Scottie Scheffler touches the sky at the Augusta Masters | Sports

It happened on hole three and it was one of those moments that define a champion and decide a great one. Scottie Scheffler did magic. It was not just any blow or at any given moment. The American, 25 years old, number one in the world, had seen how his cushion of three strokes of advantage in the leadership of the Augusta Masters he was down to just one over Australia’s Cameron Smith after the first two holes on the final day. He was squeezing a brash, brash golfer like Smith when Scheffler hit a chip from outside the green, 26 holes from the flag. Bingo resounded throughout the field. Also in the head of his rival, who responded to the leader’s stroke of genius with a putt failed and a bogey. Things fell into place, Scheffler regained the advantage of him and Smith got so bad body that on the fourth hole he repeated the bogey and allowed the Augusta tailors to get the green jacket ready for the American.

What came ahead was a denouement as slow as expected, if anything spiced by Rory McIlroy’s ride (too late), adorned with a spectacular birdie from the bunker on the 18th to sign -8 on the day. Scheffler won the Masters, his first major, the one that will always be remembered as the one from Tiger’s new comeback, at 10 under par (needed four putts to close the title, double bogey), three ahead of McIlroy and five ahead of Shane Lowry and Cameron Smith. Only nine players fell from the par of the field in a date that, except for this Sunday, has been cold and windy, and Scheffler was the only one to complete the four days in the red (laps of 69, 67, 71 and 71).

The sentence came on the 12th hole, the heart of Amen Corner, the scene of so many tragedies. Scheffler saved the pair with a good putt of medium distance and Smith, literally, was shipwrecked. His ball went into the starting water and he no longer found a remedy to avoid a triple bogey fatal. It was already a downhill road for Scheffler, an ice cube under pressure, a golfer with a swing unattractive, with the body turning excessively to the left, without brake. Rare but effective.

The young American rounded off two months of fantasy in the mecca of Augusta. On February 13, Scheffler won the Phoenix Open, his first victory on the American circuit after four silver medals. On March 6, he triumphed at the Arnold Palmer Invitational. Three weeks later he scored another good piece, the World Match Play. There were three wins in five tournaments played, each one more important than the previous one. And the next day, March 28, he unseated Jon Rahm as number one in the world, who had sat on the golf throne for 43 weeks, 36 of them in a row. That is to say, Scheffler has collected in just 57 days four decorations in the elite, the first place in the world ranking and a great as a summit, nothing less than Augusta. Difficult to enjoy so much glory in such a short time.

Scottie Scheffler was 10 months old when Tiger won the Masters of the revolution, in April 1997 (This Wednesday marks 25 years). He was one of those children who grew up watching Woods’ exploits on television and playing imitation with a stick and a plastic ball. Today he says that back then he didn’t just watch cartoons, but he played golf, table tennis and basketball. Over time he was forging a peculiar personality among the best. He is a young man who doesn’t like video games, very religious, who goes to bed early, his lucky number is 13 and his favorite drink is water and lemonade.

In this golf transformation of the last few weeks, his shopping cart, Ted Scott, who carried Bubba Watson’s club bag when he won the Augusta Masters in 2012 and 2014. Scheffler and Scott had met in a Bible study group, and when the golfer called to offer to work together , explained that above all he needed a “Christian” by his side. The couple have connected wonderfully. Athletically, they have touched the sky.

It was difficult for the champion to close the Masters with two putts Very short misses on the last hole, although their advantage was already very wide. The nerves that had also attacked him before the round returned. “I cried like a baby this morning,” he explained, already wearing the green jacket. “I was so stressed… I didn’t know what to do. He was sitting there telling Meredith [su mujer]: ‘I don’t think I’m ready for this. I’m not ready, I don’t feel like I’m ready for this kind of thing.’ I felt overwhelmed. She said to me, ‘Who are you to say you’re not ready? Who am I to say that I know what is best for my life?’ And so what we talk about is that God is in control and the Lord is leading me; and if today is my moment, it is my moment”. It was.

Augusta Masters standings.

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