Scottie Scheffler extended his advantage as world No 1 with a three-shot victory in opening men's major of the year; Rory McIlroy claimed second after a round-of-the-day 64; Butch Harmon predicts strong performances from both players for the rest of the year
Monday 11 April 2022 17:32, UK
Scottie Scheffler's dominant performance at The Masters in his first major victory was reminiscent of Tiger Woods' displays earlier in his career, according to Butch Harmon.
Scheffler, who became world No 1 last month, outplayed the field at Augusta National to seal his fourth title in six tournaments, crowning an incredible streak to win the first major of the year on Sunday.
Harmon coached five-time champion Woods, who made his return to major action at the tournament, during his unrivalled dominance of the sport in the early 2000s.
"He [Scheffler] is an amazing young player, just 25-years-old, but just look at how he handled himself, through adversity and what he did well.
"You never saw any highs, you never saw any lows. His game speaks for itself.
"What he has done over the last couple of months is beyond, it's Tiger-esque. He does it so calmy, so coolly, so relaxed.
"I take my hat off to him, it is unbelievable what this man has done. Three months ago, most of the golf world didn't know who he was. They know who he is right now.
"Nothing gets this guy riled up. He reminds me of Jack Nicklaus. His coolness, his calmness. He never gets that excited, he just goes about his business. He is a 25-year-old journeyman, the way he plays.
"We all know Scottie Scheffler is the best player in the world right now, and he's not stopping now. He's going to go on and on, and guess what, the Grand Slam is on because he's the only one that can win it.
"He's run up the ladder pretty quickly, and if you think he's at the top of the ladder now, you're wrong. It's a tall ladder and he's going to keep climbing it. This guy's amazing - what he has done and how quickly he has done it, this is the man right here. Now you know why he's No 1 in the world."
Dame Laura Davies also felt that Scheffler's performance was reminiscent of prime Woods.
"Everyone was questioning whether he was a worthy No 1 in the world but now those questions have been answered," Davies said.
"He had a big enough lead where there was so much pressure but he was calm and collected, even when he hit it into the trees on the 18th [in round three]. He made a bogey when it could have been a double or a triple.
"Every time there was a question, he answered it. It was Tiger-esque the way he won this week."
Rory McIlroy shot the lowest round of the week - and his lowest-ever score at Augusta - with an eight-under-par 64 on the final day to finish second, and Harmon believes the round could be of huge significance.
McIlroy won all four of his major titles between 2011 and 2014, but has failed to claim one of the sport's top prizes since then.
"I think this is going to do wonders for Rory McIlroy's confidence.
"We all know the talent he has, we all know how good he is, but I think this is the thing that's going to turn him around. This is going to give him the confidence.
"And I'm going to go out on a limb right now, I think Rory McIlroy is going to win a major - one of the next three, and I think this is going to be the reason that it happens.
"I think this is what Rory McIlroy needed. I don't know where he's been, I don't know what's been inside his head the last few years. I know what his talent is because he's one of the best players that I think I've seen.
"This is going to propel him back to where we think he should be."
Scheffler will now target further major success at the PGA Championship from May 19-22, which takes place at Southern Hills Country Club for the first time since Woods' victory there in 2007, with the US Open then being held at The Country Club in Brookline from June 16-19.
The men's major season then reaches its climax at The 150th Open from July 14-17, with Woods confirming he intends to tee it up at St Andrews, with all the majors once again exclusively live this year on Sky Sports Golf.
