied a final-round Masters record with a 64. His roar echoed across the course after he made it to 18. The biggest roars of the day came fromRory. The atmosphere on Sunday was quiet. There were open spaces on the ropes which are usually five and six deep for these marches. More than a few people were hoping for a collapse to give him a chance at the grand slam.
The man didn't fold.
The 19th hole at Royal Oaks turned into a standing room only. The biggest shot of his life, the chip in on No. 3, erupted in the club house. A man ran around the room. The room leaned in during tense moments, feet digging into the red and yellow carpets. Guys drank from cups.
The men hugged and rubbed each other's heads when he sealed the victory. As a child, they knew that he was going to win the same tournament as Ben Hogan, Jack Nicklaus, and Tiger Woods. There was a chant in the room.
Fireball! Fireball! Fireball!
All Rights Reserved © 2024
