The explosion of Scottie Scheffler: first victory, world number one and Augusta Masters in 56 days

From world promise to absolute PGA leader in less than two months. A story that captures the attention of the entire golfing world and that amazes the historical figures of the discipline, including Tiger Woods.

Few stories have caused as much astonishment in the PGA as that of Scottie Scheffler. this player who dazzled in his university stage, that he was chosen player of the year of the Korn Ferry Tour and that after five seasons of professionalism he saw two months of film . In 56 days, he added his first victory on the circuit, reached the top of the world rankings and hung up the green jacket after winning the Augusta Masters. all with just 25 years .

The 18th hole at Augusta National Golf Club was an ordeal for the 6-foot-1 golfer. With Australian Cameron Smith plummeting, and with all the other golfers on tight courses, victory at the Masters seemed written. Barring a major accident, the trophy and the green jacket would be his. That’s why he says himself that he relaxed. Your worst decision.

Augusta closed with a double bogey and with four Putting on the green . With doubts and fears, but with the title after all. He went down from a magnificent -12 to sign a ten under par card, but it didn’t matter. He had just rewritten the history of golf and it is that his consecration in the first major of the season breaks records and enlarges his name to unique levels. There are already four trophies in the season (all in the last six tournaments he has participated in) and world number one under his arm, turning 2022 into the year of Scottie Scheffler. An explosion that we expected from his past, but that we would never have thought so powerful.

And it is that the Scheffler family name has always had weight among golf fans. In 2013, he captured the attention of the United States by winning the US Open Junior . A year later he won the Junior Invitational, and in 2014, at the age of 17, he played his first PGA tournament, obtaining a T22, obviously as an amateur.

That year, he will begin his adventure at the University of Texas, where he will definitely become one of the best young players in the world. In Austin, he won the Big 12 three times and was decorated in 2015 with the Phil Mickelson freshman of the year an award given to the best freshman in the United States.

After four years in Texas, Scottie turned pro to play on the Korn Ferry Tour, the PGA’s training tour. There he had a spectacular 2019 where he won the National Children’s Hospital Championship and earned the points needed to reach the PGA. this season won the Korn Ferry Player of the Year Award .

His PGA Story

In 2020 he had his first season on the PGA and quickly started to make his mark. input finished fourth in the PGA Championship and posted a 59-stroke run (second-lowest in Tour history) at the Northern Trust. Accomplishments that led him to win the title of rookie of the year on the circuit. But the victory did not fall.

Something that repeated itself in 2021. There he had a brilliant season, where he managed to finish 18th at Augusta, 7th at the US Open and 8th at the British Open, three of the four majors. He also played in the Ryder Cup with the United States, playing in the final round against Jon Rahm. But the victory was still not at the rendezvous.

Scottie plays from the 10th tee and the crowd watches intently. REUTERS/Mike Segar

But that was shattered in 2022. This year, the Ridgewood, New Jersey native put the curse behind him and claimed all the titles fate had taken from him in the past. On February 13, he was crowned at the WM Phoenix Open after three playoff holes against Patrick Cantlay . Three weeks later, on March 6, the second crown would come after winning the Arnold Palmer Invitational in Florida, one of the PGA’s most important tournaments.

And on March 27, he would bathe in gold again, but now twice. His coronation in WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play would not only give him his third victory on the Tour, but the feat of reaching the top of the world rankings. After 36 straight weeks, Jon Rahm wasn’t number one on the planet . Now that seat was filled by Scottie Scheffler and one of the most meteoric rises golf has seen.

The Masters the penultimate postcard in history

But nothing he had accomplished came close to what was consummated in Augusta on Sunday, April 10. There number one showed why he is number one. He played four rounds relentlessly away from anyone trying to get close to him. He took the lead on Friday and no one could come close to taking the lead . He entered the weekend five strokes apart and shocked fans and rivals alike.

Tiger Woods was clear, “We all wish we had that two or three month window on fire and hopefully the majors fall into that window…Scottie seems to be there by then” commented the former number one. But he wasn’t the only one.

“The golf he’s played in the last two months is insane. It looks easy” Justin Thomas launched, while Morikawa highlighted the favoritism of his compatriot: “We’ve played the Wyndham Cups, Palmer Cups, Walker Cupos and Ryder Cups. He was always the one who performed well when he needed to.” . Sentences pronounced in the middle of an argument for a major. An atrocity.

And Scheffler did not disappoint. Without hesitation, he put on the green jacket and it was decreed that this year 2022, for the fifth time in history, the world number one could finish first in Augusta. One more proof of an unprecedented explosion, which has the world at its feet. Another important fact is that whoever was born in New Jersey he is the sixth youngest player to reach the top of the men’s rankings behind only Tiger, Jordan Spieth, Justin Thomas, Rory Mcllroy and Jon Rahm.

An immense story, which lives its most convulsive months. We always knew it would be great, but the bottle took a while to uncork. Now that it’s done, no one knows how to stop the champagne.

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Source: Latercera

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