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sports Diaranson 13 aPriL 2022

Scheffler a Masters champion and never saw it coming

(AP) — Scottie Scheffler He won the Phoenix Open,
wanted to be a profes- at Bay Hill and at the Match
sional golfer for so long he Play in a span of seven weeks.
wore trousers to lessons The last one sent him to No.
at Royal Oaks in Dallas 1 in the world, and the next
and even at junior tourna- stop was Augusta.
ments, no matter how sti-
fling the Texas heat. But as he sat in Butler Cab-
in, waiting to slip into the
He just never imagined how green jacket for the first time,
he would look in a green he was asked when he first
jacket. dreamed about such as occa-
sion.
Winning the Masters is the
dream of any junior golfer, “Probably the first time it
particularly in Texas with its popped into my mind was
heritage of champions from Friday in the afternoon, after
Byron Nelson and Ben Ho- we got done,” Scheffler re-
gan to Ben Crenshaw and plied.
Charles Coody to most re-
cently Jordan Spieth and Pat- “Really?” came the response.
rick Reed.
Yes, really. Scheffler has talk-
Scheffler was no ordinary ed for the past two months
kid, and that much hasn’t about only wanting a chance
changed. to compete. That was the
dream. What brought him to
“I’ve never been a guy that tears was getting his first in- and listened to tour pros That short game was a big After starting the back nine
likes to look too far into the vitation in the mail when he shape shots and talk. And part of his Masters victory. with a careless bogey from
future,” Scheffler said Sun- qualified for his first Masters then he would challenge The final margin was closer the fairway, Scheffler missed
day evening, still trying to that was moved to Novem- them to short-game contests than it really was. Scheffler the 11th green to the right
grasp the magnitude of his ber in 2020. or on the putting greens, and had a five-shot lead and fi- and pitched to 7 feet. Smith
three-shot victory at Augusta if he wasn’t taking money off nally took off his blinders to made birdie, and Scheffler
National. Winning the Masters? Only them, he was putting a dent soak up the atmosphere, and rolled in his par putt to keep
after he built a five-shot lead in their egos. then absent-mindedly four- the lead at three shots.
Tiger Woods spoke over the after the second round, and putted for a double bogey.
weekend of that window of held on for a three-shot lead “He was a gamer,” said Will He shot 71 instead of 69. He It was like that all day — all
time when a player gets hot, going into the final day. Zalatoris, who grew up in won by three instead of five. week, really.
whether it was Fred Couples the Dallas area with Schef- Those are just numbers in a
in 1992 or Woods on more Scheffler is all about compet- fler. “He wore pants to every record book. Before long, all that was left
occasions than he can re- ing. That hasn’t changed. tournament even if it was 110 was a walk up the 18th fair-
member. The hope is that degrees. He tried to be a pro- Cameron Smith made a way, a trip to Butler Cabin,
window includes a major on Randy Smith can spin yarns fessional at a young age, and quick run with birdies on the green jacket. It’s the stuff
the calendar, and Scheffler’s about seeing Scheffler at age obviously seeing what he is the opening two holes that of dreams, even if they were
run came at an ideal time. 10 sitting on the range at doing now, it’s pretty cool on cut the lead to one shot, and never his.
Royal Oaks as he watched my part to see it.” Scheffler responded with
perhaps the most significant Scheffler is No. 1 by some
shot of the final round. His margin, and no one can doubt
chip up the steep slope on he earned the ranking with
No. 3 rattled against the pin the quality of his wins — a
and dropped for birdie, and World Golf Championship,
Smith’s bogey made it a two- a major, a variety of courses
shot swing. and tests.

Overlooked was the up-and- “You get on those hot streaks,
down from behind the first and you just got to ride them
green — one of the worst out because they, unfortu-
spots to be at Augusta, espe- nately, don’t last forever,”
cially for someone trying to Justin Thomas said. “But
win their first major — and he is doing it in the biggest
the pitch from long and left tournaments. It’s not like he
at the par-3 fourth. is going and winning small
events or Bahamas where
“If I was to pick one part of my it’s 20 people. He is winning
game that excelled the most, I WGCs. He is winning a ma-
would say it was probably my jor now.
lob wedge,” Scheffler said.
“Even today, I had some re- “It’s really, really impressive
ally good up-and-downs in to see someone that young
the beginning of the round handle a moment this big so
and then just kept myself in easily.”
position.”
What next?
He didn’t get quarters for
some of his big putts, only “I want to go home,” Schef-
pars, and those were worth fler said with his distinctive
plenty. laugh. “I’m pretty tired right
now.”