What Scottie Scheffler did at the Houston Open last week which is being called ‘ridiculous’ ahead of Masters title defence

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Scottie Scheffler will return to Augusta National next week as the defending champion of The Masters.

There has not been a better or more consistent golfer on the planet than Scottie Scheffler.

He has won 13 PGA Tour events since February 2022. In that time-span, he has also won two Hero World Challenge titles and an Olympic gold medal.

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Scheffler’s level of consistency is frighteningly good. The 28-year-old has two Masters wins to his name already.

His first victory at Augusta National came in 2022. Scheffler actually finished that win off in embarrassing fashion by four-putting on the last green.

However, his win there last year was a lot more straightforward, as he finished four strokes ahead of second-placed Ludvig Aberg.

Scheffler will be hoping to join Tiger Woods, Jack Nicklaus and Nick Faldo on the exclusive list of back-to-back winners at Augusta.

However, is his game in the shape it needs to be in, if he is going to contend next week?

What Scottie Scheffler did at the Houston Open ahead of The Masters was ‘ridiculous’

Scheffler warmed up for his Masters defence with a second placed finish at the Houston Open last week.

But can the American become only the fourth golfer in history to defend his crown at Augusta?

Well-renowned golf journalist Patrick McDonald has been speaking about Scottie’s form heading into The Masters next week.

He responded when asked what Scheffler’s chances are of retaining The Masters crown, when speaking on the CBS 2025 Masters preview:

“I think at a 9/10,“ McDonald said. “I would say if last year was a 10/10 and 2022 was a 10/10, just a nine. There are some things in his game which make me a little bit uneasy. I saw the putter take a really nice step in Houston. He was 61 for 63 inside 10 feet, that is ridiculous for Scottie Scheffler, the best marker of his career.

“But the one issue that I had was with that iron play. It has not been Scottie Scheffler-like so far this season. I say this as a guy who has not finished outside the top 25. He has had a number of contention runs, almost winning at Torrey Pines and Houston. But we know Scottie Scheffler as the king of hitting his approach shots pin high. I think a great example of where that shortcoming almost came in was on that 72nd hole at Houston. He came up almost 20 or 30 yards short of that pin and you look just a year prior when Stephen Jaeger hit a similar shot coming down the stretch and he hit it inside five feet, he ended up missing the putt, but the point still stands.

“I think for Scheffler everything is working in his favour from the intangible aspect. We talk about how much that is going to weigh on Rory McIlroy. I really like where he is coming into this tournament from a mental perspective. He has already been through a defence at Augusta National. He is going to know what the Champions Dinner is like and what all the extra curriculars are like leading up to the week. He has Teddy Scott on the bag. Ted Scott has won four Masters, more than Scottie himself, with two with Bubba Watson. But it is that iron play in particular, he is outside the top five in the world so far this season and that has always been Scottie Scheffler’s bread and butter. So if there is one chink in the armour right now it is that approach play.“

Scottie Scheffler 2025 PGA Tour stats

Whilst Scheffler hasn’t been at his absolute best, he has still been incredibly consistent this season.

The only thing that’s missing is a win.

Those number are extremely solid. He just needs a good putting week at Augusta and he will most likely win his third green jacket.