AUGUSTA NATIONAL — First it was Rory McIlroy, then Jordan Spieth. Brooks Koepka raised his hand and now Scottie Scheffler wears the would-be Tiger crown. It’s a tough gig on so many levels. It is not just a matter of winning, but winning big, and to order.
In those golden years at the turn of the new millennium in the space of four seasons Woods won eight of his 15 majors, including the Tiger Slam, so-named for his possession of all four major titles concurrently if not in the same calendar year.
Woods created an aura that swallowed the field whole. None believed they had a chance and so it played out, Woods carving a red line under some impressive careers, including that of Ernie Els, Vijay Singh, Colin Montgomerie and to a degree Phil Mickelson. They had the same thing in common – they felt they were beaten before they started.
Scheffler is in the nascent stages of imposing the same sense of hopelessness on his rivals. McIlroy rode with him over the first two days. He posted his lowest round of the week on the opening day, a composed one under par and still finished five behind Scheffler, who eased to a 66 without dropping a shot.
Scheffler has yet to record a score in plus figures this year. He entered Augusta as the overwhelming favourite, began the final day with a one-shot advantage and moved away around the turn as one-by-one the others choked in the crucible. McIlroy alluded to the lethal economy of Scheffler’s game. It’s a simple formula, he said; keep the mistakes to a minimum and hole your putts.
Ah, the putts. Scheffler set fire to the idea he might still be scarred by the gremlins of last year when he went eight months without a win. Since working with Englishman Phil Kenyon from last September and adopting the mallet putter, the rock is rolling in sweet accord with his wishes.
Like Woods, there is a nerveless disposition and a flair for sensing the moment. After uncharacteristic mistakes at the par-3 fourth, where he went long, and the seventh, where he found sand, Scheffler had dropped into a three-way lead on the final afternoon with Collin Morikawa and Ludvig Aberg. Three holes later he led by two after reeling off three birdies in a row.
He claimed the first, at the par-5 eighth, was the most important, but from a technical point of view, nine was more impressive, a super-long drive followed by a wedge that pitched 30 feet past the pin and spun back to a tricky placement for a tap-in birdie. And then came the tenth, among the hardest three holes on the course. Scheffler crushed his drive down the slope then, from 146 yards, fired a brutal dart to nine feet.
That was the moment he knew, and more importantly his rivals knew the game was up. Playing partner Morikawa and Aberg in the group ahead both doubled 11. Though Scheffler would also err at the same hole, the pressure was off. Three birdies in four holes on the way home made a procession of the finale.
Morikawa watched in awed appreciation. Asked what Scheffler does well, Morikawa said: “I mean everything. He drives the ball plenty long, well past me. He hits his irons obviously spectacularly. He keeps it simple, makes the putts when he needs to. He just never puts himself in trouble.’’
Xander Schauffele, who played with Scheffler alongside McIlroy in the first two rounds, sees the Woods comparison: “It’s been a while since we’ve had a guy out here that tees it up and he’s supposed to win, and he wins. He’s cruising along pretty nicely.”
In technical terms Scheffler is almost peak Woods long off the tee, his ball-striking with the irons is Woods-pure, his course IQ is Woods-like. Few have ever putted with the authority of Woods. That said the Scheffler stroke held up beautifully at Augusta.
The principal ground Scheffler can never occupy in relation to Woods is Tiger’s cultural significance. Whether the game has capitalised sufficiently on Woods’ African/Asian American heritage is debatable. However, there is no doubting the power of the messaging associated with the dominance of an African American in an overwhelmingly white setting. Woods was an empowering symbol for people starved of positive role models, whether they took up the sport or not.
Thus the world knows of Woods even if swathes of the global population doesn’t know golf. Not many outside of the golf community are likely to identify Scheffler in a line at McDonald’s, even in a green jacket.
Scheffler goes again this week at the RBC Heritage at Hilton Head, unless wife Meredith goes into labour with their first child, of course. The historical focus is the second major of the season, the PGA Championship at Valhalla next month, which introduces the idea of the calendar slam.
For most this is just the logical consequence of winning the Masters. In Scheffler’s case the idea does not seem preposterous. Mostly because he does not entertain it.
“I try not to think about the past or the future too much. I love trying to live in the present. I’ve had a really good start to the year, and I hope that I can continue on this path that I’m on,” he said.
“I’m going to continue to put in the work that’s got me here. That’s pretty much it. Keep my head down and, like, when I step up on the tee at a tournament, being able to tell myself that I did everything I could to play well and the rest isn’t up to me.”