After each round of action at the Masters, contributing writer Taylor McCutcheon will recap with his most standout highlights from the day’s action.
SCHEFFLER’S SUNDAY PERSPECTIVE
Scottie Scheffler began the final round of the 2024 Masters atop the leaderboard, familiar with the position and what it means.
The three first rounds of 66-72-71 booked the late Sunday tee time for the Texan. To begin, a striped tee shot off the first sent Scheffler strolling down the fairway. Early on, Scottie hit wayward misses we are not accustomed to. His iron into 1 fell well short, and his shot into the second green sailed long into the gallery, patrons fumbling their beers amidst the chaos.
Pars followed and nerves settled. Once again, the third hole treated Scottie well. After driving his ball into the greenside bunker, Scheffler got up and down for birdie, extending his lead.
At the fourth, Scottie blinked.
He hit his tee shot long of the green, left his pitch shot short on the fringe, and made a bogey. His lead dropped to one. Three holes later, Scottie blinked once more. A wayward tee shot on the seventh results in a bogey and a loss of his lead. In proper Scheffler fashion, he birdied the par-5 eighth and regained the lead heading to 9. Throughout these ups and downs, his attitude and posture remained even keel.
Scottie hit perhaps the shot of the tournament from the fairway on nine. From 102 yards away, he landed his wedge past the hole and nearly spun it back in for an eagle. The ball glided down the green as if he hit it delicately with his putter. He tapped in for birdie, moved to eight under, and took to the 10th alone at the top.
On the 10th, Scottie executed another precise iron from 144 yards out. The birdie putt dripped, and Scottie put the rest of the field on notice heading into Amen Corner.
Just like Tiger’s tee shot into 12 from 2019, Scottie’s ball landed safely and soundly in the middle of the green. While the rest of the field imploded in the most picturesque corner of the Augusta National, the now-two-time Masters champion steadily plugged along, keeping mistakes to a minimum.
A birdie on 13 pushed his lead forward. Another one on 14 to reach 10 under par. A birdie on 16 to extend his lead for good measure. A dominant performance.
In just his fifth start, Scheffler earned his second green jacket. But, this date with destiny was not the most important thing in Scheffler’s life. Earlier this week, he reminded the media, “Right now, the most exciting thing is not winning the Masters, it’s the baby coming pretty soon.” Scottie shared this remark with such clarity in his voice.
With wife Meredith watching on from Dallas, Scottie approached Sunday open to whatever the day delivered. A second green jacket for the 27-year-old and another beautiful moment to share with his loved ones, near and far.
LUDVIG ABERG’S ROOKIE SUCCESS
No matter how Sunday’s final round turned out for Ludvig Åberg, his first experience at Augusta successfully exceeded his expectations.
To set the scene, let’s remind ourselves how quickly things have changed for Åberg. Coming into the Masters, the 24-year-old Swede had hardly scratched the surface in professional golf and yet he’s done more than many.
Oddly, he has already competed in a Ryder Cup, yet this week was the first major Åberg played. In September of last year, Ludvig won for the first time on the DP World Tour. In November, he earned his first PGA Tour victory at the RSM Classic at Sea Island.
These achievements moved him into the top-10 ranking. Knowing this, I guess I should not be surprised at his strong first showing in the Masters, but I am still baffled given his lack of experience. Since Fuzzy Zoeler in 1979, no Masters rookie has donned the green jacket.
On the first tee, Åberg stood in fourth place at 4-under par, playing alongside Max Homa. He got to work early with a comfortable par on the first, constructed by an accurate approach from 158 yards. His nerves seemed calm early on. On the following hole, Ludvig rolled in a lengthy birdie putt to move into a tie for third, reassuring all of us he’s comfortable in these magnified moments. Fast forward to No. 6 where he converted a tricky par save to keep the momentum moving in the right direction.
The Swede moved into a tie for second place on the 7th. His mammoth drive came to rest 100 yards from the hole. After a crisp wedge and a tidy putt, Ludvig joined Collin Morikawa at six under par. On the 9th green, Åberg drained this sweeping right-to-left putt to grab a share of the lead with Scheffler and Morikawa.
Unfortunately, Åberg committed his first mistake of the day on the 11th. From the fairway, his approach shot traveled left and trundled into the water. After taking his drop, he missed the lengthy bogey attempt and carded a crippling double bogey. As he walked to 12, Trevor Immelman noted on the telecast, “The one mistake you can’t make.”
Even with a neat three-under-par score of 69 on Sunday, Ludvig’s critical mistake on 11 proved to be too catastrophic to recover from.
In the long view, Ian Baker-Finch said, “Nothing bothers him” after watching Ludvig stripe his drive off 10 tee. I realize the Swede did not finish well, but this note from Baker-Finch will stick with me going forward. This entire afternoon taught us a lot about Åberg’s maturity at such a young age. With experiences like the Masters and the Ryder Cup last fall, he’ll reveal even more composure as the bright lights shine brighter.
After his incredible second-place finish, Ludvig becomes the first competitor to finish in the top five in his major championship debut. He should be incredibly proud of his performance with nothing to hang his head about.
MOMENT OF THE DAY
On the 13th tee, Collin Morikawa and Scottie Scheffler flipped a tee to decide who would play first from around the green. The tee pointed to Collin, who went on to make par. Scottie played second and finished the hole with a birdie. Even though it decided one singular moment, there is a bigger metaphor within the exchange.
For the longest time Sunday, the tournament felt like it would be decided with the flip of a tee. However, the No. 1 player in the world kept control of his game, and the chasers fell by the wayside one by one. When necessary, Scottie pushed his chips in and bet on himself. When he needed to play it safe, he displayed composure under the most pressure.
I’ve never seen such an exchange in the middle of a golf tournament, let alone the Masters. I won’t forget that tee flip anytime soon, and we’ll never forget Scottie’s dominant win in the 2024 Masters.
