If Scottie Scheffler goes on and wins The Masters for a third time on Sunday, his superb 65 on day three will be looked back upon as the turning point in his week.
Scottie Scheffler goes into the last round in a tie for seventh, just four shots off the lead. He had been 12 shots back at the halfway stage after an underwhelming first couple of days at Augusta National.
In some respects, his first two rounds summed up much of Scheffler’s year so far.
Scottie Scheffler proves a major point with his third round display at The Masters
By his own standards, the 29-year-old looked to be nowhere near his best. He even lost strokes to the field with his approach play during the second round, according to Data Golf.
It is incredible to think that Scheffler began the week in 82nd for strokes gained approach on the PGA Tour. It is a category that he has dominated over the last few years.
The Masters proved to be a turning point in Scheffler’s 2025 campaign, with the world number one finishing fourth with his B or even C game.
He, of course, went on to win two of the remaining three majors.
And it seems that he has sent out another ominous warning to his rivals ahead of the remainder of the 2026 season.
As shown by Data Golf, Scheffler gained 5.48 strokes with his approach play on Saturday alone. It seemed that his iron game was back to its elite level.
He was almost a full two shots better than the next best performer, Russell Henley. Meanwhile, just one other player in the field – Sungjae Im – gained more than three shots on the field.
Scheffler finally shows glimpses of his 2025 form at Augusta National
If Scheffler rediscovers the magic with an iron in his hands, it looks more than likely that he will once again kick on and enjoy a stunning season.
In fact, there is still a chance that Scheffler could end the 2026 Masters with a third Green Jacket in his locker.
He is certainly going to be extremely difficult to stop if he manages to gain another five shots with his approach play.
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