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Scottie Scheffler, 27, wins the Masters Tournament for the 2nd time

LEILA FADEL, HOST:

Scottie Scheffler has done it again. He won the Masters yesterday, golf's most famous tournament, and slipped on the winner's green jacket just like he did in 2022. Here's reporter Steve Futterman with more.

STEVE FUTTERMAN, BYLINE: When Scottie Scheffler took to the first tee yesterday of the final round...

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UNIDENTIFIED ANNOUNCER: Fore, please. Now driving, Scottie Scheffler.

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FUTTERMAN: He was in the lead and expected by many to win. Being the world's No. 1 golfer brings high expectations, and Scheffler did not disappoint. He made some amazing approach shots, sank key putts, and by the time he finished, he had shot a round of four under par and was Masters champion again.

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SCOTTIE SCHEFFLER: I love winning. I hate losing. I really do. And when you're here in the biggest moments, when I'm sitting there with the lead on Sunday, I really, really want to win, badly.

FUTTERMAN: Wanting to win is one thing, but what Scheffler has done this year is almost unheard of. He's played nine events, winning three and placing in the top ten in five others. And in all of 2024, he has not shot a single round over par.

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SCHEFFLER: I've had a really good start to the year, and I hope that I can continue on this path that I'm on.

FUTTERMAN: Xander Schauffele finished in eighth place. He says Scheffler's dominance reminds him of the glory days of Tiger Woods.

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XANDER SCHAUFFELE: It's been a while since we've had a guy out here that tees it up, and he's supposed to win, and he wins. He's cruising along pretty nicely.

FUTTERMAN: Scheffler is the star of the present, but the future may have also been on display here. Twenty-four-year-old Ludvig Aberg finished in second, but that's only part of his story. A year ago, the Swede was a college golfer at Texas Tech. Since turning pro, he's had a meteoric rise, winning twice, and now ranks seventh in the world. This was his first major event. He dreams of being the best.

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LUDVIG ABERG: You know, everyone in my position are - they're going to want to be major champions. They're going to be - want to be world No. 1s, and it's the same for me.

FUTTERMAN: Greg Allen is a longtime golf reporter for RTE, Irish Radio.

GREG ALLEN: The ceiling is impossible to determine right now. One of the things is very clear. He has the golf game, the physical golf game, and he has the temperament. And who knows where that will take him? But it's probably going to take him to a very, very high level of the game.

FUTTERMAN: Golf is a humbling sport, filled with stars who fizzled or cracked under the pressure. Scottie Scheffler did none of those things on Sunday, further cementing him right now as the best in the world. For NPR News, I'm Steve Futterman at the Masters in Augusta.

(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC) Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.

NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an NPR contractor. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record.

Steve Futterman
[Copyright 2024 WYPR - 88.1 FM Baltimore]