PODCAST — drewbirdsports

At the beginning of every year the same wonderful commercials show up on our televisions to showcase the beauty and majesty of that golf course down in Augusta, Georgia and the fact that coming this April, the Masters golf tournament will begin once again. The Masters golf tournament is one of, if not the most hyped and marketed events in the sports calendar. Credit goes to those in charge, because every single detail seems to have been thought of, and combed over time and time again to polish the golf product down to near perfection. Yet, often times the pomp and circumstance that surrounds this tournament and lives in it, does not always yield the most riveting of competition.

Of course there are plenty of instances in the past where multiple athletes are heading down the fairways of the second nine on the final day, with one, two, or no shots between them and everlasting glory. I am not here to talk about those times in the past, and how great the highlights are and how wonderful the legends are who played. And I am not here to talk about how a result 50+ years ago could have changed the sport of golf forever. At the end of the day, it is a 4-round tournament just like all the other events on the PGA calendar.

There is no doubt, the Masters is the most prestigious golf tournament to win and to participate in. Across the world people flock to a small town in Georgia to witness greatness. This year there was drama, the strong favorite looking to capture his second green jacket. The defending champion, now playing on a rival tour, looking to repeat and prove himself as the best golfer in the world. The amateurs and young players, hoping to make their mark on the tour and cement their status as one of the big boys. And of course, another year for Tiger Woods, arguably at the course that he is one in the same with. Despite all this, as Sunday drew to a close, many viewers did not get the drama that they so desired, and despite that, I think the 2024 Masters went exactly how it should have.

In golf, and especially at the Masters, viewers crave to see those make or break moments when the best in the world contend with the finest of margins in order to keep their bid at the green jacket alive. While the scores this year proved to be lower than in years past, and with a packed leaderboard on Sunday morning, it seemed like all the ingredients for a drama-filled finish were present. But one person had something else in mind, Scottie Scheffler. He was and still remains the number one ranked golfer in the world after winning the 2024 Masters (if you read this far and didn’t know that you can’t be mad at me). For anyone who has followed golf this or last year, Scottie Scheffler is the one person that everyone expects to dominate and that is exactly what he did on the most difficult stage.

Scottie teed off in the last group on Sunday with 2-time major champion Collin Morikawa, who was eager to get his first green jacket. With Master’s rookie Ludvig Aberg and the ever-steady Max Homa only a few shots back, it seemed like Scottie would have his hands full fending off the opponents. But as the great ones do, Scottie made this final round look easy. He shot a final round score of 68, four under par, which separated him from everyone else on the course that day. While others had moments, Scottie had a whole weekend. He never got too attached to shots and never got himself in too much trouble.

Fortunately for him, and maybe unfortunately for the viewer, Scottie had this one in the bag the whole way down the stretch. He’s been the best golfer in the world, and Augusta brings out the best of the best. Completely in control and in perfect balance of aggressive and conservative. Strong with driver off the tee and smooth on the marble-like greens that frustrate so many. Augusta is not supposed to just let anyone go out and shoot 6 or 7 under on an afternoon to get themselves back into the race. It is a course that demands patience and intention when plotting and probing around the property, so it’s no surprise to me that the best pulled away when it came down to the wire.

I do think that years down the road, people will remember this 2024 edition of the Masters and remember just how dominate and zoned-in Scottie Schefflera was during this time in professional golf. With drama soaking in around him, he has stayed steady, devoted, and determined to improve, which has landed him on the top of the mountain. In any era where golf is so demanding, and at a golf course that demands as much as Augusta, Scottie Scheffler demanded yet another win.

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Was it a bad Masters this year or was it exactly how the Masters should be?