The Masters 2024: Scheffler wins the 2024 Masters | Aberg rue’s double-bogey | Tiger reveals 2024 plans

Bryson DeChambeau shot 65 in round one of the 2024 Masters

All the latest news from the 2024 Masters Tournament.

The Masters is finally here, and we’ve got boots on the ground for the most exciting week of the year. Here are the latest news and developments coming from Augusta National.

Get ready for Sunday fireworks!

They say the Masters doesn’t start until the 10th Hole on Sunday and we can expect just that with some of the scoring we have seen already today. Last night, there was talk that the course had been watered to ensure some low Sunday scores and we are seeing evidence of just that.

With lots of the field out on the course we can get a good feel for how Augusta National is playing on this fine Sunday in Georgia. A few of the early starters struggled to get anything going and have finished well over par, but not Tom Kim! Starting the day on 11-over, Kim proceeded to shoot a final round 66 with eight birdies and just two bogeys. Kurt Kitayama has also posted a superb 68 in good scoring conditions.

Scottie Scheffler is primed to take advantage of this and potentially put some distance between him and the chasing pack. With softer course conditions and much less wind than the last few days, we’ll hopefully see some of the guys post a solid number to put some pressure on Scottie and the rest at the top.

Can Scheffler retrace old footsteps?

Scottie Scheffler is the reigning world No.1 and held the 54-hole lead. He went on to win from this same position just two years prior, but can he repeat such a feat once again? Only time will tell. Here’s how the others in the same position have fared in the past:

• 1991: Ian Woosnam – Won
• 1996: Greg Norman – 2nd
• 2001: Tiger Woods – Won
• 2002: Tiger Woods – Won
• 2020: Dustin Johnson – Won
• 2022: Scottie Scheffler – Won
• 2024: Scottie Scheffler – ?

Tiger Woods’ 2024 Major plans

Tiger Woods’ 2024 Masters was a mixed bag.

On the positive side, he set a new record for consecutive cuts made at Augusta, made it through four rounds at a physically demanding golf course without his body breaking down, and declared his belief that he is capable of winning a sixth Green Jacket.

On the downside, Saturday’s 10-over-par 82 was Tiger’s worst ever round in a Major and he revealed that his body “hurts every day”.

Tiger has previously revealed his plan to play once a month and target the biggest events on the golf calendar and reiterated that after finishing The Masters.

“I said I’d play once a month and I think the rest of the Majors is definitely doable,” he said. “That’s about it.”

Father and son

Tiger Woods was joined by son Charlie on the range ahead of his final round. Woods, off the back of his worst-ever round in a Major on Saturday (82, +10), was dressed in his traditional Sunday red – a first outing for the iconic colors for Sun Day Red.

The 15-time Major champion was being helped to warm up by his 15-year-old boy, with Charlie holding clubs to aid his Dad’s alignment and shoulder position. While the famous Nike apparel may have gone for Woods Senior, Woods Junior was rocking red, white, and black Nike sneakers.

Woods admitted earlier this week that Charlie hits it past him now, joking that his son would no longer be playing from the members’ tees the next time they tee it up together at Augusta. The fact he’s now taking swing tips from his son shows how much belief Tiger has in Charlie’s golf game and knowledge. Many are tipping Woods jnr. for a successful playing career of his own.

Tiger, who broke the record for the most consecutive cuts made at The Masters, plays alongside leading amateur Neil Shipley in the final round.

Scheffler has the 54-hole lead

A one-under 71 doesn’t sound too exciting, but Scottie Scheffler’s topsy-turvy round was far from uneventful with an eagle, three birdies, three bogeys, and a double bogey. It had everything, starting with a chip-in birdie on the first hole.

The World No.1 showed his battling qualities on what was a tough test on the dried-out Augusta turf and will go into Sunday as the favorite to pick up a second Green Jacket in three years.

But Scheffler could withdraw during The Masters!

Scottie Scheffler is the hot favorite to win the 2024 Masters, and was named by many of our experts as their pick to win. Perhaps the thing most likely to stop him winning is his vow to withdraw if wife Meredith goes into labor during the final round!

“I think the first child wins over many things in my life,” said Scheffler, who is famous for keeping golf in perspective alongside things he deems more important, like his family and faith. “I’m sticking to my word… you only have your first child once. I’m ready to go at a moment’s notice.”

Sam Burns was in the same situation, with his wife Caroline due to give birth imminently, but he missed the cut.

