World number one Scottie Scheffler produced another display of his outstanding consistency, shooting a six-under 66 Thursday to end his opening round at the Masters a stroke behind leader Bryson DeChambeau.
It was a typical Scheffler display, with little drama, few remarkable highlight reel moments but, at the end of the day, a score that underlines why the 27-year-old American is a favorite this week to slide back into the green jacket with a repeat of his win two years ago at Augusta National.
Playing partner Rory McIlroy, who grinded out a 71, saw at close quarters Scheffler’s ability to succeed without much in the way of drama in his bogey-free round.
“Scottie does such a good job of — it doesn’t look like it’s 6-under par, and then at the end of the day it’s 6-under par. He’s just so efficient with everything,” said the Northern Irishman.
“If you look at Scottie compared to the rest of the field, the amount of bogey-free rounds he plays and he shoots is phenomenal, and that’s the secret to winning major championships and winning big-time golf tournaments is more limiting the mistakes rather than making a ton of birdies.
“I made three bogeys today, which is fine out there in these conditions, but just need to tidy it up a little bit to try to keep up with him.”
Consistency has led Scheffler to finish in the top 10 in seven of his eight PGA Tour events this season, including victories last month at the Arnold Palmer Invitational and The Players Championship and a runner-up effort at the Houston Open.
It would be a stretch to say that there is “Scottie-mania” among fans at Augusta but there certainly is an appreciation of the way he navigates so many rounds with such calm.
Patience is frequently cited as one of his main qualities but Scheffler said that hasn’t always come naturally.
