Scottie Scheffler shows what makes him special as he wins second Masters

AUGUSTA, GA. – Running is not allowed at the Masters.

Dancing is approved, if you’re doing the Scheffler Shuffle.

Scottie Scheffler flaunted his ball-striking dominance and unique footwork Sunday to win his second Masters in three years. The world’s No. 1-ranked player surged when he could have stood still, becoming the only player on the top half of the leaderboard to shoot a 68, and won by four strokes over Swedish phenom Ludvig Åberg.

Good golfers adhere to norms. Great golfers become fluent in their own body language. Scheffler’s foot-shuffling swing is as idiosyncratic as Lee Trevino’s or Arnold Palmer’s. He takes a conventional backswing, then so fully releases the club on the downswing that, especially when hitting a driver, his right foot is pulled forward and sometimes both feet twist around as if he were a novice roller skater.

The move would be unsightly, even comical, if the ball didn’t regularly vector toward its target. Scheffler, the pleasant competitor, has not shot a round over par this year.

“I was sitting around with my buddies this morning, and I was telling them I wish I didn’t want to win as badly as I do,” Scheffler said. “It would make Sunday mornings easier. I love to win, and I really hate to lose.”

That’s not always the case in the world of golf, where you can become wildly wealthy without ever hoisting a trophy. Scheffler has admitted he was a nervous wreck before the final round of the 2022 Masters. Sadly for his competitors, he sounds as if he learned from that experience.

In 2022, he held a big lead on the 18th tee, began thinking about tailoring his green jacket and four-putted the 18th green. On Sunday, he one-putted.

“One-putting is significantly easier,” he said with a laugh. “I tried not to let my emotions get the best of me this time. I kept my head down. I don’t even think I took my hat off and acknowledged the crowd.”

The tournament turned for the final time at Amen Corner, although “amen” was likely not the four-letter word being muttered by Scheffler’s competitors.

Through the eighth hole, Scheffler and Collin Morikawa were at 7 under par, and Max Homa and Åberg were a stroke behind.

Morikawa made double bogey at the ninth, then another at the 11th. Åberg had already made a double on 11. Homa made a double on 12.

Scheffler kept his swing when all about him others were losing theirs. He became the only player other than Tiger Woods to win the Masters and the Players Championship in the same season.

Final Masters leaderboard

What makes Scheffler special?

“His commitment, his mind,” Homa said. “He is pretty amazing at letting things roll off his back and stepping up to very difficult golf shots and treating them like their own. He’s obviously a tremendous talent, but I think that is his superpower.”

Said Morikawa: “I mean, everything. He drives the ball plenty, plenty long, well past me. Hits his irons obviously spectacular. Keeps it simple.”

Scheffler merely confirmed that he is the world’s best player. He’s also good enough, and dominant enough as a ball-striker, to prompt speculation about his future.

He’s so grounded that he invited buddies to stay at his rented house in Augusta and handed unused bags of practice balls to the range attendants, something you hardly ever see a PGA Tour player do. In his acceptance speech, he thanked the Augusta National workers and volunteers.

After hugging his caddie, Ted Scott, on the 18th green, he sent Scott ahead of him in the long walk through the fans, another rarity.

Scheffler will head back to Dallas and stay with his wife, Meredith, as they await their first child, and then he’ll be off to prove he can win majors other than the Masters.

The golf world will be shocked if he doesn’t.

“I still love competing,” he said. “I don’t think I’m going to take my eye off the ball anytime soon.”