Scottie Scheffler wins Masters with faith, resilience

Four-time PGA TOUR winner Marc Leishman has been forced to withdraw from the AT&T Byron Nelson with a lower back injury. Leishman has seven top-13 finishes in the tournament over the years including last season’s runner up effort at Trinity Forest where he opened with a 10-under 61 and held a share of the 54-hole lead only to fall behind Aaron Wise. The 35-year-old Australian first felt the discomfort in his back after his Begin Again Foundation charity golf day on Monday and hoped it would settle down in time for Thursday’s opening round in Dallas. “My lower back just flared up a bit on Monday night and Tuesday,� Leishman said. “I think I slept on it a bit funny. “I was hoping it’d be good by today because I really love the tournament but it wasn’t feeling to flash this morning so I decided to withdraw and seek some more treatment.� Leishman, who sits 13th in the FedExCup this season after his win at the CIMB Classic, is hopeful the injury won’t be long term. He remains cautiously optimistic about next week’s PGA Championship at Bethpage Black in New York. “I’ll get it more thoroughly checked out and worked on but I hope it just needs some rest and I’ll be okay for next week,� he said. Leishman’s place in the field at Trinity Forest was taken by Daniel Chopra.

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A season like the one that PGA TOUR Player of the Year Scottie Scheffler put together is built a little at a time, with a succession of great shots. Some of those, like a near hole-out to go 4 up on world No. 1 Jon Rahm in their singles match at the Ryder Cup, provided no FedExCup points but infused Scheffler with vital self-belief for the season ahead. Others, like his chip-in birdie in the final round of the Masters, are so obviously game-changing they practically come with a thunderclap. And others still, like a crucial putt to ensure making the cut at the WM Phoenix Open, where he collected his first win two days later, can be fully appreciated only in retrospect. These 10 shots tell the story of how Scottie Scheffler put together his successful season. 10. BIRDIE PUTT WM Phoenix Open, second round Par-4 8th, TPC Scottsdale Scheffler was right on the cut line Friday at the WM Phoenix Open. After a so-so 68 on a low-scoring Thursday, the promising but winless PGA TOUR pro had made three birdies, two bogeys and a double in his second round. He was in danger of missing the cut with two holes to play. Facing an early exit, Scheffler, finishing on TPC Scottsdale’s front nine, was far from pleased with his approach from 148 yards at the par-4 eighth hole. But he rammed home the 34-foot birdie putt to create a buffer between him and the cut line. Scheffler signed for a 71 in the second round and made the cut with a shot to spare. Little did he know that the made birdie putt would lead to so many more, and his first TOUR win two days later. His victory at TPC Scottsdale would open the floodgates for an epic season. 9. APPROACH SHOT Ryder Cup, Singles session Par-4 4th hole, Whistling Straits There’s self-belief, and then there’s self-belief. Playing as a Ryder Cup rookie last fall, and the only man on the U.S. Team without a victory, Scheffler drew a tough assignment in the third match of the Sunday singles: then-world No. 1 Jon Rahm. Not to worry. Scheffler jumped out to a 3-up lead, then, from the fourth fairway, hit a towering approach that rode the right-to-left wind before landing, checking, and cozying up to within kick-in range for his fourth birdie in a row to take a 4-up lead. It was the moment when everyone, not just Rahm and his peers, began to appreciate the outsized talents of the 2020 Rookie of the Year. Scheffler would win, 4 and 3, to earn the United States’ first point, and while it would not technically provide any points toward his FedExCup-winning season, it informed what was to come. It also opened the eyes of veteran caddie Ted Scott. Watching the Ryder Cup on TV – and thinking he might retire after having parted ways with Bubba Watson – Scott would gain a new appreciation for Scheffler’s skills and they would join forces at The RSM Classic later that fall. 8. BIRDIE PUTT WM Phoenix Open, third playoff hole Par-4 18th, TPC Scottsdale After shooting 62 in the WM Phoenix Open’s third round, Scheffler’s magic seemed to have left him for the final round. He negated four birdies with four bogeys over the first 12 holes to sit three shots off the lead heading into the final stretch. Still in the honeymoon phase with new caddie Ted Scott, Scheffler, undeterred, birdied four of the last six holes to force a playoff against reigning FedExCup champ Patrick Cantlay. The two matched each other on the first two extra holes, with Scheffler making a clutch 6-footer to extend on the second playoff hole before making his move on the third extra trip down 18. Despite driving the ball into a bunker, Scheffler found the putting surface at a respectable 25 feet. Cantlay, however, knocked his second shot to 11 feet. Scheffler stepped up and sent his putt on its way. When it dripped over the front edge and in, he let out a primal roar. Cantlay missed his birdie try and Scheffler had his first win. 7. BIRDIE PUTT Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard, second round Par-3 14th, Bay Hill Club & Lodge Sitting at even par for the tournament and 2 over for his second round through 13 holes, Scheffler was much closer to the cut line than the leaders, who sat 9 under. He found the green on the par-3 14th but was still 53 feet from the pin, a three-putt looking more likely than make birdie. Scheffler needed just one putt, however, curling in the monster for what would turn out to be the longest putt he made this season and another illustration that every shot does matter, especially en route to a victory. Scheffler went on to win his second TOUR title by a single stroke. The floodgates were officially open. 6. PAR PUTT Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard, final round Par-4 15th, Bay Hill Club & Lodge On a brutal final day at a baked-out Bay Hill, Scheffler found an inner strength others failed to muster. He was in deep trouble on the par-4 15th, in the pine straw and behind a tree, when he tried to hit a punch hook up the fairway. The ball dribbled out only 23 yards into thick rough, leaving 149 yards to the hole from a tough lie. Scheffler did well to get his next shot onto the front of the green but was still 22 feet away. A bogey looked imminent, but when he coaxed that par putt home it kept his momentum alive and he grinded out three more pars – including an up-and-down from 67 yards on the par-5 16th — to finish a shot ahead of Viktor Hovland, Billy Horschel and Tyrrell Hatton for his second win in three starts. 