The Monday after The Masters always brings along a few feelings personally. One is the absolute desire to get on the course and play, thinking I can shoot under par after watching the best in the world do it consistently. The other, a little sadness that it’s over, knowing we won’t see this absolutely beautiful hallowed ground of Golf on TV until next year.
But for your 2022 Masters Champion, Scottie Scheffler, he's glad it’s over, and he capped it off by getting a brand spanking new green jacket for his troubles. You see, after the final round he said that he “cried like a baby” to his wife Meredith on Sunday morning, adding that he didn’t know if he was ready for the moment to get out there and win his first major. He clearly was.
Those nerves did not show at all throughout his final round. Ok well maybe a little on the 18th green where he held a 5 shot lead and four-putted, which made him even more relatable to us amateur golfers. But the rest of his round was an absolute show of composure and focus, starting with that incredible chip-in on the 3rd hole, that stopped an early challenge from his biggest competition on the day in Cameron Smith.
What a couple of months it’s been for Scheffler. Eight weeks ago he had yet to win a PGA Tour event in 70 career starts, and was ranked 14th in the world.
As he wakes up today, he now has 4 PGA Tour wins, he’s a Masters Champion, he’s the number 1 golfer in the world, and he’s doubled his career earnings with just over $17.5 million. Pretty incredible stuff. You add in that he’s one of the more well-liked players on tour and by all accounts has a magnificent family as a support system, there’s not much that can steal his shine right now.
That is except for the most famous golfer on the planet, Tiger Woods. Scheffler may have won, but the main event was the return of the Tiger.
Just 14 months after nearly losing his leg in a horrific car accident, Tiger made his triumphant debut to the sport he dominated like no one else in history. He incredibly made the cut which was something every Golf fan wanted to see. But let’s be honest. It didn’t matter how he played. SportsCenter anchor Scott Van Pelt even said, “If Tiger plays, other golfers can be playing naked and no one would even notice.” He wasn’t wrong. The support for Tiger was immense. From the first tee on Thursday, to his walk off the 18th green on Sunday, everyone at Augusta National was ecstatic to see Tiger back.
The 5-time Masters champion was noticeably limping a bit, but was able to finish one of the most tough courses to walk on Tour, with the plethora of hills and undulations that make up the legendary place. That alone was a grind for the former number 1 player in the world, not to mention the time its been since his last competitive round. But if there was one moment that sums up Tiger, it came two days before the tournament began. He was asked during his media session, if he still felt that he could win this week. His answer: “I do.”
He didn’t win, but that confidence gives all of us fans that grew up watching his dominance, just that little bit of hope. Even after all he’s dealt with health-wise, he can still perform at the age of 46.
After the tournament he committed to playing The Open Championship at legendary St. Andrews in Scotland, and added that he’s going to try to be at the PGA Championship at Southern Hills in Tulsa, Oklahoma in May.
Will Tiger steal the shine once again? Will Scottie’s dominant 2022 continue? Or will another one of the many talented golfers on tour make their mark. We’ll have to wait and see.
