Augusta National Golf Club, Augusta, GA — April 9, 2022
Sunday at the Masters, final round pressure has humbled some of the greatest golfers in the history of the game. How will today’s final twosome respond? It is unlikely that someone other than Scottie Scheffler or Cameron Smith will put on the traditional green jacket at the end of the day. Incredible things would have to happen for Sung-Jae Im to erase the five-stroke difference he trails Scheffler by.
Then again it is Sunday at the Masters and anything can happen.
As the leaders were playing the first hole, Tiger Woods was finishing his final round. Tiger matched his Saturday score of 78 to post a total of +13 for the four days. A two-putt par on 18 brought the adoration of the patrons for his efforts at Augusta National during the week.
Hole One
Scheffler hit his opening drive into the trees on the first, overcooked his second shot over the green, but scrambled to save par to remain at nine-under.
Smith pounced immediately, hitting the green in regulation and dropping a birdie putt to pull within two strokes out of the gate.
Hole Two
Both players hit perfect drives on the par-five second, only to find greenside traps on their second shot. Smith had the better out and his second birdie in two holes cut the lead to a single stroke.
Hole Three
Smith and Scheffler missed the fairway on the short par-four third. Their golf balls found the pine needles to the left of the green in the area of the huge scoreboard. Both needed relief to find appropriate positions to address their second shots.
Scheffler was away and hit his shot into the steep front face of the green, it rolled back to the swale at the bottom left of the putting surface. Smith hit the identical shot and the two golf balls came to rest within a foot of each other.
Just an inch back, Scheffler hit first and it looked like his pitch shot might roll past the hole. Instead, it was dead on. The ball hit the pin and rattled to the bottom of the cup. Smith did roll his third shot well past the flagstick and two-putted for a bogey. And just like that, the lead was back to three.
Hole Four
On the par-three fourth, both missed the green. Scheffler to the left of the putting surface and Smith in the front bunker. Smith left himself the more difficult putt settling five feet past the hole and he missed the fast putt coming back. The bogey put him back to where he started the day at six-under.
Scheffler chipped up to within two feet and sunk the putt to make par and take a four-stroke lead to the next tee.
Hole Five
The 495-yard, par-four fifth saw both players drive safely with Scheffler in the fairway and Smith just to the left between two bunkers. As the leaders were walking to their landing spots, Rory McIlroy was finishing his front nine with a four-under score of 32 moving him into a tie for third at three-under-par.
Their second shots found the green. Smith was faced with a long putt featuring a significant change in elevation and a winding path to the hole. He left it six feet short and left, but made the put to save par. Scheffler’s two-putts included an easy tap-in to card his par on the hole.
Hole Six
The second par-three on the front nine is 184-yards long with the pin positioned on Sunday to the far right of the green. Both players missed the ideal landing spot hitting the center of the green and rolling down to the left front, again side-by-side but a long way from the hole.
Both left their putts short with six-footers to save par. Smith rolled his putt in for a par and Scheffler responded in kind.
McIlroy birdied the 10th and Im the seventh to draw closer to the leaders with matching scores of four-under-par.
Hole Seven
Drives in the fairway on the 450-yard par-four seventh hole gave neither player an advantage as they continued to slug it out with a third of the final round now complete. Scheffler hit the green a foot past the pin, with backspin on the ball it came to rest four feet below the hole. Smith went directly over the flag and rolled back to within four feet above the pin.
Smith putted first and rolled it in for a birdie, Scheffler matched the score as they both moved farther away from their pursuers.
Hole Eight
Scheffler drove in the fairway, Smith found a fairway bunker on the right side. Smith, facing a big front lip to the sand trap was able to advance the ball but landed well short of the green. Scheffler’s second settled right of the putting surface leaving a relatively easy chip to the green where he would be looking at a birdie putt.
Smith sailed his ball to the back of the green and bounced over into the partons seated at the base of the rear grandstand, he was allowed a drop to clear his swing path, and he chipped to within three feet of the cup.
Scheffler did not take advantage of the opportunity leaving his chip shot fifteen feet below the hole and two-putting for par. Smith sank the short par putt to remain within four of the leader.
Hole Nine
Long drives through the fairway put both players in a good position just into the patron viewing area on the right side well down the hill, and just short of the green. Given the layout of the hole, the approach to the green offers a better angle than being in the fairway.
Ahead on the 13th green McIlroy holed a short eagle putt to give him sole position of third place at six-under-par, just a stroke behind Smith.
Putting first from 10 feet below the hole, Smith rolled just past the cup. However, from six feet left of the hole, Scheffler missed his putt rolling two-feet past. Both players made par to close out the front nine.
They say the true test of the Masters begins on the backside nine of the final day of the tournament. Throughout the week Smith has played the final nine holes of the course at five-under-par, Scheffler at three-under. But everyone remembers Jordan Spieth blowing a five-stroke lead over the nine closing holes at Augusta.
