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Scottie Scheffler 'Cried Like a Baby' Ahead of Masters Final Round, Was 'Overwhelmed'
April 11, 2022
Scottie Scheffler seemed stoic and unflappable as he clinched his Masters victory with a one-under 71 in Sunday's final round.
Turns out, that may not have been the case.
Scheffler said he "cried like a baby" and "just kind of felt overwhelmed" as he held the lead and waited for his tee time Sunday, per Stephen Hennessey of Golf Digest.
The world No. 1 golfer extended his lead to as many as six in the third round and led Cameron Smith by three heading into play Sunday. He had some breathing room and seemed primed to win the first major championship of his career.
Nerves may have been an issue when Smith birdied the first two holes to climb within a single stroke, but Scheffler responded by chipping in a birdie on No. 3. Smith bogeyed that hole and the fourth and was never able to fully seize momentum back as he struggled on the way to a one-over 73.
The closest finisher to Scheffler was Rory McIlroy, who was brilliant Sunday with a score of eight-under 64. Yet he was plus-one for the other three rounds and was never a legitimate threat for the champion.
Scheffler has now won the Masters, WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play, Arnold Palmer Invitational and WM Phoenix Open this year with three more majors and plenty of tournaments to go.
It is shaping up to be an incredible season, and he proved to himself he can deliver under pressure on the sport's biggest stage.
Even if he didn't feel ready going into it.