Scottie Scheffler is becoming the Max Verstappen of golf. And that’s a problem for a sport suffering a 20 per cent collapse in viewing figures.
Predictability is death to engagement. His four-shot victory at the Masters was his third win in his last four tournaments. He might have won the lot were it not for a missed five-footer at the 72nd hole in Houston that cost him a place in the play-off.
The fault does not lie with Scheffler, of course. As it doesn’t with Verstappen. For the outstanding golfer of the moment, the world No 1 and overwhelming favourite, the back nine at Augusta was a lap of honour, never looking like it might develop into the trauma it has been for others.
The roll call of victims here is as august as the winners, accounting for the likes of Greg Norman, Rory McIlory and Jordan Spieth. At least Spieth had tasted victory before the annus horribilis of 2016.
A hat-trick of birdies around the turn took Scheffler two clear and three more in four holes exiting Amen Corner floored the field. He went to the 18th tee with a four-shot lead. Golfing Sundays in April do not get any better than that.
And no panic calls from Meredith, his expectant wife preparing to deliver their first child at the month’s end. As Scheffler stroked home his 277th shot to win a second green jacket at the age of 27, it was hard to imagine a happier chap in the world.
That is certainly how master of broadcast ceremonies Jim Nantz saw it during the green jacket ceremony. “What a time in your life,” Nantz observed in that honeyed lilt of his.
To which Scheffler responded: “You are about to make me cry here in Butler Cabin. It’s a special time for both of us. I can’t put it into words what it means to win this tournament a second time, and really can’t put into words what it is going to be like to be a father for the first time.”
Scheffler opened with a 66 to trail early bolter Bryson DeChambeau by a stroke. Thereafter he was never bettered, sharing the lead on Friday and Saturday before romping home on championship Sunday.
Save from the incredibly mature display of Masters rookie Ludvig Aberg, who finished second on seven under, three shots clear of Tommy Fleetwood, Max Homa and Collin Morikawa, the finale was a crushing anticlimax.
Scheffler attributes his success to his faith. A prominent Christian, he believes he is doing God’s work, that he is delivering outcomes predetermined by a higher authority. Whether you believe or not, what is beyond doubt is the strength he draws from his faith.
There is no clutter, and no doubts. This allows him to simplify his approach to a demanding sport that messes with the minds of so many.
It is up to his rivals to fathom a response. They can’t even blame the car. The best for which they might hope ahead of the second major of the season, the PGA Championship at Valhalla next month, is that becoming a father changes Scheffler’s priorities. But don’t bet on it.
“It’s funny,” he said. “When you get married, a lot of people tend to make jokes about like, oh, your life is over, yada, yada, yada.
“When it comes to having a kid, every single person says that it changes your life and it’s the most special thing in the world. So I cannot even imagine what being a parent is going to be like.”
Alongside Aberg, who shot a third consecutive under par round and his second 69 of the week, Fleetwood ended the tournament with reputation enhanced. His 69 was the only bogey-free round of the final day, a triumph of temperament and technique. The day Fleetwood gets the putts to drop is the day he becomes a major champion.
“It was great being out late on the Sunday and playing a good round of golf,” he said. “Another major championship where you’re at the right end of the leaderboard at the end of the week. Who knows if my time will ever come? All I can do is keep trying to put myself there and keep having performances like this. Then we’ll see.”
Tyrrell Hatton was the third and perhaps surprise European in the top 10. Surprise because Hatton is one of the few reluctant visitors to Augusta National, blaming the local flora for getting in the way.
Yet, with two holes to play he was headed for a 67. As it was, he signed for a 69, only his second sub-70 score at the Masters.
“It’s just a really hard golf course, one that I’ve always struggled on. It’s down to my shot shape (a fade). I’m not going to change my swing or how I want to play just to try to get around one golf course. Around most courses, it’s fine. It’s just here.
“They just love having trees on the front left of tee boxes. It would be nice if we come back and they just put a few on the right just to take out some of the people that draw it, mess them up for a change.”