Scottie Scheffler entered the 86th edition of The Masters as the No. 1 ranked golfer in the world, and over a four-day span at Augusta National, the 25-year-old proved that his status among the game's elite is no fluke. Scheffler's red-hot start to the PGA Tour season reached new heights on Sunday, as he won The Masters -- his very first major -- with a 10-under 278 total in four rounds.
Scheffler entered the final round with a three-shot lead over Cameron Smith, and after the first few holes, his lead was cut to one. But back-nine struggles from Smith kept Scheffler in a safe position, and by the time he walked up to the 18th green, he owned a commanding five-shot lead. Perhaps he relished the moment a little too much, as he humorously recorded a four-putt double bogey before capturing the coveted green jacket.
"Scheffler didn't suddenly become a great golfer. He's been great. He's been featured at huge events and stages for a long time," Golf Channel analyst Matt Adams told After Hours with Amy Lawrence on Monday. "He particularly plays well in events of the absolute pressure, but hadn't broken through. Once he broke through, everything changed. Phoenix Open, wins. Genesis Invitational, tied for seventh. Arnold Palmer Invitational, wins... The Masters, he wins.
"You can look at that and go, 'He came out of nowhere.' But he didn't come out of nowhere. If you go back to the Ryder Cup, where he was picked to be on that team, the players know the other great players... The best of the best already knew how good he was -- that it wasn't ever a question of 'if,' it was a question of 'when.' For Scheffler, it may've just been a question of self-belief. And now that he has it, no surprise to everybody that he'd absolutely soar."
Scheffler's recent stretch of dominance will no longer be ignored. According to ESPN Stats & Info, he's joined Tiger Woods (1997, 2001) and Jordan Spieth (2015) as the only players age 25 or younger to win The Masters over the last four decades. In addition, he became the fifth golfer to enter Augusta ranked No. 1 in the world and win the tournament. Entering 2022, Scheffler had zero PGA Tour wins in 70 starts. Over the last 57 days, he's won four events.
The entire golf conversation between Adams and Lawrence can be accessed in the audio player above.
You can follow After Hours With Amy Lawrence on Twitter @ALawRadio and @AfterHoursCBS, and Tom Hanslin @TomHanslin.