Scottie Scheffler has certainly positioned himself in contention to retain his Masters title after posting a 68 on Thursday at Augusta National.
When Scottie Scheffler signed for a four under par first round at The Masters, he probably did not expect to end the day several shots off the lead. But a hugely impressive performance from Justin Rose means that Scheffler has plenty of work to do.
The world number one did not drop a single shot on his way to shooting 68. Of course, it appears to have become imperative to start quickly at Augusta National, with the eventual winner rarely off the first page of the leaderboard on Thursday.
But Scheffler had to work hard for his flawless card, particularly on the final hole. His tee shot failed to cut back towards the fairway and left him in the bunkers down the left-hand side.
Fans stunned by Scottie Scheffler’s shot during his first round at The Masters
Some may have expected a five from there. But Scheffler managed to leave himself with a genuine birdie opportunity after a stunning approach shot just beyond the pin.
And while the birdie putt slipped by, Scheffler still managed to leave fans on social media stunned with the bunker shot from 160 yards.
One viewer wrote: ‘Scottie is a freak. That shot out of the bunker on 18 is just lol‘. Another said: ‘Scottie with an insane shot out of the bunker to possibly finish the 1st round with yet another Birdie.’
Elsewhere, one fan said: ‘WHAT A SHOT BY SCOTTIE SCHEFFLER OUT OF THE FAIRWAY BUNKER!!!!‘ Another described the shot as ‘gorgeous’.
One viewer posted: ‘Wow that is so nice‘.
Scheffler suggests whether he would have taken 68 before his first round at Augusta National
Scheffler finds himself a few shots back of the lead heading into Friday’s round. However, he will know that he is not out of it by any means. Justin Rose has led more rounds at The Masters without winning than any other player in history.
And he suggested that he would have been very content with his score had he been offered it before the start of the day.
“I would have felt pretty good about it. I had a feeling the golf course was going to get pretty firm. The areas to hit your irons out here are pretty small and they get even smaller when the greens are firm, so there’s definitely some challenge to the golf course today, and I’m sure that’ll continue as the week goes on,” he said.
It could have easily been even better had he holed the putt on the last. But with shots like the one he produced out of the bunker on 18, it is no surprise that Scheffler remains the big favourite to win.
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