Scheffler shot 4-under and is similarly positioned to where he stood after one round when he won in 2022 and 2024.
Scheffler shot 4-under and is similarly positioned to where he stood after one round when he won in 2022 and 2024.Scottie Scheffler watches his tee shot on the fourth hole during the first round at the Masters golf tournament, Thursday, April 10, 2025, in Augusta, Ga.
strode from the practice putting green, a crane-mounted camera hovering above and patrons massed around the first tee box, awaiting his arrival. The golf world wondered whether Dallas’ Scheffler will make history here this week. If anything, his 4-under 68 in Thursday’s first round of the 89th Masters reinforcedHe bombed in birdie putts of 62 feet on No. 4 and 42 feet on No. 16 during a bogey-free round that vaulted him to a tie for second, three strokes behind leader Justin Rose. In other words, 28-year-old Scheffler is similarly positioned to where he stood after one round when he won here in 2022 and 2024.“Anytime you get close to the lead, it’s going to be easier for you to win the golf tournament,” he said. “That’s a simple fact of the matter.”, No. 2 in the world and this week’s co-favorite, was 4 under until making double-bogeys on Nos. 15 and 17, finishing at even-par 72., the 2015 Masters champion, was 2 under after nine holes, but he double-bogeyed from a greenside bunker on No. 10 and shot 73. Unless 44-year-old Rose, runner-up here in 2015 and 2017, continues his Thursday birdie barrage and proves uncatchable this week, Scheffler’s proven track record and comfort level here will have him in the hunt this weekend.“We’re all running our race out here,” said Rose, when asked whether Scheffler’s strong start compelled him to push harder for birdies.“But you do notice Scottie on the leaderboard and you’re like, ‘That’s a great start for him,’ and you know he’s going to be tough. “It doesn’t rattle or change what you’re doing or influence you in any way, but you’re like, ‘OK, you know his position in the game right now, the way he’s played in recent years, that’s a great start for him. Probably the perfect start.’ ” Scheffler is bidding to join Jack Nicklaus , Nick Faldo and Tiger Woods as the Masters’ only repeat winners. A win also would equal Nicklaus’ feat as the only player to win three Masters in a four-year span .To think: Scheffler didn’t even birdie the par-5 13th or 15th holes. As greens dried and hardened throughout the day, tripping seemingly all the afternoon-draw players except Rose, Scheffler found bunkers on Nos. 17 and 18 but parred both holes. Scheffler no doubt was disappointed to three-putt from 34 feet to settle for par on No. 15, but at least he didn’t suffer the fate of McIlroy, who was 4 under coming into the same hole. After his 4-iron second shot rolled through the back of the green, McIlroy’s comeback chip rolled into Rae’s Creek, leading to double-bogey. “Anytime you can keep a card clean out here it’s a really good thing,” Scheffler said. “I struggled for what felt like two pars today. I had to make two really good up-and-downs.“But other than that, the golf course was in front of me most of the day. I kept the ball in play; did a lot of really good things out there.” This was his second bogey-free round at Augusta National. The other occurred in the first round of last year’s Masters, when his opening-round 66 positioned him one shot behind DeChambeau. Scheffler wound up winning by four shots over Aberg. When Scheffler won here in 2022 by three shots over McIlroy, his first-round 69 put him in a tie for third, two shots behind Im Sung-jae. “I had a feeling the golf course was going to get pretty firm,” Scheffler said. “The areas to hit your irons out here are pretty small and they get even smaller when the greens are firm, so there’s definitely some challenge to the golf course today.Almost three hours before Scheffler’s round began, legends Nicklaus, Gary Player and Tom Watson opened the tournament with ceremonial tee shots. Afterward, all three were asked to name the player they believe will win this week. All three chose McIlroy, though Nicklaus added: “There’s nobody playing any better in the game than Scottie. Between the two of them, I think you’re going to find your winner.” Last week, McIlroy sat down for lunch with six-time Masters champion Nicklaus, who asked him to discuss how he planned to approach each hole at Augusta National.“The discipline is what Rory has lacked in my opinion,” Nicklaus said. “He’s got all the shots. He’s got all the game. He certainly is as talented as anybody in the game. But if you go back and see his history the last few years, he gets to a place a lot of times and an 8 or a 7 pops up.” That place Thursday was No. 15. It remains to be seen whether that 7, or the 6 he took on 17, will doom McIlroy’s quest to complete the career grand slam this week. But the day’s events crystalized why Nicklaus believes Scheffler is more likely to follow Nicklaus and Woods in sheer dominance. “To dominate the game, you’ve got to have a history of winning and knowing you can win,” Nicklaus said. “Winning and success breeds winning and success.“I think Rory was there for a while, and then he lost his way for 11 years as far as winning majors. But I look at who is out there right now, I think Scottie has got the best chance of doing what you’re asking about. “Would you have asked me that question two years ago, I wouldn’t have found anybody. But because of the way he played last year, that’s where I would come from.”Scottie Scheffler, Jordan Spieth, Will Zalatoris: How Dallas’ big 3 have fared at MastersDallas Morning News sports reporter since 1993. Prior to that he worked at The Houston Chronicle and San Antonio Light. Eight-time APSE award winner; 2016 National Headliner Award; 2018 Celeste Williams Texas Sportswriter of the Year; 2021 NSMA Texas Sportswriter of the Year.
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