The Punter's US Masters De-Brief: Sensational Scheffler claims first major

Steven Rawlings
11 April 2022
4 min read

Scottie Scheffler in his brand new Green Jacket

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The 86th edition of the US Masters is all done and dusted and the world number one, Scottie Scheffler, has won his first major championship. Our man looks back on the historic week here...

"Scheffler was able to coast home comfortably for his fourth win in six starts and incredibly, he was even afforded the luxury of a four putt on the 18th green."

World number one, Scottie Scheffler, began the final round of the US Masters with a three-shot buffer but after his nearest challenger, Cameron Smith, had birdied the first two holes the gap was down to just one and it was very much game on.

Both men hit wild drives on the short par four third hole and when Scheffler's approach came up short of the green, Smith was matched at a low of just 2.111/10.

We looked all set for a wonderful duel, but Smith also missed the green. His approach came up short too and with just a couple of inches between the two balls after both men had played two strokes each, Scheffler did this with his third to turn the tournament back in his favour.

The Tournament leader chips in on No. 3. #themasters pic.twitter.com/ftP97jAvTr
? The Masters (@TheMasters) April 10, 2022

Smith's third finished up somewhere around where Scheffler's would have done had it not been bang on line and the American's fortune seemed to knock the stuffing out of Smith. The Aussie missed his par putt, the gap was back to three, and Masters Sunday was a bit of a damp squib after that.

Smith made a quite brilliant birdie at the ultra-tough 11th but just when it looked like we may yet get an exciting finale, Smith did what so many have done before him when in the thick of it on Sunday at Augusta and dunked his tee-shot at the par three 12th into Rae's Creek.

Smith made a triple-bogey six at 12 and he eventually finished tied for third alongside Ireland's Shane Lowry.

Rory McIlroy backers that weren't on each-way got to watch him shoot the best round of the week - an eight-under-par 64 - to finish second from off the pace and long odds-on Lowry backers in the Top Irish market were just as cheesed off.

Lowry was matched at a low of 1.031/33 in that market and £10k was matched at just 1.041/25 so not everyone enjoyed Rory's ridiculously good round that finished with this sumptuous bunker shot on 18.

WALK-OFF HOLE-OUT@McIlroyRory shoots 64 to match the lowest final-round score in Masters history.

He's 3 off the lead.pic.twitter.com/Tn9VbSqvlN
? PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) April 10, 2022

Rory's 64 was the only bogey-free round of the week, and it equalled the best score made on a Sunday at Augusta but it was never going to quite be enough.

Following Smith's error on 12, Scheffler was able to coast home comfortably for his fourth win in six starts and incredibly, he was even afforded the luxury of a four putt on the 18th green.

It was a bizarre finish, and it was the first time I'd ever seen a standing ovation before a tournament had finished!

Before becoming Masters Champion, the patrons on the 18th green gave Scottie Scheffler one final boost of encouragement. pic.twitter.com/IVRrT8etof
? GOLF on CBS (@GOLFonCBS) April 10, 2022

Cream rises to the top again

We need go all the way back to 2009 for the last time an outsider won - [150,0] chance Angel Cabrera - and if this year's renewal is anything to go by, we may be waiting a while yet for another.

Former winners, Charl Schwartzel (tied 10th) and Danny Willett (tied 12th), both contended to varying degrees until they ran out of steam over the weekend and the tournament was dominated by in-form and well-fancied contenders.

The two main protagonists going into Sunday had both won last time out and both went off at prohibitive odds. Having been matched at a whopping 250.0249/1 in July for a few pounds when the market first opened, Scheffler was generally a 19.018/1 chance at the off and Smith, who was initially matched at a high of 75.074/1 back in August, went off at around 18.017/1.

Fast-finishing Rory was a pre-event 22.021/1 shot on the Betfair exchange and the top nine on the final leaderboard were all priced in double-figures before the off.

Are there just so many great young players now that outsiders muscling in at majors will become a rarer occurrence? I'm not so sure. The next major is the US PGA Championship at Southern Hills next month and Phil Mickelson won that one last year having gone off at around 540.0539/1!

Scheffler has been backed into favourite for that one, but it would be no surprise to see more money come for Rory given he's already won the US PGA Championship a couple of times.

Tiger Woods, who won the 2007 PGA at Southern Hills hasn't committed to the event yet but in his post round interview yesterday evening he hinted very strongly that he'd be at St Andrews in July for the 150th Open Championship.

Tiger won both the 2000 and 2005 editions at St Andrews and only injury will stop him attending.

Tiger Woods Masters day one 2022.jpg

Back to the US Masters and a couple of trends were firmly cemented. Riviera form came to the fore once more and Par 5 Performance again proved an excellent guide.

Sung-Jae Im, who eventually finished eighth having begun round four in solo third ranks number one on the long holes on the PGA Tour, Scheffler ranks second and last year's winner, Hideki Matsuyama, and Cam Smith, are both ranked inside the top-ten.

Following the lengthening of holes 11 and 15, both played a bit tougher. The fifth had been the toughest for the last three renewals but the 11th was the hardest this time around, averaging 4.5 and for the first time since 1965, not a single eagle was recorded on the par five 15th.

Once again, the shape of the tournament was very much determined at the end of round two and that's the time to make your move in-running at Augusta.

It's very tempting to avidly watch the first day's play in its entirety but be careful not to be fatigued too soon. Scheffler is the sixth halfway leader to win in nine years and those that stuck with it until late on Friday were best positioned to get onboard the world number one at an attractive price in-play.

The PGA Tour moves from Georgia to South Carolina this week for the RBC Heritage and I'll be back tomorrow with the preview.

*You can follow me on Twitter @SteveThePunter