Scottie Scheffler on pace for historic Masters triumph as calm, effective 68 opens door to third green jacket

AUGUSTA, Ga. — Scottie Scheffler stood atop the hill in the 15th fairway and weighed his options. Justin Thomas had just pitched out. U.S. Amateur champion Jose Luis Ballester was experiencing a nervy Masters welcome. The world No. 1 was ready to pull the trigger but was forced to wait.

It wasn’t the wind, you see, but rather an errant tee shot which found its way into his fairway that held him up. It belonged to Nick Dunlap. Beat red from both the sun and the embarrassment of carding an eventual opening-round 90, Dunlap wasted little time to navigate his golf ball back to the correct hole. 

He sauntered up the hill with a straight face and without skipping a beat. Cries of “Roll Tide” bounced off him. The two-time PGA Tour winner, who exploded onto the scene after winning a PGA Tour event while still an amateur last season, knew his day was almost over. His Masters chances as well. 

As for Scheffler, his tournament was just beginning.

The two-time Masters champion was sensational in the first round of his second title defense at Augusta National Golf Club. Navigating a breezy, stress-inducing day without a square on his scorecard, Scheffler added four circles along the way to sign for an opening 4-under 68.

The score was good enough to match Corey Conners’ early first-round lead in the clubhouse. While it may only be 18 holes, it was an important 18 holes for Scheffler, who also sat inside the top three after Thursday’s action in both 2022 and 2024 — the years of his two green jacket victories.

Amid the noise and chaos of serving as reigning Masters champion — and the wind that swirled around the second nine at Augusta National — Scheffler remained Mr. Cool. The history on the line — becoming the fourth ever to go back-to-back and the second to slip on the jacket three times in a four-year span (Jack Nicklaus) — much like cheers of “Roll Tide” to Dunlap, bounced off him. 

Unaffected by the narratives, Scheffler settled into his tournament early.

A methodical birdie on the par-5 2nd kicked off his day before a long-distance connection from 62 feet on No. 4 came roaring home. That forced another former champion, Jordan Spieth, to back off a birdie look of his own from one hole back. 

The patrons were behind the world No. 1 from the start. Scheffler’s presence around the course was well known and easily recognized.

Picking off another birdie on the par-5 8th, which required a back-footed driving pitch that used the contours to perfection due to his second settling in a divot, Scheffler entered the meat of Augusta National at 3 under and with all eyes on him. 

“I hit a really awesome shot to get it to about 15 feet,” Scheffler said. “I had to put it in the back of my stance, stand close to it, make sure I got ball first, and I hit this kind of low skipper. Was fortunate to be able to get some spin on it because it was sitting so deep in that grass, I was surprised it didn’t hit the front of the divot when it came out. That’s how deep it was. But was able to get some spin, spun it to the right of that hill and gave myself a good look that I was able to knock it in.”

A routine par on No. 10 preceded a delicate up-and-in on the difficult par-4 11th. His ability to put those nervy chips remains an under appreciated superpower. Receiving a champion’s welcome on the 12th tee box, Scheffler struck a short iron to perfection and found the part of the green just above the front greenside bunker protecting the putting surface. Two putts secured a par. Three putts secured another on the next.

Despite the inability to convert his birdie chance on No. 13, Scheffler remained unaffected. He knows this tournament all too well. He realizes he is in the early stages of a marathon, not a sprint. Birdie bids will come and go. Big par saves will be had like his on No. 17. Some scoring chances will be seized, like his 42-foot birdie on No. 16 , while others will not, like his near miss on the par-4 finisher.

It’s all part of the Masters and major championship golf. And it’s all part of what makes Scheffler so hard to crack. Well, that and matching a career-low 26 putts in a round at Augusta National. He’ll saunter on and let the chaos and wind swirl around him while remaining focused on what’s directly in front. The rest bounces off.

“I don’t really think about that stuff very much,” Scheffler said of the need to create a fast start at Augusta. “I don’t really care what happened in the last few tournaments. I think anytime you get close to the lead, it’s going to be easier for you to win the golf tournament. That’s a simple fact of the matter. You get off to a good start, statistically, you’re going to have a better chance to win the tournament.”