Scottie Scheffler Will Be Thinking a Lot About This One Brutal Break Late at the Masters

Rory McIlroy's long wait for a green jacket ended last year as he completed the career Grand Slam. He just won his second as quickly as humanly possible by building a big lead and then holding on for dear life before that back nine winning gene activated on Sunday. Though he held a historic six-stroke edge headed into the weekend, a pedestrian Saturday allowed a cadre of low-scoring chasers to make a run and dethroning him. McIlroy surrendered the lead in both of the final rounds yet took control for good with an inspired trek around Amen Corner. All of this led to the cushion of a two-shot lead as he stood on No. 18, knowing he needed only to bogey the final test to become the third back-to-back winner in Masters history.

And he would need every bit of that buffer after sailing a drive far right into the trees and burying his second shot in a greenside bunker. McIlroy, without batting much of an eye, lofted his third shot onto the green and employed two putts to clinch the championship.

After four days of topsy-turvy scoring it was Scottie Scheffler, who was only level par when he teed off Saturday, who came in second—one shot behind McIlroy. This was, by far, the closest he was to McIlroy all tournament long as he was facing a 12-stroke hole entering the weekend. And it didn't seem all that close as a result.

But things could have been much, much tighter.

Scheffler stood on No. 15 on Sunday 9 under par and lost his drive to the right. His attempt to get out of jail resulted in him bonking a tree. Then he made the most improbable of birdies with a stellar approach and long-range putt. The former Masters champ then birdied No. 16 and had a chance to make it three straight on No. 17 but his putt hung on the lip.

If this dropped things could’ve gotten weird pic.twitter.com/DT5E4KyRHc
— Woody (@woodyVSworld) April 12, 2026

Now, there are always a million sliding-doors scenarios to explore once a winner is crowned in a tight tournament. But this is the last one with the most immediate impact on the ultimate outcome so it feels O.K. to indulge in some what-ifs.

Scheffler joined CBS's Amanda Balionis after McIlroy's triumph to look back on what led to him falling a bit short, pointing largely to his 74 on Friday.

"I put up a good fight...just ultimately came up a couple shots short."

Scottie Scheffler joins @Amanda_Balionis following the Final Round of the Masters pic.twitter.com/jVvgOYl1Jf
— Golf on CBS ⛳ (@GolfonCBS) April 12, 2026

"I put up a good fight ... just ultimately came up a couple shots short," he said.

It was technically a single shot short—at least in terms of forcing a playoff. That putt on No. 17 could have been that one shot with a fraction of a bit of more pace.