Scottie Schaeffer came up just short of another green jacket, but his performance at Augusta National still etched his name into Masters history.
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The world No. 1 finished one shot behind Rory McIlroy at 12 under, settling for runner-up in the 2026 Masters. While McIlroy claimed the spotlight with his second straight win, Scheffler’s historic weekend and late surge told a story that will likely get overlooked.
After sitting 12 shots off the lead at the halfway point, Scheffler mounted a stunning comeback. He carded a 7 under round on Saturday and followed it with a 4 under 68 on Sunday, putting serious pressure on McIlroy down the stretch.
More impressively, Scheffler did not record a single bogey over the final 36 holes. According to PGA TOUR Communications, he became the first player in 82 years to play the third and final rounds bogey-free at the Masters.
The last time that happened was in 1942.
Historic Masters Weekend Puts Scheffler in Rare Company
Scheffler’s weekend was extremely impressive.
Across the final two rounds, he recorded nine birdies and an eagle while avoiding any mistakes on the scorecard.
His 133 weekend total also stood as a personal best at the Masters.
Even more remarkable, Scheffler nearly completed a full tournament without a bogey, something not seen in over eight decades. His precision and consistency allowed him to erase a massive deficit and nearly force a playoff.
He had just five bogeys all tournament, with four coming on Friday.
He pointed toward his Friday struggles as the reason he wasn’t able to win a third green jacket.
“I’d say Friday probably hurt the most in terms of my chances of winning,” Scheffler said. “I didn’t see many birdies out there Thursday afternoon, so going out on Friday, whatever they did to the greens to soften them up, they did some stuff. And I just wasn’t able to take advantage of that going out early on Friday.”
Despite the loss, this performance also extended his incredible run at Augusta. Scheffler has now finished inside the top five in five straight Masters appearances, reinforcing his dominance at the sport’s most prestigious event.
Scottie Scheffler Reflects on 2026 Masters
Speaking after his round, Scheffler reflected on where things slipped away.
“Overall I’m not going to hold too many regrets, but yeah, definitely a little disappointed now,” Scheffler said. “But like I said, I started the weekend 12 shots back and ended up only one shot back. If I am going to blame anything, I should probably blame the first two rounds before I start looking at stuff from my last couple.”
He also pointed to a few key moments late in Sunday’s round that could have changed everything.
“Disappointing par on 13, and wasn’t able to get it in the fairway on 14, that was a shot I’d like to have back,” Scheffler said. “But then good birdies on 15 and 16, and really great stuff on 17. I hit two really good shots into 18 and the second shot just came up short.”
Scheffler hit a perfect putt on 17 that came within inches of dropping. Had it fallen, it likely would have forced a playoff with McIlroy, setting up a head-to-head battle between the two best players in the world for the green jacket. While it was a bummer for fans that it didn’t happen, Scheffler still etched his name into Masters history despite the loss.
- Dylan Tracy-Lindenbaum
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