Scottie Scheffler is the only Masters competitor in the past 84 years to go bogey free on the weekend.
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AUGUSTA, GEORGIA | Halfway through the 2026 Masters, it appeared Scottie Scheffler would be a footnote at best.
After rounds of 70-74 at Augusta National, the world No. 1 was 12 strokes behind leader Rory McIlroy, who set a Masters record with a six-stroke lead through 36 holes, and looked unlikely to challenge for his third green jacket.
All that changed on Saturday, however, as McIlroy backed up into a share of the lead with Cameron Young after a third-round 73 while Scheffler shot a bogey-free 65, trimming his deficit to four strokes through 54 holes.
Asked afterward if he has the ability to find another gear in major championships, Scheffler responded affirmatively. “I think that’s what great players and great competitors do is they’re able to rise to the occasion,” he said.
On Sunday in Augusta, Scheffler hit the accelerator early and fell into neutral for 11 holes before thrusting himself into the title mix with late birdies at Nos. 15 and 16. But he ultimately came up a stroke short, finishing second to McIlroy at 11-under par after a closing 68. It was likely cold comfort for Scheffler to learn that he became the only Masters competitor in the last 84 years to play the weekend bogey free.
Scheffler crosses the Hogan Bridge during his Sunday 68.
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“The first two days I played what I felt was really solid on Thursday, and then Friday with the softer greens, that round really hurt, especially mistakes I made on the back nine,” Scheffler said. “But overall over the weekend I put up a good fight, did a lot of good stuff in order to give myself a chance and ultimately came up a couple shots short.”
Scheffler started Sunday with a birdie from 8 feet at the first before missing a short birdie putt at the par-5 second. He bounced back with a birdie from the front greenside bunker at the short par-4 third and climbed to within two strokes of McIlroy and Young, who were just teeing off three groups behind.
As drama played out in the groups behind him – with McIlroy surrendering the lead first to Young and then to Justin Rose before regaining it early in the back nine – Scheffler lurked a few strokes adrift as he made 11 consecutive pars from Nos. 4-14. He failed to take advantage of the par-5 eighth, driving into the trees on the left and lipping out a birdie putt from just over the back of the green, and he similarly missed an 11-footer for birdie at the par-5 13th after laying up short of Rae’s Creek.
Three strokes behind McIlroy as he teed off on No. 15, Scheffler drove into the trees on the right and clipped a branch with his second shot before finding the green and draining a 25-foot birdie putt to climb to 10-under, two strokes behind McIlroy. Moments later, he nestled his tee shot on the par-3 16th to within 12 feet and coaxed home another birdie, which kept him two behind McIlroy after the Northern Irishman had birdied No. 13.
Scheffler gave himself a golden opportunity for a third straight birdie at No. 17, where his 163-yard approach settled 18 feet from the hole, but his putt burned the left edge.
“The putt I hit on 17 I really thought I made,” he said.
“I knew going into today I was going to have to do something special if I wanted to catch [McIlroy] or Cam [Young] and I was close but just a few shots here or there.”
Scottie Scheffler
Still trailing by two, Scheffler uncorked a 312-yard drive that found the middle of the fairway on 18, but his approach hit the front of the green and spun back down the slope short of the putting surface.
“The shot into 18 I hit it exactly how I wanted to,” he said. “I think we just lost the wind, and it got right up to the edge and came all the way back down. Would’ve been nice to give myself an opportunity there on 18 …”
With an up-and-down par, Scheffler took the clubhouse lead at 11-under but could only watch as McIlroy closed the deal on his second consecutive Masters title.
“I knew going into today I was going to have to do something special if I wanted to catch [McIlroy] or Cam [Young] and I was close but just a few shots here or there,” Scheffler said.
“Overall I’m not going to hold too many regrets, but yeah, definitely a bit disappointed now. But like I said, I started the weekend 12 shots back and ended up only one shot back. If I am going to blame anything, I should probably blame the first two rounds before I start looking at stuff from the last couple.”
Mike Cullity