Hole Ten
With a four-stroke lead and just nine holes to play, Scheffler had to feel some relief heading home to the clubhouse. The only golfer making a run, Rory McIlroy, was five strokes back with just four open spots on his scorecard. He will post a score as the leader in the clubhouse, but it may just be a reference to how much latitude the leader has to work with.
Scheffler drove in the fairway on the 10th but missed the green to the left. Smith hit his drive in the trees and had to punch out to the middle of the fairway, his third shot hit the green and cozied up close to the pin. The shot put some extra pressure on Scheffler who rolled his third shot eight feet past the cup, missing the putt he had to settle for a bogey.
Smith could not respond as his four-footer for par darted right of the hole, dropping him into a tie with McIlroy at six-under-par.
Hole Eleven
McIlroy missed a birdie putt on the par-five 15th that would have moved him into second place alone. Scheffler, needing to reverse his current trend, hit a perfect drive down the 11th fairway. Smith followed suit.
The first hole of “Amen Corner” provided positive drama. Smith’s second found the green and he sank a 12-footer for a birdie to separate himself from McIlroy. Scheffler missed the green short and right. But a nice chip settled five feet from the pin and he made par.
Ahead on the par-three 16th, McIlroy failed to birdie and left his title hopes in doubt having to rely on the two players behind him finding trouble.
Hole Twelve
And trouble reared its ugly head on the short par-three 12th hole. Smith’s tee shot found the water in front of the green. He dropped well short of the water to give him a full swing on his third shot which missed the green to the right. A chip past the pin left him with a troubling putt to make double bogey. Two putts for a triple-bogey six and Smith’s dream of a Masters win virtually disappeared as he fell to third place, six strokes behind Scheffler and two behind McIlroy.
Scheffler ratcheted up the drama by hitting his drive long and right of the green. But, he was able to salvage a par and quite possibly earn his first green jacket.
Hole Thirteen
The 13th has yielded its share of eagles over the years and Smith was looking for one as he sized up his shot from the fairway. A miss-hit left him short of the green and fortunately short of Rea’s creek. Chipping well past the flag, Smith two-putted for par.
Ahead on the 18th, McIlroy was having troubles of his own. In a fairway bunker off the tee, his second shot found the bunker on the right side of the green. Chipping out, McIlroy’s ball began the slow roll towards the pin and somehow found the bottom of the hole. The leader in the clubhouse had posted a score of seven-under-par. While Scheffler was still dealing with the difficulties of the 13th.
Scottie hit a safe drive and opted to lay up short of the green. His chip left him a makable birdie putt but he failed to convert. Still, he walked to the 14th tee with a three-stroke lead.
Hole Fourteen
Smith’s troubles continued as he bogeyed 14 and dropped into a tie for fourth with Shane Lowry at three-under-par.
Collin Morikawa, playing with McIlroy, also holed his bunker shot on the 18th for a birdie that moved him into third place at four-under-par. Lowry then made a birdie on the par-five 15th to take him into a tie with Morikawa, dropping Smith to fifth.
Through it all, Sheffler birdied the 14th separating himself by four strokes from McIlroy with four holes to play.
Hole Fifteen
Smith was looking at an eagle putt on the 15th green, he lagged it up close to the hole making a birdie to move him into the group at four under par. No eagles were recorded on 15 this week, the first time that had happened since 1965.
Surprisingly, Scheffler did not lay up with his approach shot, he landed his ball on the green and it rolled just off the back fringe. He chipped below the hole and then sank the birdie putt to essentially lock up the victory.
Hole Sixteen
Both players hit the putting surface on the par-three 16th. A par putt sent Scheffler to the 17th tee enjoying the adulation of the patrons. Smith holed out with a birdie to break the third-place tie which could mean a significant increase in his winnings for the week.
Hole Seventeen
Drives on the 17th found the trees on opposite sides of the fairway. Not a great concern for Scheffler, but Smith is trying to hold onto his slim lead over Morikawa and Lowry. That task was compounded by Lowry sinking a birdie putt on the 18th to match Smith at five-under.
Scrambling pars sent the final twosome to the 18th where the patrons waited to crown a new champion.
The Eighteenth Hole
Cameron Smith just missed a birdie putt on the 18th that would have separated him from Shane Lowry and allowed him to score even par on the day. Scheffler missed a par putt on the final hole, then lipped out on his bogey putt. But, no matter, the only time the pressure got to him all day was with a five-shot lead at the last. He only used up two of them, finishing at 10 under par and winning by three strokes over McIlroy.
Scottie Scheffler is the 2022 Masters Champion!
