It should come as no surprise that Scottie Scheffler (Titleist Pro V1) won the 2024 Masters – I predicted that in my blog last week and, frankly, he was the heavy favourite going into – but what was surprising was how youth was served in the tournament.
Scheffler is only 27, and below him in order of the top-five finishers were several 20 somethings and a few in their early 30s.
Runnerup Ludvig Aberg (Titleist Pro V1x) is 24. Tying for third were Tommy Fleetwood (TaylorMade TP5x), who is 33, Collin Morikawa (TaylorMade TP5x), who is 27, and Max Homa (Titleist Pro V1), who is 33. Tying for sixth were Cameron Smith (Titleist Pro V1x), who is 30, as is Bryson DeChambeau (Bridgestone Tour B X). Xander Schauffele (Callaway Chrome Tour), who placed along in eighth, is 30. Tying for ninth were Will Zalatoris (Titleist Pro V1x), who is 27, and Tyrrell Hatton (Titleist Pro V1x), who is 32.
Scheffler won his second Masters in the last three years. Since switching from a blade putter to a mallet putter, Scheffler has three wins and a second. His putting before that was erratic and it clearly frustrated him. Credit to Rory McIlroy (TaylorMade TP5x), who indicated in an interview, he thought Scheffler would benefit changing to a mallet. Unfortunately for McIlroy, he came up far short in his attempt to complete his personal Grand Slam, finishing tied for 22nd. He simply has been unable to put it all together for four rounds, though he did himself a huge favor by finishing one-under par after the opening round.
I think a big factor in Scheffler’s overall success has been his caddie, Ted Scott, who has been doing this for 22 years and had previous success with two-time Masters winner Bubba Watson. They worked together for 15 years, and when Watson was looking to step back from competitive golf because of a wrist injury in 2021, they parted amicably in the fall. Scott was set to retire and focus on instructing amateurs, but that changed when he met Scheffler in a Bible study group.
According to a story in Essentially Sports, Scheffler told Scott he “really wanted to work with a Christian. That’s how I try to live my life.”
Scott told Scheffler he’d consider working for him if he stopped throwing tantrums, some directed at his caddie, after missing a shot.
Watching Scheffler play now, it’s hard to believe he ever had anger issues. He plays so much within himself, rarely getting too worked up after a bad shot or a close miss. But following his win, he let it all out and embraced Scott with repeated hugs. And when Scheffler was walking toward the scoring area, he stopped, looked behind him and motioned for Scott to join him.
What a moment!
Scott has become extremely wealthy working for Scheffler, winning two Masters and making significant income. Scheffler earned a PGA Tour record $21 million in 2023. He has banked more than $15 million already this year. A caddie normally earns 10 percent of a players earnings. It might be even more if there are bonuses and sponsorship money included. Scheffler wears Nike’s logo on his hat and shirt.
As for Aberg, you have to believe he could be the one who challenges Scheffler in the future. He played in the Masters for the first time – it was also his first major – and was basically unflappable. He might have the most fluid swing in the world. It’s basically effortless, as opposed to the torque and speed of most heavy hitters. The Swedish native, who attended Texas Tech University, has played in 25 tournaments since turning pro less than a year ago and has recorded a win, three runnerup finishes, five top-five finishes and eight top-10s. He has made 22 of 25 cuts and banked more than $9 million. He is ranked seventh in the Official World Golf Rankings.
NELLY LOOKING TO EXTEND STREAK: Nelly Korda (TaylorMade TP5x) heads into this week’s Chevron Championship, the first of the five majors on the LPGA Tour, as the heavy favorite at 5-1 odds according to Oddschecker. She has won four tournaments in a row, the first to do so in 16 years. If she wins five in a row, she would be in prestige company with Hall of Famers Nancy Lopez and Annika Sorenstam.
The odds gap between Korda and the rest of the field is huge. Jin Young Ko (Titleist Pro C1) is next at 22-1. Atthaya Thitikul (Callaway Chrome Soft X) is next a 28-1, along with 2016 Chevron Championship winner Lydia Ko (Titleist Pro V1x), Sei Young Kim (Titleist Pro V1x) and Brooke Henderson (TaylorMade TP5x).
Korda is looking for her first win in the Chevron Championship, her best placing so far was tied for second in 2020. She was alone in third last year to Lilia Vu (Titleist Pro V1x). The defending champion is 33-1 to repeat.
