Apr 5, 2023; Augusta, Georgia, USA; Scottie Scheffler walks with wife Meredith Scudder during the Par 3 Contest at The Masters golf tournament at Augusta National Golf Club. Mandatory Credit: Michael Madrid-USA TODAY Network
The Masters, golf’s biggest major and one of the most prestigious events in all of sports, starts Thursday (4/6) in its usual spot in Augusta, Georgia. Let’s take a look at the two Longhorns participating in the tournament this week, and it may be names you aren’t quite aware of… Scottie Scheffler and Jordan Spieth. Did that joke DRIVE you crazy? Both of these golfers are well respected and known and have realistic chances of winning this weekend, especially Scheffler. Let’s take a look at their recent tournament finishes before the Masters and how successful they have been at Augusta in the past.
Starting with the #1 ranked golfer in the world, Scottie Scheffler is coming off a 4th-place finish at the WGC-Dell Match Play event that was held in Austin, Texas, at the Austin Country Club. I had a chance to attend that event and the course was absolutely beautiful, as several holes are located right by Lake Austin and the popular Pennybacker Bridge. Scheffler looked as fresh as ever yet ended up losing in the semi-finals against Sam Burns, as they went to a playoff that lasted three holes. He went on to play Rory Mcllroy in the finals consolation bracket yet lost by 2 points. Nonetheless, another great outing for Scottie. Before this, Scheffler won THE PLAYERS Championship at TPC Sawgrass in Florida, as he shot 17-under for the week and won by a total of 5 strokes. He had the best average driving distance with 305.9 yards per drive and had 20 birdies with only 5 bogeys to go along with that. Looking now at the Masters, this will be Scheffler’s 4th appearance at Augusta and he is, of course, the reigning Masters champion as he beat Rory Mcllroy by 3 strokes and finished 10-under for the tournament last year. This was Scheffler’s first major championship title, and the two years before that finished T-19 in 2020 and T-18 in 2021, respectively. Let’s see if the champ can keep his crown, but by the way he’s been playing all season, there is a reason he is the favorite.
Let’s now shift over to Spieth. Jordan has been playing some solid golf as of late, finishing T-3 at the Valspar Championship in Florida in mid-March and the week before finishing T-19 at THE PLAYERS Championship in Florida as well. Looking at the Valspar, Spieth shot 8-under for the week with 15 birdies and 9 bogeys. In round 1, he was bogey-free and shot 4-under on the day, with 3 consecutive birdies on holes 14-16. He’s only missed one cut in his past 5 tournaments played, and besides that, his lowest finish has been that T-19. Spieth seems ready to go. Now, let’s shift back over to the tournament at-hand. In a career that seems to be filled with inconsistency, the former Longhorn has been effective at the Masters overall and has a chance to quiet the haters with a second victory in his 10th appearance at Augusta. Spieth won the green jacket back in 2015 and has only missed one cut in his 9 previous appearances. Along with the first place finish, he has tied for 2nd twice, came in 3rd place once, and tied for 3rd once as well. The man has experience on this Par 72, 7,510-yard course that has been played on for decades, so it will be very interesting and fun to watch to see if he can continue his Masters success.
Both of these Longhorns are playing efficient golf… let’s see who comes out ahead!
-Twitter: @RSwantkowski
