Scottie Scheffler lived up to his fame as a pre-tournament favorite for Masters glory.
At a sun-drenched Augusta National, the red-hot world number one took the green jacket for the second time in three years, further cementing his place at the top of the sport.
The unflappable Scheffler started with a one-stroke lead and, despite making a pair of early bogeys, made a series of impressive birdies to reach the finish line at 11 under par.
The devout Christian faced an incredible challenge from Swedish sensation Ludvig Aberg: the 24-year-old appeared in his first major less than a year after turning professional and finished four shots behind.
Scheffler’s clinical victory adds further weight to the belief that this is the era of the cold 27-year-old, who could well dominate for years to come.
On the other hand, Tommy Fleetwood led the British group with four under par. Although he was never in serious contention, the Ryder Cup star was a mainstay in the standings and shot an excellent bogey-free 69 to comfortably secure a tie for third, his best result in a Masters.
Earlier, Tiger Woods, who broke the record after making 24 cuts, worked his way up to 16 cuts after his return from surgery.
Rory McIlroy also struggled, and his Masters curse continued after he finished with a hugely disappointing four over. “I’m going to keep coming back until it’s my year.” said the philosophical Northern Irishman.
THIS IS A DEVELOPING STORY. MORE TO FOLLOW.
American golfer and world number one Scottie Scheffler won the Masters for the second time in three years.
Scheffler was tied for the 36-hole lead and had sole possession of the 54-hole lead entering Sunday’s final round.
That all happened before Sunday: Scheffler led by just one stroke over Collin Morikawa.
The American finished strong, making seven birdies to finish the tournament at 11 under par and four strokes ahead.
Scheffler crosses Nelson Bridge on the 13th hole during the final round of the Masters
Scheffler lines up a putt on the 17th green during the final round of the Masters
It’s Scheffler’s third win of the season so far, having won two tournaments in Florida.
Behind Scheffler was Ludvig Aberg, who performed well in his first major tournament.
The 24-year-old finished second in his first Masters, at seven under par.
The Swede showed that he belongs at Augusta: he recorded five birdies and a double bogey.
Aberg hits his approach shot on the 13th hole in the final round of the Masters
Aberg reacts after missing an eagle putt on the 13th hole during the final round
Behind Aberg was a three-way tie for third place at four under, starting with Collin Morikawa.
Morikawa entered Sunday at 6 under, just one stroke behind Scheffler’s 7-under mark.
But any chance to improve his score (birdies at 8, 13, 15) was thwarted (double bogeys at 9, 11).
Morikawa reacts to a missed birdie opportunity on the 7th hole. He would finish with a par.
American Max Homa had a one-over round and also finished tied for third place at four under par.
Homa had a solid top nine performance, finishing the first leg at one under par.
But Homa overshot the green into the bushes on the 12th hole, resulting in a double-bogey setback.
That double bogey on the 12th hole was his biggest mistake and he didn’t gain any strokes after that.
The final member of the third place playoff was Tommy Fleetwood, who performed well on Sunday.
Fleetwood made 15 pars and three birdies to finish the final round flawlessly.
Fleetwood lines up a putt on the eighth green during the final round of the Masters
Sunday also saw the end of Tiger Woods’ worst 72-hole performance at Augusta.
After shooting 82 on Saturday, Woods carded a 77 on Sunday for a 16-over all-week mark.
Woods waved to fans on the 18th green as the 48-year-old Florida native walked away.
Reigning champion Jon Rahm looked like a copy of himself from the year before.
Rahm struggled throughout the tournament, finishing the tournament at nine over par.
His final round mirrored his performance in the second round: he shot four more times both times.
