AUGUSTA, Ga. — How becoming that the jacket is inexperienced.
Who wouldn’t envy what Scottie Scheffler has performed?
Not solely has he been the world’s No. 1 golfer for 99 weeks, but in addition at age 28 he has two Masters victories and an opportunity to change into the primary back-to-back winner of the storied match since Tiger Woods in 2002.
Scheffler’s keep on the high of the Official World Golf Rankings is the longest streak by any participant exterior of Woods, who had a pair of astounding stretches of 281 and 264 weeks.
Is it tougher to get to No. 1 or keep No. 1?
“Staying there is a lot harder than getting there, I would say,” stated Jon Rahm, who gained the Masters in 2023. “What we’ve seen Scottie do over the last three, four years is quite impressive.
“Anytime you have a year where you’re being compared to Tiger in his prime, I don’t think we need to add anything else to that.”
In the meantime, because the Masters begins Thursday, one other of the world’s biggest golfers is wanting so as to add a inexperienced jacket to his wardrobe. It’s the final unchecked field for Rory McIlroy, who must win at Augusta Nationwide to change into the sixth participant to finish a profession Grand Slam, with victories in all 4 main championships.
Scheffler’s psychological strategy is as regular and even-keeled as his constant outcomes.
“When I think about getting ready for this week, when I step on the first tee on Thursday, I’m going to remind myself that I’ve done what I needed to do to play well, and it’s all about going out and competing now,” he stated. “I really try not to look too much into the past. I try not to look too far into the future. I just like to stay in the present and just go one week at a time.”
For McIlroy, that lacking puzzle piece of a Masters victory appears nearer than ever now. He has gained twice on the PGA Tour this 12 months and, after years of observe, is decided to show down the quantity on the chatter exterior the ropes.
5-time Masters champion Tiger Woods congratulates two-time Masters winner Scottie Scheffler after he gained the Hero World Problem 2024.
(Kevin C. Cox/Getty Pictures)
“It’s just narratives,” McIlroy stated. “It’s noise. It’s just trying to block out that noise as much as possible. I need to treat this tournament like all the other tournaments I play throughout the year.”
It’s not the identical, in fact. Not for McIlroy, who famously imploded on the 2011 Masters, capturing an 80 on Sunday to go from a four-shot result in a tie for fifteenth. He’s had a number of shut calls since then, together with capturing 64 within the 2022 last spherical to complete second, three pictures behind Scheffler.
But the actual fact stays that McIlroy hasn’t gained a serious since 2014 regardless of having extra top-10 finishes in these than anybody in golf. That’s 21 top-10 finishes since 2015 and nil majors gained, adopted by Brooks Koepka (17, 5 wins), Dustin Johnson (16, two wins) and Xander Schauffele (15, two wins).
Final 12 months Collin Morikawa was the one participant to interrupt par in every of the primary three rounds of the Masters and completed tied for third. He and Schauffele have been the one gamers to complete among the many high 20 in all 4 majors.
Whereas others really feel it’s useful to normalize majors — it’s simply one other match, they purpose — Morikawa finds he’s at his greatest when shouldering the burden of expectations.
“Everyone always talks about being nervous and ramping up too much and they have to calm themselves down,” he stated. “I’m almost the opposite. That’s what I’ve learned over the handful of years of being a pro is I almost need to put more pressure on myself and ramp it up and get my heart rate going. I’m better off if I were to just show up with a minute to spare and I didn’t warm up and say, OK, go play golf.”
