Scottie Scheffler opened his title defense at the 89th Masters in rare fashion Thursday, carding a bogey-free 4-under 68 to position himself just three shots off the lead at Augusta National Golf Club.
Scheffler became just the fourth defending champion in the last 30 years to start the following year’s tournament without a bogey, joining an elite group of Masters performers. With clear skies and calm winds, the morning wave of players capitalized on favorable scoring conditions—though Augusta’s famously slick greens proved to be a persistent challenge despite over an inch of rain earlier in the week.
“I had a feeling the golf course was going to get pretty firm,” Scheffler said. “The areas to hit your irons out here are pretty small, and they get even smaller when the greens are firm, so there’s definitely some challenge to the golf course today, and I’m sure that’ll continue as the week goes on.”
The world No. 1 entered the week as the betting favorite and showed exactly why, continuing a strong run that includes three top-10 finishes this season and a runner-up effort at the Texas Children’s Houston Open.
Scheffler’s performance puts him in prime position as he aims to become the fourth player in Masters history to win back-to-back green jackets.
This article originally appeared on Longhorns Wire: Scottie Scheffler strives for back-to-back Masters title win
