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Opinion

The real reason why Scottie Scheffler failed to win The Masters

Photo by David Cannon/Getty Images
Photo by David Cannon/Getty Images
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Scottie Scheffler amazingly finished just one stroke behind Rory McIlroy at The Masters on Sunday.

After two rounds, Scheffler trailed McIlroy by a whopping 12 strokes with just 36 holes to play at The Masters.

However, the 29-year-old world number one played almost flawless golf over the weekend at Augusta National, firing rounds of 65 and 68.

Meanwhile, the Northern Irishman stumbled to rounds of 73 and 71.

Scheffler had a real chance to win The Masters but he came up just short in the end, as McIlroy secured his sixth major title.

Scottie Scheffler in action at The Masters
Photo by Hector Vivas/Getty Images

There are definitely a few shots he would love to hit again, like his second shots into the 13th and 15th holes on Friday when he found the water twice.

Let’s delve into the real reason why the man from Dallas, Texas, failed to win his third green jacket last week.

Why Scottie Scheffler failed to win The Masters

Scheffler obviously would have liked to be in a better position after 36 holes.

He was the first player to go bogey-free over the weekend at The Masters since 1942!

However, his Achilles heel all week was the par fives.

Scheffler was only five-under par on the par-fives all week and that included two eagles on the second hole.

Conversely, McIlroy was 10-under-par throughout the week on the 16 par-fives.

The two bogeys that Scheffler made on 13 and 15 on Friday changed everything.

Two pars on those holes would have seen him end up with his third green jacket at Augusta National on Sunday.

Scottie Scheffler of the United States reacts on the 18th green during the second round of the 2026 Masters Tournament at Augusta National Golf Club
Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images

The world number one definitely didn’t have his ‘A’ game at The Masters last week, and he missed out on a playoff by just one shot.

His poor performance on the scoreable holes at Augusta was highly unusual, especially given the fact that he’s ranked third in scoring average on the par-fives on the PGA Tour this season.

Scottie Scheffler’s 2026 PGA Tour season has gone under the radar

Scheffler has already enjoyed a very impressive season, in spite of the criticism he has received.

That’s the problem with golfers setting such high standards for themselves.

The 29-year-old has one win and four top-five finishes to his name in seven starts on the PGA Tour in 2026.

There are plenty of golfers on the PGA Tour who would take a win and four top-fives over the course of three or four years.

Even when Scheffler isn’t at his best, he is capable of not only competing, but winning golf tournaments and he proved that at The Masters last week.

He will now be even more motivated to knuckle down and work even harder after McIlroy won his sixth major championship.

Would it surprise anyone if Scheffler racked up three or four wins including a major or two throughout the rest of the 2026 season?

It certainly shouldn’t.