“It felt like I was out of 10 laps with Canelo,” he later said, referring to boxing champion Canelo Alvarez.
A cool breeze was blowing constantly, intensified by frequent gusts of 25-30 mph, throughout the last part of this second lap in the 86th Masters. And he ousted many notables both from the controversy and, in the case of Jordan Spieth, Brooks Koepka and Bryson DeChambeau, out of the tournament.
But when it came time for Scottie Scheffler, he was undefeated. When the dust settled after 36 holes around one of the holiest golf courses, Scheffler stood in the clearing, having managed to reach a suffocating foot in the standings and approaching a major knockout.
And it’s not even Saturday.
Commitment key to Scheffler’s impressive 2nd round
Full field score from the 86th Masters tournament
“I definitely feel like I was in a game today,” said Scheffler, whose 5-under 67 pushed him to 8 under, five shots off the field. “I guess, you know, the only thing I would say to that is that maybe I just had a little better performance.”
No one in the history of the Masters has preceded by more than halfway, while five players have previously had such a 36-hole lead.
Four of the five, including Spieth and Jack Nicklaus, won. Harry Cooper, in 1936, finished second.
“I have been preparing for a long time to be in moments like this and to win a golf tournament,” Scheffler said. “I could not ask for anything more after 36 holes. … But I still have a long way to go. It’s nice to have a small lead, but I’m not really going to think about it tonight or anything. You know, I put myself in a position to play well and win this golf tournament. and going to tomorrow, I will approach it as I did today and I will dedicate myself to my shots and I will hope for the best. “
Two back, entering his T-shirt late Friday, Scheffler came out of the gates before finding his groove with some repulsions that increased momentum. He later rolled on an 8-foot to par-4 seventh and backed it up with a stress-free bird in par-5 eighth.
“I thought even the exchange rate would be a very good score,” Scheffler said. “Really, the only thing that went through my mind before today’s round was that I just wanted to make a decent start. “In my opinion, the way the wind blew, if I was 1 or more than five holes around this golf course – really even six where this pin was today – that was a great start.”
In the second nine, Scheffler showed the ability to hit any shot, even in cloudy conditions. He cleverly used the humps on No. 11 to avoid disaster and instead created a clear up and down equation – or, as Scheffler’s best man Ted Scott put it, “a nice little bird.” He judged the wind well at No. 12, hitting his shirt on 12 feet and sinking the putt. He caught a ball of mud and lost the 13th green 40 yards on the right, but he got together nicely and turned the short bird.
He did not even think of going to the flag at No. 15, playing in the far right half and launching another bird in par-5. Finally, use the slope and drain a 5 foot bird into the 16th hole par-3.
Scheffler had almost an eighth bird, also at No. 18, crossing trees with a second of pine straw before losing his 12-foot.
“One of my goals today came in the way the wind blew, Teddy and I talked about it, we’re just going to try to play this golf course like Bernhard Langer and just plan your way,” he said. Scheffler.
Methodical like Bernhard Langer, tough like Cal Ripken Jr.
Standing out for Highland Park High in Dallas, Scheffler won three consecutive individual state titles, tying Spieth’s preparation. Only Spieth did not win any of his own on an ankle bum.
A week before his second victory, Scheffler had twisted his left ankle while playing basketball after stepping on an acorn in any case. With his foot open, he won with three shots.
Scheffler’s feet, in more ways than one, are firmly planted in the ground these days. With three wins in his last six starts, his new position as No. 1 in the world and the mentality that none of that really matters, Scheffler has proven to be consistent.
This weekend at Augusta National, he can enhance this persona, while also showing that he looks good in the green.
