Scheffler eyes ‘big fight’ against Cameron Smith in final round of Masters
Follow live updates from the latest round of The Masters as Scottie Scheffler aims to win a first major title and cement his status as the world No. 1 at Augusta National. Scheffler takes a three-shot lead on the final day after hitting -9 with a round 1, but a late stumble on the 18th hole opened the door to Cameron Smith who shot a superb 68 to become the main challenger.
Both players arrived at Augusta in excellent form, with Scheffler winning three of his last five starts and Smith recently claiming the Players Championship, and the American needed to take a decisive lead on the final day before finding the trees and making a bogey on the last hole. Sungjae Jim is five strokes behind Scheffler in third place while Shane Lowry and Charl Schwarzel entered the final day slightly off pace.
Danny Willett, Rory McIlroy, Collin Morikawa and Dustin Johnson will be looking to stay in the top ten, but are surely too far behind to mount a challenge. Somewhere else, Tiger Woods will cap off his remarkable return to the Masters after making the cut for the weekend. He shot a 78 on Saturday to fall away from contention, but the five-time Masters winner remains one of the stories of the week after returning from a near-fatal car accident.
Masters 2022
How about that. Scheffler lands a corner on the 7th less than five feet from the hole, only for Smith to respond by hitting his approach shot from four feet.
Birdie chances ahead for both.
In the 11th, McIlroy landed a tricky putt to save his par after his chip had smoked on the tricky green for a long time. Another big stop to keep that momentum going.
Masters 2022
Another hole for Scheffler on the par-3 6th. Smith and I found ourselves in similar positions on the large green and faced some long putts, but they did the job of moving on.
Now, how far can McIlroy go… He’s on the tough 11th hole and has kept the right to avoid the water on the left.
Masters 2022: Birdie chip-in for McIlroy!
Incredible! McIlroy continues his charge with his fifth birdie of the day in the 10th!
It’s also another extraordinary shot, as it comes in from the back of the green.
He is only two shots behind Smith and second place!
Masters 2022: Smith saves par
It was important for Smith to do so. His first par of the day stops the series of bogeys. Now he has to get that early spark back. Scheffler’s chip-in seems to have knocked him down.
Masters 2022
Smith gets a big break on the par-4 4th as his drive down the left of the fairway somehow manages to fall between the two bunkers. He is then unable to find the upper level of the green, leaving a tricky two putts to come.
Scheffler gets there and will have a chance to birdie.
Masters 2022
Smith gets a big break on the par-4 4th as his drive down the left of the fairway somehow manages to fall between the two bunkers. He is then unable to find the upper level of the green, leaving a tricky two putts to come.
Scheffler gets there and will have a chance to birdie.
Masters 2022: Bogey for Smith
Two birdies now followed by two bogeys for Cameron Smith. His par-3 4th tee shot caught the bunker from the front of the green, leaving Smith with such a difficult putt as there was no room with the pin also being in front. The seven-foot par putt misses and with Scheffler making the par, the lead is now at four.
Masters 2022: Birdie for McIlroy
Another birdie and now tied for third place! McIlroy is having another great run at Augusta, but as he has sometimes done in previous years, he came too late and only once the leaders got too far away. It will only add to the frustration of his week, but he is at least enjoying this round. He is -4 on eight holes for his day, -3 overall.
Masters 2022: Birdie chip-in for Scheffler!
Extraordinary. Scheffler and Smith will have the same chip on the 3rd after both missing the green. Scheffler ended up glancing at the flag from the pine straw, but hit the bank and saw it fall back. Smith was on the other side and had to take a fall to avoid the dash and land him in the same position.
Smith must score his ball as Scheffler passes first… AND HE IMPOSES IT FOR BIRDIE! THAT’S CRAZY!
Smith must now follow this, from the same position! The Aussie can only execute it 15 feet behind the hole and now faces a tough putt for par. What a turnaround.
And Smith can’t make his par either, so it’s a two-shot swing at the top after it looked like Scheffler was in trouble after his practice.
Masters 2022: problem for Scheffler?
With Smith reducing his lead to one, Scheffler now sent his drive to 3rd a good 40 yards left of the fairway and into the trees. Trouble awaits, perhaps, depending on where they are.
Shane Lowry had to hit a provisional ball from the tee at the 4th par-3… He sent his first well away from the green.
Masters 2022: Birdie for McIlroy
What a roll! After saving par in the last McIlroy makes another long! It was even further, from the fringes of the green, but he wraps it around from 30 feet or down to -2
