Sean Martin: Masters final round thoughts from Augusta National

Editor’s note: This article was first posted on X heading into the final round of the Masters and has been lightly edited for clarity.

AUGUSTA, Ga. - Some thoughts for the final round, filed from my usual morning location during Masters week, the Starbucks on Washington Road:

1. This could be an incredible final round. The top eight players on the leaderboard are separated by five shots, and there are so many compelling names in that group. Scottie. Collin. Max. Bryson. Xander. Guys you can identify by their first name alone.

Throw in an incredibly firm golf course and the traditional Sunday hole locations, and all the ingredients are there. Scheffler said the greens were “ridiculously fast and firm” on Saturday afternoon. Collin Morikawa said they were “getting firmer than I've ever seen out here.”

The margins between success and failure will be incredibly small, and the difference between good and bad shots will be accentuated by Augusta National’s slopes and swales. The traditional hole locations on 13 and 16 offer an example. If you hit the right shot on those holes, your ball will funnel toward the hole. But if you don’t, you can be left with a difficult putt or chip. The leaderboard was in constant flux during Saturday’s final nine holes – Scheffler went from first to sixth and back to first in a matter of four holes – and we should see the same Sunday.

2. We marvel at Scottie’s consistency on the course, and much of it is because of his consistency off of it. They go hand in hand. He’s had the same swing coach since he was 7. He’s been with the same girl since he was in high school. He drove the same GMC Yukon that had hundreds of thousands of miles on it.

But the truth is, life won’t allow you to remain the same. You have to evolve. You have to adapt. Scheffler wouldn’t be having this prolonged success if he wasn’t evolving. But, like much of what he does, he does so quietly. And he does it while still being moored to his foundation.

There was a scene on Saturday that I felt illustrated this. At Augusta National, you’re only allowed to have one person with you on the practice facility (in addition to your caddie). Scheffler was on the putting green with Phil Kenyon, the putting coach he’d started working with last fall.

Scheffler’s longtime swing coach, Randy Smith, was watching from 50 yards away, standing underneath a flagpole that flew both the U.S. and Augusta National flags. Smith watched as Scheffler and Kenyon went through their routine, waiting for Scheffler to head his way and begin his warm-up.

It was Smith's idea to hire Kenyon. He just wanted what was best for his student. Scheffler took the advice and now he was at Augusta National working with the new coach. But Scheffler was always going to return to the familiar before starting (yet another) important round. It’s a combination that has made Scheffler unstoppable.

3. I love the simplicity of Scheffler’s range sessions. No launch monitor. Not even an alignment stick. Smith never lays hands on his student or pantomimes positions. I feel like the only time I see Smith, Scheffler and Ted Scott talk, it's because they're laughing about something.

Scottie uses the same club with a molded grip that you hand to a beginner. He holds the club in his right hand, rolling the ball into position. Then he replaces it with his left hand, raising the clubhead in the air until the shaft is parallel to the ground. That's when he re-unites his two hands and raises the clubhead until the shaft is perpendicular to the ground. He looks at the clubface to make sure it is properly aligned and lowers the club behind the ball. Then it's a series of myriad shot shapes. Gentle draws and fades. High shots and low shots.

4. Scheffler has become increasingly accustomed to his role as the No. 1 player in the game, a position he’s held for most of the past two years.

He said last night that when he cried before the final round of the 2022 Masters, it wasn’t just because he was leading the Masters. It was a recognition of how rapidly his and Meredith’s life was changing. He’d won his first PGA TOUR title just weeks earlier. Now he was No. 1 in the world and had a chance to win the Masters.

These experiences are almost commonplace now, which is relatively incredible. Leading the Masters? No big deal. “Things are a lot different now, and I feel like (Meredith and I) have both matured,” he said Saturday. Winning the Masters isn’t even the most exciting thing in his life right now, he said. It’s the impending birth of their first child.

Scheffler has been No. 1 long enough to experience the full spectrum of what’s thrown at you as the top player in the game. Two years ago was like a honeymoon period. His rise was rapid and unexpected. Everything was new. Now, like in marriage, being No. 1 in the world has become familiar. There may be less spontaneity and excitement, but it’s more comfortable.

Last year’s putting struggles resulted in the most scrutiny he’s faced in his career. There were times he was visibly frustrated with the constant questions. But the scrutiny comes with the territory, and I think it’s better prepared him, for an extended tenure at No. 1. If he stays there for several more years, something else will surely arise that will lead to similar scrutiny. And it’s always easier to face the second time.

“I happen to be good at (golf) some weeks, and, you know, I come in here and you guys ask all nice questions. And then the next week I'm bad at it, and then some of the questions are viewed more negatively,” Scheffler said earlier this week. “And that's just kind of the ebb and flow of competing in front of people all the time.”

Scheffler enjoys a simple life, but it will always require effort to maintain that existence as the No. 1 player in the world. Steering clear of controversy has probably served him well over the past two years. He’s also not one to ruminate over losses or speculate about the future, which sometimes leaves fans and media wanting more, but also is crucial to his success.

“I just think that I try to be as honest as I can,” he said after winning THE PLAYERS. “This environment here, where everything's being recorded, I think it can be a tough place to be 100% honest all the time. You got to be cautious and don't want to say the wrong thing this day and age.”

5. I'm interested to see how the 12th hole plays today. After everyone except Tiger Woods hit it in the water there five years ago, we were all exposed to Jack Nicklaus’ important advice for playing that hole. He always aimed his tee shot at the front bunker, which is waiting there to catch any shots hit short. The bunker keeps balls from rolling into the water. It takes discipline to aim over there. Pros are accustomed to aiming at flags with short-irons in hand. But Nicklaus’ advice prevents the catastrophic double (or worse) that we’ve seen over the years on No. 12.

There’s no room for error if you miss short to the traditional Sunday hole location on the right side of the green (unless you’re Fred Couples). Your ball will roll back into the water. The 2019 Masters made Nicklaus’ advice for playing No. 12 so commonplace that it’s become conventional wisdom. I’m curious if anyone will deviate from it.

The 15th hole also will be fascinating. That bank is shaved tight. There’s nothing stopping a ball hit short on 15 from rolling back into the water.

6. Imagine the #content that would come out of Max Homa’s year with the green jacket. It would be incredible. I loved this quote from Homa last night, which our Paul Hodowanic surfaced on Twitter: “If I catch myself thinking about what could go wrong, I let myself dream of what could go right,” Homa said.

It’s a great mindset, and it should come as no surprise. Homa is one of several players, including Wyndham Clark, who has benefitted from working with sports psychologist Julie Elion. It’s the final round of the Masters. It’s impossible not to think about winning the green jacket. You have to embrace it.

Today is one of the greatest days on the golf calendar. Embrace it.