Scottie Scheffler finished just behind Rory McIlroy at the Masters Tournament this weekend, ending the major championship a single stroke behind the back-to-back green jacket winner. Following the conclusion of the fourth round on Sunday evening, Scheffler openly addressed his frustrations with the fluctuating course conditions at the Augusta National Golf Club.
Frustrations With Changing Conditions
“I would’ve liked it to have been a little bit more equal in terms of the firmness on Thursday and Friday,” Scheffler told reporters, while noting that he ultimately isn’t “in charge of the course setup.”
Scheffler expressed surprise at how soft the course played on Friday afternoon, which stood in stark contrast to the highly challenging and windy conditions the field faced on Thursday.
“The weather also changes, like it was a bit windy on Thursday,” he added. “So who knows, it’s just that’s part of the game. We play an outdoor sport, and you don’t know how conditions are gonna change—especially course conditions.”
A Costly Second Round
Scheffler pinpointed his second-round performance on Friday as the primary reason he ultimately fell short of the victory. While course officials seemingly softened the greens, Scheffler struggled to capitalize during his early tee time, shooting a 74 with four bogeys.
“We went out on Thursday, Thursday afternoon were some of the most challenging conditions we had all week. I didn’t see many birdies out there,” Scheffler explained. “So going out on Friday, whatever they did to the greens to soften them up… I just wasn’t able to take advantage of that going out early.”
Meanwhile, players with later tee times on Friday capitalized heavily on the softer greens. “You saw the barrage of birdies that Rory made and Cam Young and a bunch of guys made on Friday late in the day,” he said. “That day probably hurt the most in terms of my chances to win.”
An Impressive Weekend Comeback
Despite starting the weekend an intimidating 12 strokes back from the lead, Scheffler mounted a massive comeback to finish within one shot of McIlroy. His overall tournament performance was anchored by highly consistent play over the weekend:
- Finished at 11-under par for the tournament.
- Carded an uncharacteristic 74 (two-over-par) during the crucial second round.
- Recorded 12 birdies and 2 eagles across the four rounds.
- Limited his major mistakes, settling for just 5 bogeys overall.
“To get within one was a pretty good run,” Scheffler concluded, reflecting on his massive weekend surge up the leaderboard.
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