Sunday’s tee times and groups

Scottie Scheffler and Collin Morikawa head out in Sunday’s final group at 2.35pm (7.35pm UK), ten minutes after Ludvig Aberg and Max Homa. See all the times and pairings here.

DeChambeau pitches in to stay in touch

Just as the Crushers GC captain looked to be fading into the ‘what could have been’ club at the 2024 Masters, an 80-yard pitch-in birdie on 18 gave the American and birdie-starved patrons something to smile about. It was the shot of round 3 and saved the day for Bryson who remains firmly in the golf tournament.

Aberg rallies to within three

A two-under-par 70 kept Ludvig Aberg well in the hunt for a Green Jacket on his debut and he will be the leading European going into Sunday’s final round.

The Swedish sensation was the pundit’s pick for leading rookie before the tournament started and no one will be particularly surprised to see his name up there amongst the leaders after 54 holes despite this being his first Major appearance.

“There’s a lot of things that stress me out, I’m just pretty good at managing it I guess, said Aberg following his round.

“Whenever I get stressed I tend to get a little bit quicker. It happens in my golf swing, it happens in the way I walk, the way I talk, and all these things. So I just try to manage that the best I can and be OK with all those things happening I guess.”

How Scheffler 2024 compares to Scheffler 2022

Scheffler was World No.1 in 2022 and led the tournament after 54 holes, but he was two shots deeper at nine-under-par having taken 209 through the first three rounds. He shot 71 on Saturday back then and did the same again today. It awaits to be seen if he can match his Sunday result, but who would bet against him

Scheffler could join list of legends

Victory for Scheffler on Sunday would see him become the fourth youngest multiple Masters champion, behind Jack Nicklaus, Tiger Woods, and Seve Ballesteros. Quite the list and extra motivation for the 28-year-old. Check out our Masters facts.

Plane is simplest

Ted Scott eyeing a fourth victory

While Scottie will grab the headlines if he wins his second Green Jacket on Sunday, it’s caddie Ted Scott who will be celebrating a fourth victory as the caddie for the winning player. Scott was on Bubba Watson’s bag for both of his Augusta victories (2012, 2014), and Scheffler’s bag in 2022.

Morikawa’s 69 is the round of the day

Billed as the danger man by the pundits before the start of play sat on 3-under, Collin Morikawa lived up to the hype by delivering an impressive 69 to jump within one shot of the lead going into Sunday’s final round.

“I know where my head’s at, I know what I need to focus on, and I know what needs to be done if I want to close it off tomorrow.”

A moving day to forget for Tiger

Starting the day on +1, Tiger was poised to roll back the years. The only thing that rolled back, however, was his score. A ten-over 82 sent the man in Sun Day Red tumbling down to T52 on the leaderboard on what was expected to be a better day for scoring.

“Well, I didn’t have a very good warm-up session and I kept it going all day today. I just hit the ball all the places that I know I shouldn’t hit it and then I missed a lot of pars and easy makeable puts.

“My team will get me ready. It’ll be a long night and long warm-up session, but we’ll be ready.”

After setting another Masters record on Friday by making a 24^th consecutive cut, Woods had a day to forget, carding the worst Major round of his professional career and only the third time he has failed to break 80 in a Major.

Woods shot an 81 during the third round of the 2002 Open Championship and an 80 in the opening round of the 2015 US Open.

Mickelson champions DeChambeau

A two-over 74 put Phil Mickelson +6 going into Sunday’s final round, and the three-time champion was tight-lipped on what he thought was key to being successful around Augusta, saying part of the fun was figuring it out for yourself.

The American was more forthright when asked for his thoughts on Bryson’s progress this week, however.

“He’s one of the best in the world. He might do things differently, but it’s part of his beauty,” said Mickelson of his LIV colleague. “He’s an incredible talent. Clearly, he’s one of the best, if not the best player in the world.”

Rahm feeling ‘sour’

It’s safe to say the week has got progressively worse for Jon Rahm after his Spanish super supper went down a treat at the Champions Dinner which he hosted on Tuesday evening.

Since then, rounds of 73, 76, and 72 have all but ended the LIV man’s Green Jacket defense, leaving the Legion XIII captain feeling pretty dejected after his ‘moving day’ failed to get out of second gear.

“It’s a bit of a sour feeling knowing you’re not in contention,” said Rahm.

“I mean, worst case I’ll be a part of the ceremony. I’ll be there. I don’t know if I’ll go back home or not, but obviously, I’m going to have to come back and get ready at some point.

