Masters 2022: Top Quotes and Takeaways from Final Round of Year's 1st Major

Scottie Scheffler came into the Masters as the No. 1-ranked golfer in the world. He'll undoubtedly leave the same way he came in, carrying a green jacket and his first career major victory with him.

The 25-year-old shot a 71 on Sunday to finish 10 under and claim the 2022 Masters.

According to ESPN Stats & Info, Scheffler joins Tiger Woods and Jordan Spieth as the only players in the last 40 years to win the Masters at age 25 or younger.

"Congratulations to Scottie Scheffler on an outstanding win. It's been a special run," Woods tweeted following Scheffler's win.

If you're a casual fan and unfamiliar with Scheffler, you're not alone. Though he's currently the world's top-ranked golfer, he hasn't been in the spotlight for long.

Despite being on the PGA Tour for three years, Scheffler had never won a tournament before taking the Waste Management Phoenix Open in February. He won two more tournaments—the Arnold Palmer Invitational and the WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play—before taking Augusta National by storm this weekend.

Scheffler's rapid rise hasn't changed how he views himself.

"I don't feel like No. 1 in the world. I feel like the same guy I was four months ago, and I hope that doesn't change," Scheffler said, per Dan Wetzel of Yahoo Sports.

Of course, outside opinions of Scheffler have changed dramatically over the last few months.

Scheffler seems virtually unstoppable right now, and a date with Augusta and a crowded field—one that included five-time Masters winner Woods—wasn't going to halt his ascent.

"We all wish we had that two-, three-month window when we get hot, and hopefully majors fall somewhere along in that window," Woods said, per Will Graves of the Associated Press. "We take care of it in those windows. Scottie seems to be in that window right now."

Though his final score might indicate otherwise, Scheffler wasn't entirely perfect all weekend. He had four bogeys on the back nine Saturday, including one that easily could have been even more disastrous. On hole 18, it appeared that Scheffler had lost his ball. This would have led to a penalty stroke, another tee-off and likely a double bogey or worse.

"We saw the guy with the flag who always finds the ball kind of panicking," Scheffler said, per Wetzel. "I was like, 'Oh crap.'"

The ball was eventually found, and Scheffler managed a bogey after taking a penalty stroke. As was the case every time Scheffler faltered this weekend, he quickly bounced back.

While Scheffler hasn't been racking up wins for long, he has quickly learned what it takes to be a champion.

"Winning golf tournaments out here is not easy," Scheffler said, per Wetzel. "It's very challenging. So knowing that bad things are going to happen and being able to react to those things in a positive way is extremely important."

Scheffler came into Sunday with a three-stroke lead over Cameron Smith and a fairly large lead over the rest of the field—Sungjae Im was the next closest at four under—but he did get some final-round pressure from Smith and Rory McIlroy, who finished as the runner-up.

Smith closed within a stroke of Scheffler but floundered on the 12th hole to give Scheffler some breathing room.

Smith finished with a 73 on Sunday and tied with Shane Lowry for third in the tournament.

McIlroy shot eight under in the final round to finish seven under for the tournament. He had an incredible round that matched the lowest final round in the tournament's history and ended with this unbelievable shot out of the sand—which was shockingly followed by Collin Morikawa's own chip-in out of the bunker:

McIlroy was the talk of the Masters for much of Sunday, and his surge was palpable. He made Scheffler work for the win and should carry a ton of momentum into the rest of the 2022 PGA Tour season.

However, Scheffler stayed poised through the finish to his final round and will be the talk of the golf world moving forward. In a matter of months, he's gone from being a feel-good story to the best golfer in the world and a Masters champion.