5. EAGLE HOLE-OUT World Golf Championships-Dell Technologies Match Play, quarterfinals Par-5 16th, Austin Country Club Runner-up at the WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play the year before, this time Scheffler had to hole a 6-foot putt on the sixth hole of a playoff against soon-to-be U.S. Open champion Matt Fitzpatrick just to advance to the single-elimination Round of 16. He had survived a tough Round of 16 match against Billy Horschel, prevailing 1 up on Saturday morning, before meeting Seamus Power in the quarterfinals. Scheffler had given up an early two-hole advantage against the Irishman to be tied through 11 holes before wins on 12 and 13 established a buffer. The alum of the nearby University of Texas closed things out in style, holing a 30-yard chip from the upslope short of the green to advance to the semifinals. 4. BIRDIE BUNKER SHOT World Golf Championships-Dell Technologies Match Play, championship match Par-5 12th, Austin Country Club For Scheffler, playing in front of family and friends, it wasn’t just a prestigious World Golf Championships on the line. If he could win the championship match, he would become world No. 1. Through 11 holes he seemed near impervious to nerves or discomfort as he set up a commanding 3-up lead and sat just off the side of the par-5 12th green in two shots. Kisner had knocked his third to close range when Scheffler seemed to open the door, dumping his third shot, a short chip, into a small bunker. Was the match about to turn? Nope. With Kisner eying a 6-footer for birdie to cut into the lead, Scheffler jarred his bunker shot for his own birdie to maintain his 3-up advantage. Three holes later he had his third win in five starts and we had a new top player in the world, a title he’s held ever since. 3. APPROACH SHOT The Masters, third round Par-4 18th, Augusta National Golf Club The hottest player in golf seemed unfazed even by playing at Augusta National, and after he birdied the par-5 13th in Saturday’s third round he was 11 under for the week, ahead by five. But Masters nerves were a new challenge, and back-to-back bogeys on 14 and 15 gave the chasers a flicker of hope. He birdied the 17th before a hooked tee shot on the 18th hole that looked like it could change the course of the tournament. His ball wound up in an unplayable lie; after a drop, Scheffler still faced a 250-yard third shot from the pine straw. As three-time Masters champion Nick Faldo mused about what sort of layup Scheffler was contemplating, Scheffler pulled out a 3-iron and gave the ball a mighty lash. As it soared up to the green and ran a little long behind the putting surface, effectively taking a big number out of play, the patrons could only applaud in awe. “You can’t keep this man down,” Faldo said on the broadcast. “I didn’t see that one coming.” Scheffler got up-and-down to avert further disaster, and his well-earned bogey secured a three-shot lead heading to Sunday’s final round. 2. EAGLE HOLE-OUT U.S. Open, third round Par-5 8th, The Country Club A day after holing out for eagle at the U.S. Open at The Country Club – and getting zinged for misfiring on his celebration with caddie Ted Scott – Scheffler holed out again in the third round, jarring a 102-yard wedge shot at the par-5 8th hole. Scheffler had found the right rough with his tee shot and had to lay up but landed his third behind the pin and watched as the ball backed up and rolled into the cup. The fans went wild for the Masters champion and world and FedExCup No. 1, and this time player and caddie executed a perfect chest-bump celebration. Although the shot gave him the solo lead, Scheffler would ultimately finish tied for second the next day, one behind winner Matthew Fitzpatrick. Still, the shot was yet further confirmation that he can dazzle with any club, anywhere, any time. 1. BIRDIE CHIP The Masters, final round Par-4 3rd, Augusta National Golf Club To win at Augusta National you need a little luck, but you also make your own luck. Despite holding it together for a few opening pars, Scheffler was under assault from tenacious Australian Cameron Smith in the final group. Smith birdied the opening two holes to pull within one before Scheffler pull hooked his tee shot on the par-4 third into pine straw and trees. But thanks to a large scoreboard Scheffler was given line-of-sight relief, allowing him to get a clean look at the green rather than one obstructed by trees. Despite this, his approach with a wedge came up fractionally short of the green and fed back down the steep embankment. Smith’s approach was almost identical, sucking back to just a foot in front of Scheffler’s. Facing a tricky uphill chip, Scheffler played a low, skipping ball into the bank that hit the pin dead center and disappeared for a nerve-settling birdie. Smith was unable to get up and down from the same spot, and the three-shot buffer was back. That cushion allowed Scheffler to play smart golf the rest of the way home to set up a fourth win in six starts and his first major triumph.

