Scottie Scheffler knows the magnitude of what lies ahead at Augusta National this week. Yet for all the pedigree he brings as the world No 1 and reigning champion, the 27-year-old is acutely aware that the Masters grants no favours for past accomplishments.
“Last year doesn’t have a lot to do with this year,” Scheffler told reporters on Tuesday, ahead of his bid to retain the green jacket. “I start the tournament even par just like everybody else.”
It was in 2022 that Scheffler first slipped on the famed jacket, and he returned last year to reaffirm his status among golf’s elite with a second triumph at Augusta. Should he prevail again this week, he would join a rarefied group of multiple winners and solidify his place in Masters lore.
But while the Dallas native may seem a fixture at the summit of leaderboards, he approaches Augusta with his trademark humility – and pragmatism.
“Let’s say I get off to a bad start on Thursday,” he said. “I can use some stuff I’ve done here the past few years as confidence to kind of turn things around. But at the end of the day, it’s a totally new golf tournament.”
Scheffler has never finished outside the top 20 at Augusta and shares a statistical milestone with Horton Smith as the only players to win two Masters titles within their first five appearances. Still, even the world No 1 isn’t immune to Augusta’s many variables.
“A lot of the strategy changes with the weather,” he explained. “Depending on the firmness of the greens, there are certain pins you can attack – and certain pins you need to steer clear of.”
Scheffler’s lead-in to this year’s tournament has been less than ideal, slowed by a hand injury suffered during a Christmas cooking mishap. In his absence, rivals have found form, not least world No 2 Rory McIlroy, who arrives at Augusta in search of the one major missing from his resume.
The Northern Irishman has already notched two victories in 2025 and appears well-placed to challenge again. Completing the career Grand Slam remains the elusive carrot – a quest that has often brought out both his best and worst at Augusta.
But as Scheffler pointed out, the list of potential contenders is lengthy and littered with proven major winners. Jon Rahm, Bryson DeChambeau and Brooks Koepka – now representing LIV Golf – may no longer dominate the rankings, but their credentials are hard to ignore. Reigning PGA and Open champion Xander Schauffele, meanwhile, looks every inch a player ready for his breakthrough at Augusta.
“It’s one of our jobs to go out there and take it,” said Scheffler, summing up the combative mindset required.
This year’s Masters also unfolds against a subtly altered backdrop. Hurricane Helene’s path of destruction through Georgia last September felled several of Augusta’s iconic pines. Players insist the course’s DNA remains intact, but subtle visual changes have not gone unnoticed.
“There’s a couple of tee shots that are maybe a little less visually intimidating,” McIlroy said. “But really, apart from that, it’s pretty much the same.”
Ireland’s Shane Lowry agreed: “It just visually changes some holes, but I don’t think it changes the golf course one bit.”
