Scottie Scheffler came narrowly close to capturing a third Masters title as he lamented the course conditions at Augusta
Scottie Scheffler finished just one shot behind Rory McIlroy at the Masters(Image: Andrew Redington, Getty Images)
Scottie Scheffler took aim at the Masters course conditions after finishing just one shot behind eventual winner Rory McIlroy. The Northern Irishman successfully defended his title on Sunday, becoming just the fourth player ever to win back-to-back titles at Augusta.
Despite the world No. 1 trailing McIlroy by 12 shots at the halfway stage of the major, Scheffler returned to form with rounds of 65 and 68 across the weekend to claw back the deficit. However, his second round of 74 left him unable to catch the 36-year-old, who now has six major titles to his name.
On Thursday afternoon, the two-time Masters winner, 29, posted a 70 in windy conditions but as Friday wore on, the players were presented with a softening course, which annoyed Scheffler.
When asked whether he was content with the course set-up during the week, the golfer voiced his displeasure after his final round at Augusta, bemoaning: “I mean, I’m not in charge of course setup.
“I would have liked it to have been a little bit more equal in terms of the firmness on Thursday and Friday. I was a bit surprised at how soft things were on Friday afternoon, especially as it got late in the day. But the weather also changes and it was a bit windy on Thursday, so who knows.
READ MORE: Rory McIlroy responds to ‘unfair’ accusations after beating Scottie Scheffler to MastersREAD MORE: Rory McIlroy retains Masters title and banks over £3.3million as he wins another Green Jacket
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“That’s part of the game. We play an outdoor sport and you don’t know how conditions are going to change, especially course conditions. Overall, like I said, Friday for me going out early not being able to shoot an under-par round definitely hurt my chances.
“I think I started the weekend maybe 12 back, so to get within one was a pretty good run. Yeah, I’d say Friday probably hurt the most in terms of my chances of winning. We went out on Thursday, Thursday afternoon was some of the most challenging conditions we had all week.”
Scheffler questioned what was done to the greens to change the texture and claimed it affected his chances to become a three-time Masters champion. He added: “I didn’t see many birdies out there Thursday afternoon, so going out on Friday, whatever they did to the greens to soften them up, they did some stuff, and I just wasn’t able to take advantage of that going on early on Friday.
“And then you saw the barrage of birdies that Rory made and Cam Young and a bunch of guys made on Friday late in the day, and I think I finished maybe 2-over par on Friday. So that day probably hurt the most in terms of my chances to win. Overall, over the course of the weekend, I did some pretty nice stuff to give myself a chance.”
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After going 11 years without a major, McIlroy now has two in consecutive years as he paid tribute his wife Erica Stoll and their daughter Poppy after his victory.
He said: “This is the hard part. I want to say a few thank you’s to the people on my left. First and foremost, my wife and daughter, Erica and Poppy. They have to put up with me at home and, trust me, sometimes that’s a tough thing to do.
“But they have been my biggest supporters. This has definitely turned into Poppy’s favourite week of the year. I don’t know if it’s because of the Par 3 Tournament or it’s the all-you-can eat ice cream in the players’ services building.”