McIlroy looking to finish the week on a positive

A third-round 71 to match his round 1 score was not enough to haul McIlroy up the leaderboard due to his five-over 77 on Friday, after which he was seen hitting balls on the practice ground late into the evening.

“I was just trying to find some rhythm, and just trying to get some feel. I hit it a bit better today. I’m just going to go out there and give it a go, finish on a positive note,” said Rory following his round.

McIlroy believes his performances across the week have shown some signs of progress and will move on to Hilton Head next week in the hope of improving on his FedExCup ranking. His quest to complete the career Grand Slam continues.

Did Day get a clothing warning?

Jason Day’s Malbon sweater vest drew plenty of attention on Friday with fans divided in their views. But it appears the heavily-branded Malbon top also drew the wrath of officials at Augusta National with Day reportedly warned about his future attire.

Better weather for Sunday scoring

The first two days of The Masters saw downpours, thunderstorms, and huge gusts of wind making play difficult. Conditions have improved throughout the week and Sunday looks set to be the best day, with above-average temperatures in the mid-80s, no rain, and relatively light winds.

See the full Masters weather forecast.

Neal Shipley guaranteed low amateur honors

Five amateurs teed off on Thursday, but only one made it to the weekend. Neal Shipley is the deserved winner of the low amateur honors at the 2024 Masters Tournament. Shipley earned a spot in the field at Augusta National for his runner-up finish behind Nick Dunlap in last year’s US Amateur. After 36 holes, Shipley is the last standing amateur at +3 who made it to the weekend.

Christo Lamprecht was tipped by many to be the low amateur at the 2024 Masters Tournament but the lofty South African missed the cut at +8. The three other amateurs, Santiago De La Fuente (+10), Jasper Stubbs (+12), and Stewart Hagestad (+8), sadly all didn’t perform well enough to make the cut. However, congratulations to Neal Shipley for winning the low amateur honors.

Tiger Woods the record breaker – again

The 15-time Major Champion first made the cut at the Masters back in 1997, since then Tiger has played in 24 Masters tournaments and he’s made the cut in all of them – which is a new record. Before the 2024 Masters, Tiger shared the record for the most consecutive cuts made at the Masters with Gary Player and Fred Couples on 23. However, after firing in a hard-fought 73 and 72 on Thursday and Friday, respectively, Tiger booked himself a slot on the tee sheet at Augusta National for the weekend.

Gary Player wants golf ball rollback to go further

Following his honorary starter duties, the three-time Green Jacket winner called on the R&A and USGA to go even further with 2028’s proposed golf ball rollback plans.

Speaking alongside fellow champions Jack Nicklaus and Tom Watson, the South African didn’t hold back in his criticism of modern golf and the damage being done to the “whole concept of the game” and wants the anticipated 15-yard reduction in driving distance quadrupled.

“We’ve got to cut the ball back 60 yards, 50 yards. Otherwise, the whole concept of the game, the history of the game, the par 5, par 4, par 3, that’s gone. There are no more par 5s. These young guys are hitting 8-irons to par 5s,” he said.

Greg Norman is at Augusta

Having been spotted at a pop-up Italian restaurant on Tuesday evening, LIV Golf CEO Greg Norman was at Augusta on Wednesday, walking the grounds and chatting with a host of players and patrons, including countryman Min Woo Lee. He even paid for his ticket, according to the Telegraph, and was making thinly-veiled digs at the absence of some LIV stars.

Norman was told he was not welcome at The Masters in 2023 due to his divisive role in professional golf’s unrest.

“Funnily enough, I haven’t been invited,” the Great White Shark said last year. “As a Major winner I always was before, but they only sent me a grounds pass last year and nothing, zilch, this time around. I’m disappointed because it’s so petty, but of course, I’ll still be watching.”

Speaking about the decision, Masters chairman Fred Ridley said they had not extended an invitation to Norman because they wanted the focus to be on the tournament and the players.

“I would also add that, in the past 10 years, Greg Norman has only been here twice, and I believe one of those was as a commentator for Sirius Radio,” he added.

Make that three times in 12 years.

“In your life” announcer retiring

Verne Lundquist, one of the most famous people in American sports broadcasting, will call his final Masters this week, having offered his voice to all but one of the tournaments since 1983.

He has been a fixture for CBS Sports down the years and provided the perfect accompaniment to Tiger Woods’ iconic 16th hole chip-in on his way to victory in 2005.

