AUGUSTA, Georgia – Perhaps the best golfer in the world without a major championship win, Xander Schauffele was on the tee box at the par-3 16th in the final round of the Masters at Augusta National Golf Club on Sunday.
Schauffele had just made four consecutive birdies to reduce Hideki Matsuyama’s lead to two three-hole shots to play, putting a lot of strain on the player who tried to become the first man from Japan to win a major championship .
Schauffele, 27, withdrew his 8-iron and sent his ball across the water to the small green, protected by three bunkers. His ball landed just in front of the green, bounced back, just below the front bunker, and fell into the pond.
By the time Schauffele finished the hole, he had taken up his first triple bogey in a major championship – after hitting 1,041 holes without hitting a hole – and knocked himself out of the fight.
He finished level with Jordan Spieth for third place, three shots behind Matsuyama.
“I took a good shot,” said Schauffele. ‘I’m committed to it. It has gotten bad. I will be able to sleep tonight. Maybe I should toss and turn, but it will be fine. ‘
Schauffele said he told his caddy, Austin Kaiser, that he hit the tee on the 16th hole just the way he wanted. It’s just that Augusta National’s unpredictable wind toppled its ball.
“I hit a perfect iron,” said Schauffele. “It was 184 yards. I can hit my 8-iron 180 yards out of here. I turned it right to left; the wind was left to right. It was being smoked and eaten. You could see it a little bit. The ball was floating. . Over there.”
Schauffele said he might have been more conservative had he not tried to catch Matsuyama.
“I was hunting,” he said. “I was still 2 back. Hideki is a great iron player from left to right. I thought if I hit him close, he would hit him on top. I was in the chase, so I don’t regret it.” that aspect. “
Schauffele was lucky to get back into the fight late in the round. After posting a birdie on the par-5 second hole, he had back-to-back bogeys, followed by an ugly double bogey on the par-4 fifth.
“I fought hard,” he said. “It was a messy start. Hideki was robotic for 13 holes and made no mistake. I thought I gave him a bit of a run and a bit of excitement to the tournament at the end.
It marked the eighth time that Schauffele has finished in the top 10 in 15 career starts in majors. He finished in tie for second place behind Tiger Woods at the 2019 Masters.
Once again he is looking for his first major championship.
“I’ve often finished second,” he said. “I didn’t even finish second this time. I’ve had worse second places. Not that I’m getting used to it, but this is all the honor of moving on, forward. I think if I win again, it will be a good moment. for me and my team, and I will feel comfortable at that point. “