Scottie Scheffler narrowly missed out to Rory McIlroy. (Image: Getty Images)
Scottie Scheffler complained about the Masters course conditions after finishing just one shot behind eventual winner Rory McIlroy. The Northern Irishman successfully defended his title on Sunday, becoming only the fourth player in history to claim back-to-back victories at Augusta.
Despite the world No. 1 being 12 shots adrift of McIlroy at the halfway point of the major, Scheffler rediscovered his form with rounds of 65 and 68 over the weekend to close the gap. However, his second round of 74 meant he was unable to reel in the 36-year-old, who now boasts six major titles.
On Thursday afternoon, the two-time Masters champion, 29, carded a 70 in blustery conditions. But as Friday progressed, the players encountered a softening course, which frustrated Scheffler.
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When questioned about whether he was satisfied with the course setup during the week, the golfer expressed his frustration after his final round at Augusta, complaining: “I mean, I’m not in charge of course setup.
“I would have liked it to have been a little bit more equal in terms of the firmness on Thursday and Friday. I was a bit surprised at how soft things were on Friday afternoon, especially as it got late in the day. But the weather also changes and it was a bit windy on Thursday, so who knows.
“That’s part of the game. We play an outdoor sport and you don’t know how conditions are going to change, especially course conditions. Overall, like I said, Friday for me going out early not being able to shoot an under-par round definitely hurt my chances.
“I think I started the weekend maybe 12 back, so to get within one was a pretty good run. Yeah, I’d say Friday probably hurt the most in terms of my chances of winning. We went out on Thursday, Thursday afternoon was some of the most challenging conditions we had all week.”
Rory McIlroy claimed the Green Jacket two years in a row. (Image: Getty Images)
Scheffler cast doubt on what had been done to the greens to alter their texture, claiming it had hampered his bid to become a three-time Masters champion.
He added: “I didn’t see many birdies out there Thursday afternoon, so going out on Friday, whatever they did to the greens to soften them up, they did some stuff, and I just wasn’t able to take advantage of that going on early on Friday.
“And then you saw the barrage of birdies that Rory made and Cam Young and a bunch of guys made on Friday late in the day, and I think I finished maybe 2-over par on Friday. So that day probably hurt the most in terms of my chances to win. Overall, over the course of the weekend, I did some pretty nice stuff to give myself a chance.”
Having gone 11 years without a major title, McIlroy paid a heartfelt tribute to his wife Erica Stoll and their daughter Poppy following his triumph.
He said: “This is the hard part. I want to say a few thank you’s to the people on my left. First and foremost, my wife and daughter, Erica and Poppy. They have to put up with me at home and, trust me, sometimes that’s a tough thing to do.
“But they have been my biggest supporters. This has definitely turned into Poppy’s favourite week of the year. I don’t know if it’s because of the Par 3 Tournament or it’s the all-you-can eat ice cream in the players’ services building.”