‘Oh… my… goodness,’ he uttered as the ball trickled towards the hole before teetering on the edge of the cup before dropping. OH WOW!,’ Lundquist shouted. ‘In your LIFE have you ever seen anything like that?’

Augusta chairman Fred Ridley and Woods are among those who have paid tribute to his career.

“This year marks the conclusion of one of the most storied careers in golf broadcasting,” Ridley said. “I still get chills when hearing the famous calls by an incredible Verne Lundquist of two of the most iconic Sunday moments in Masters history: Jack Nicklaus in 1986, with putter raised following a crucial putt into the hole on No. 17 on his way to his sixth Masters title; and in 2005 Tiger Woods’ unbelievable pitch shot on No. 16, which catapulted him to his fourth Green Jacket. Who could forget the drama as Tiger’s ball stopped momentarily before falling into the hole? You’re right, Verne, we have not seen anything like that.”

“Yeah, I’ve heard that call a couple of times,” Tiger smiled when asked about Lundquist. “He has just an amazing ability to bring in the audience and describe a situation and just be able to narrate it in a way that is poetic – he describes it with emotion. He just draws the audience in.

“It’s amazing. I grew up listening to Verne. And he made a nice call there at 16. I will have that memory with Verne for the rest of my life.”

Fittingly, Lundquist will spend the weekend calling the action on the 16th hole.

A special year for the Green Jacket

This week marks the 75th anniversary of the Green Jacket, which was first given in 1949 when Sam Snead was the first recipient.

“This milestone is an occasion to step back and reflect upon the obligation of the Masters Tournament to serve as a steward for the game,” Fred Ridley said.

Read the story of the Green Jacket… and how it was nearly peach.

Rahm’s Champions Dinner fears unfounded

Jon Rahm was feeling the nerves ahead of his Champions’ Dinner but the Spaniard needn’t have worried.

“Dinner was great. Menu was great. They did a great job. It was really fun,” he said at the Par 3 Contest.

“(It was) A little different to what I was expecting. It was so much more fun. I don’t know, I was expecting something so serious, so it was really fun. Great atmosphere and great group of guys, so it’s something to look forward to now forever, which is amazing.

And it seems the food was a hit too, unless any of his fellow champions were hiding their feelings.

“If anybody didn’t like it they didn’t say anything!” he added.

Augusta chairman backs golf ball rollback

Augusta National lengthens each year to keep up with technology and modern players’ distances. The 2024 tournament is being played at 7,550 yards from the markers with the chance of a round being played at 7,600.

In his traditional media address on Tuesday morning, Augusta National chairman Fred Ridley said it is those numbers and the very realistic threat that The Masters may one day reach 8,000 yards that mean they are backing the golf ball rollback announced in 2023. Full story here.

“I’ve said in the past that I hope we will not play the Masters at 8,000 yards. But that is likely to happen in the not too distant future under current standards. Accordingly, we support the decisions that have been made by the R&A and the USGA as they have addressed the impact of distance at all levels of the game.” Ridley said.

The golf ball rollback was announced in 2023 and is due to come into effect in 2028.

LIV Golf won’t be given a qualification path for the Masters

Inevitably, Ridley was asked about whether The Masters will give LIV Golf a passage to qualify for The Masters. In the build-up to the event, LIV’s 2023 champion Talor Gooch suggested that this week’s winner should have an asterisk next to their name because of the absence of some of the Saudi-backed tour’s top performers.

Pointing to the Masters being an invitational, limited-field tournament, Ridley highlighted that it has never had all of the world’s best players in its field, preferring instead to honor past champions by offering them the chance to return until they choose not to.

There are 13 LIV players in the 2024 Masters field with the majority here thanks to their previous performances in this or other Majors. One exception is Joaquin Niemann who received a special invite, something Ridley implied was down to his performances away from LIV in finishing 4th at the Australian PGA Championship and winning the Australian Open – “one of the great, great championships in the world.”

“I think it will be difficult to establish any type of point system that had any connection to the rest of the world of golf because they’re basically, not totally, but for the most part, a closed shop,” Ridley explained. “There is some relegation, but not very much. It all really depends on what new player they sign.

Fleetwood suffered caddie blow

Tommy Fleetwood’s hopes of a first Major victory suffered a blow just two days before the event started with regular caddie Ian ‘Fino’ Finnis forced out with a chest infection.