Final Results of the 86th Masters Championship at Augusta National Golf Club
| POSITION | NAME | TO PAR | ROUND 1 | ROUND 2 | ROUND 3 | ROUND 4 | TOTAL |
| 1 | Scottie Scheffler | -10 | 69 | 67 | 71 | 71 | 278 |
| 2 | Rory McIlroy | -7 | 73 | 73 | 71 | 64 | 281 |
| T3 | Shane Lowry | -5 | 73 | 68 | 73 | 69 | 283 |
| T3 | Cameron Smith | -5 | 68 | 74 | 68 | 73 | 283 |
| 5 | Collin Morikawa | -4 | 73 | 70 | 74 | 67 | 284 |
| T6 | Will Zalatoris | -3 | 71 | 72 | 75 | 67 | 285 |
| T6 | Corey Conners | -3 | 70 | 73 | 72 | 70 | 285 |
| T8 | Justin Thomas | -1 | 76 | 67 | 72 | 72 | 287 |
| T8 | Sungjae Im | -1 | 67 | 74 | 71 | 75 | 287 |
| T10 | Cameron Champ | E | 72 | 75 | 71 | 70 | 288 |
| T10 | Charl Schwartzel | E | 72 | 69 | 73 | 74 | 288 |
| T12 | Dustin Johnson | 1 | 69 | 73 | 75 | 72 | 289 |
| T12 | Danny Willett | 1 | 69 | 74 | 73 | 73 | 289 |
| T14 | Kevin Na | 2 | 71 | 71 | 79 | 69 | 290 |
| T14 | Min Woo Lee | 2 | 73 | 75 | 72 | 70 | 290 |
| T14 | Matthew Fitzpatrick | 2 | 71 | 73 | 76 | 70 | 290 |
| T14 | Harry Higgs | 2 | 71 | 75 | 73 | 71 | 290 |
| T14 | Talor Gooch | 2 | 72 | 74 | 73 | 71 | 290 |
| T14 | Lee Westwood | 2 | 72 | 74 | 73 | 71 | 290 |
| T14 | Hideki Matsuyama | 2 | 72 | 69 | 77 | 72 | 290 |
| T14 | Tommy Fleetwood | 2 | 75 | 72 | 70 | 73 | 290 |
| T14 | Jason Kokrak | 2 | 70 | 76 | 71 | 73 | 290 |
| T23 | Harold Varner III | 3 | 71 | 71 | 80 | 69 | 291 |
| T23 | Robert MacIntyre | 3 | 73 | 73 | 76 | 69 | 291 |
| T23 | Sergio Garcia | 3 | 72 | 74 | 74 | 71 | 291 |
| T23 | J.J. Spaun | 3 | 74 | 70 | 75 | 72 | 291 |
| T27 | Jon Rahm | 4 | 74 | 72 | 77 | 69 | 292 |
| T27 | Seamus Power | 4 | 74 | 74 | 74 | 70 | 292 |
| T27 | Viktor Hovland | 4 | 72 | 76 | 71 | 73 | 292 |
| T30 | Russell Henley | 5 | 73 | 74 | 76 | 70 | 293 |
| T30 | Sepp Straka | 5 | 74 | 72 | 76 | 71 | 293 |
| T30 | Lucas Glover | 5 | 72 | 76 | 72 | 73 | 293 |
| T30 | Hudson Swafford | 5 | 77 | 69 | 73 | 74 | 293 |
| T30 | Marc Leishman | 5 | 73 | 75 | 71 | 74 | 293 |
| T35 | Joaquin Niemann | 6 | 69 | 74 | 77 | 74 | 294 |
| T35 | Tony Finau | 6 | 71 | 75 | 74 | 74 | 294 |
| T35 | Patrick Reed | 6 | 74 | 73 | 73 | 74 | 294 |
| T35 | Webb Simpson | 6 | 71 | 74 | 73 | 76 | 294 |
| T39 | Patrick Cantlay | 7 | 70 | 75 | 79 | 71 | 295 |
| T39 | Bubba Watson | 7 | 73 | 73 | 78 | 71 | 295 |
| T39 | Tom Hoge | 7 | 73 | 74 | 75 | 73 | 295 |
| T39 | Si Woo Kim | 7 | 76 | 70 | 73 | 76 | 295 |
| 43 | Billy Horschel | 8 | 74 | 73 | 79 | 70 | 296 |
| T44 | Christiaan Bezuidenhout | 9 | 73 | 71 | 77 | 76 | 297 |
| T44 | Kevin Kisner | 9 | 75 | 70 | 75 | 77 | 297 |
| 46 | Cameron Davis | 12 | 75 | 73 | 79 | 73 | 300 |
| 47 | Tiger Woods | 13 | 71 | 74 | 78 | 78 | 301 |
| T48 | Adam Scott | 14 | 74 | 74 | 80 | 74 | 302 |
| T48 | Max Homa | 14 | 74 | 73 | 77 | 78 | 302 |
| T50 | Mackenzie Hughes | 15 | 73 | 75 | 77 | 78 | 303 |
| T50 | Daniel Berger | 15 | 71 | 75 | 77 | 80 | 303 |
| 52 | Tyrrell Hatton | 17 | 72 | 74 | 79 | 80 | 305 |