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Bubba Watson, fresh off a PGA TOUR-best third victory this season, will try to keep the momentum going at his adopted second home as he joins fellow Greenbrier property owner Phil Mickelson atop the marquee at the famed West Virginia resort next week at A Military Tribute at The Greenbrier. Outgoing champion Xander Schauffele also faces a title defense against such threats as THE PLAYERS Championship titleholder Webb Simpson and Kevin Kisner, who lost a Greenbrier playoff to Danny Lee two years ago. FIELD WATCH With Mickelson, Simpson and Kisner among the late additions, the field features five of the top 12 in the FedExCup points chase, and seven of the top 35 in the current world rankings. Chase Seiffert, who parlayed a Monday qualifying berth into a share of ninth at the Travelers Championship, gets a second bite by virtue of his top-10 finish. He was a Florida State teammate of U.S. Open champion Brooks Koepka. All seven former winners are in the lineup, seeking to become the first to stamp his name a second time. Former Oregon standout Norman Xiong, winner of the Haskins Award for college excellence, tees it up in his first TOUR event as a pro. Sam O’Dell, fresh off his fourth West Virginia Amateur title, is in on an exemption along with former Marshall golfer Davey Jude. FEDEXCUP Winner receives 500 points. STORYLINES Watson, whose Travelers Championship title came from six shots off the pace, hopes to carry the momentum into the West Virginia mountains. Though 14 of his 16 rounds at The Old White TPC have been in the 60s, he’s still seeking his first top-10 finish. Mickelson tees it up for the fifth time at The Greenbrier, though last year was the first time he got to play the weekend. Robert Streb tries again after runner-up finishes in each of the past two editions. He was one shot behind Schauffele last year and part of the four-man playoff won by Lee in 2016. No 54-hole leader at The Greenbrier has managed to close out the final day. Three of the seven winners have come from at least four shots back – Jonas Blixt (2013), Ted Potter Jr. (2012) and Stuart Appleby (2010). Up to four berths to the Open Championship are available for players among the top 12 not already booked for Carnoustie. After Sunday, just one berth will be left for the John Deere Classic’s top non-qualified finisher among the top 5. COURSE The Old White TPC, 7,286 yards, par 70. Now in its second century of use, Charles Blair Macdonald’s 1914 design lives on after a restoration that followed West Virginia’s massive floods two years ago. Several holes were inspired by renowned layouts in Macdonald’s native Scotland, particularly No.8’s sloped “redan� green that resembles the 15th at North Berwick. Also, No. 13 recalls Prestwick’s “Alps� hole and the 15th imitates “Eden� at St. Andrews. The Old White’s 18th was the setting for Sam Snead’s final hole-in-one in 1995. The PGA TOUR arrived in 2011, promptly making noise as Appleby’s closing 59 propelled him to the first Greenbrier Classic title. The course is one of five layouts at the resort, named for the Old White Hotel that stood on the property for more than six decades. 72-HOLE RECORD 258, Stuart Appleby (2010). 18-HOLE RECORD 59, Stuart Appleby (4th round, 2010). LAST YEAR Schauffele emerged from a daylong battle with Streb and Sebastian Munoz to notch his first career victory, striping a wedge to 3 feet at The Old White’s par-3 finisher for the deciding birdie. Three weeks after gaining notice with a tie for fifth at the U.S. Open, the California rookie used a closing 67 to wipe out a three-shot deficit. Playing one pair ahead of his rivals, Schauffele’s tee shot at No. 18 drew a roar noticeable on the 17th green, where both Streb and Munoz missed birdie attempts. The duo also failed to birdie the 18th, leaving Schauffele one shot clear of Streb (69) and two ahead of Munoz (72) and Jamie Lovemark (69). Not only did Schauffele become the seventh come-from-behind winner at The Greenbrier in as many editions, it was the fourth time the tournament had been captured by a rookie. HOW TO FOLLOW TELEVISION: Thursday-Friday, 3:30-6:30 p.m. ET (Golf Channel). Saturday-Sunday, 1-2:45 p.m. (GC), 3-6 p.m. (CBS). PGA TOUR LIVE:Thursday-Friday, 7 a.m.-3:30 p.m. (featured groups), 3:30-6:30 p.m. (featured holes). RADIO: Thursday-Friday, noon-6:30 p.m.; Saturday-Sunday, 1-6 p.m. (PGA TOUR Radio on SiriusXM and PGATOUR.com).

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