Finnis was unable to travel to Georgia, forcing his English boss to pick up a local looper for his Green Jacket quest. Fortunately for Fleetwood, that looper is Gray Moore – Augusta’s former caddie master and a man with more than 30 years’ experience. Moore has previously caddied for eight-time major champion Tom Watson in The Masters and is known to many as “Mr Augusta.” Could Fino’s bad luck prove beneficial for his Fleetwood come Sunday? Stranger things have happened.

Read our fascinating piece on the caddies of Augusta and find out what the caddies really think of those white boiler suits.

Min Woo Lee plays with flu and broken finger

If professional golf is your living and The Masters is just a week away, we wouldn’t recommend dropping a dumbbell on your hand. Unfortunately for Min Woo Lee, we’re writing this about nine days too late.

“Yeah, I hurt my hand last week. Broke it,” the Australian smiled after Tuesday’s practice round. “I have it bandaged up right now. I hit my first shot for the last week on Friday, so hit my first full driver. It’s actually amazing how fast the recovery was. It was bruised, still swollen, but not actually that painful which is really strange.

“I guess it wasn’t the best prep, and I got the flu two days ago. It’s going great.”

“We didn’t know as a team to tell or to not (tell the public), and I felt like I should tell people because there was a lot of pressure on me playing well.”

Luckily the 25-year-old, whose sister Minjee Lee is a two-time Major champion, said he has recovered well and has still managed to go to the gym.

“Every time I looked at that 20-pound dumbbell I gave it a death stare.”

Sergio: Rory and I aren’t the future of the game

Sergio Garcia has returned to the scene of his biggest career triumph (we’re assuming he still ranks 2017’s win at Augusta ahead of last week’s runner-up finish at LIV Miami) but, unsurprisingly, it was questions about the state of the game rather than his hopes this week that got the Spaniard fired up.

“I think the game is in a perfect spot,” he said. “The professional game, maybe it’s a little more separated, mostly because of the media, not so much because of the players. But I think the game itself is in a great spot.

“I think that we have the most amount of people playing the game, which is great, and people have to realize one thing, that the future of the game isn’t us. We’re not the future of the game. Neither me or Rory, no. We’re not the future. We’re the present of the game.

“But the future of the game is those kids that are watching us play, that want to get into the game, that want to play and then maybe become professionals.”

Garcia suggested “the more togetherness you get, the better it is for everyone” but suggest the current divide in the game with football (or soccer if you’re reading Stateside).

“The same way that I love watching Real Madrid and La Liga, you like to watch the premiership and whoever your team is. Everybody can support whoever they have, and there’s plenty of people to support it.”

Will Tiger Woods be Team USA Ryder Cup captain in 2025?

During his Tuesday press conference at Augusta, Tiger Woods was asked about the rumors he is being lined up as Ryder Cup captain for Bethpage Black in 2025. He was typically opaque but certainly didn’t rule it out…

Q. What’s your current position regarding the Ryder Cup captaincy at Bethpage?

TIGER WOODS: Okay.

Q. What is it?

TIGER WOODS: We’re still talking about it. (Smiling).

Q. Is it linked to how much you’re going to play golf?

TIGER WOODS: It’s something that Seth and I are going to sit back and talk about it after this event. I said I’m going to be busy for a couple weeks, so let me focus on getting through this week and hopefully getting another jacket, and then we can sit back and talk about it next week.

LIV Golf officials have been invited to The Masters

We’ve known for some time that many LIV Golf players would be in attendance this year, but a question with greater ramifications for the political side of golf’s current divide was whether any LIV Golf officials would be at Augusta for this year’s Masters.

According to The Telegraph, the answer is yes, with reports that at least one high-ranking LIV official will attend the first Major championship of the year.

It remains unclear whether LIV Golf chairman and Public Investment Fund (PIF) governor Yasir Al-Rumayyan will be spotted at Augusta National. Al-Rumayyan attended The Open at Hoylake last July, when he met with R&A chief executive Martin Slumbers.

A LIV Golf presence at Augusta might be a small step towards finalizing the ongoing merger between the PGA Tour, DP World Tour, and LIV Golf.

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About the Author

Rob Jerram – Digital Editor

Rob specializes in the DP World Tour, PGA Tour, LIV Golf, and the Ryder Cup, spending large chunks of his days reading about, writing about, and watching the tours each month.

He’s passionate about the equipment used by professional golfers and is also a font of knowledge regarding golf balls, golf trolleys, and golf bags, testing thousands down the years.

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