Scottie Scheffler carded a closing 68 to finish 11 under par and four shots clear of Sweden’s Ludvig Åberg, with England’s Tommy Fleetwood, two-time major winner Collin Morikawa and Max Homa three strokes further back.
Scheffler held his nerve as his rivals stumbled around Amen Corner and responded magnificently when Åberg kept the pressure on, the 24-year-old again demonstrating his enormous potential on his major debut.
Åberg only turned professional in June last year, but quickly won on the DP World Tour, helped Europe regain the Ryder Cup in Rome – including a 9&7 win with Viktor Hovland over Scheffler and Brooks Koepka – and also tasted victory on the PGA Tour before the end of the season.
Scheffler has been in equally brilliant form in 2024, winning the Arnold Palmer Invitational by five shots and becoming the first player to secure back-to-back Players Championship titles seven days later.
That meant the 27-year-old had been made favourite for the Masters at the the kind of odds previously only offered for peak-era Tiger Woods and he duly took a one-shot lead into the final round.
A birdie on the third quickly doubled that advantage, but dropped shots on the fourth and seventh left Scheffler in a three-way tie for the lead with playing partner Morikawa and Åberg.
Homa’s birdie on the eighth made it a four-way tie, but dramatic and decisive changes were just around the corner.
Scheffler was inches away from spinning his approach to the ninth into the hole for an eagle and tapped in for the easiest of birdies, while Morikawa took two to escape from a greenside bunker to run up a double bogey.
Scheffler also birdied the 10th and was gifted some welcome breathing space when Åberg pulled his second to the 11th into the water to card a costly double bogey, an error repeated minutes later by Morikawa.
Scheffler failed to take full advantage as he also dropped a shot, but then saw another contender fall away as Homa was forced to take a penalty drop from bushes behind the 12th green.
Åberg refused to throw in the towel and birdied the 13th and 14th to seemingly keep the pressure on, only for the unflappable Scheffler to birdie the same holes, his approach to the 14th spinning down to tap-in range.
Another birdie on the 16th put the result beyond doubt and unlike in his first win in 2022, this time there would be no careless four putts on the 18th green.
Scheffler’s thoughts after securing his second Masters title in three years immediately turned to getting home as soon as possible to his wife Meredith, who is pregnant with their first child, but he also intends to keep challenging for the game’s biggest titles.
“I’m coming home; I’ll be home as quick as I can,” Scheffler said when asked if he had a message for his wife.
“I wish I could soak this in a little bit more, but all I can think about is getting home. It’s a very, very special time for both of us.
“I can’t put into words what it means to win this tournament again and really can’t put into words what it’s going to be like to be a father for the first time.
“I definitely will enjoy the birth of my first child, and my priorities will change very soon, so golf will be fourth in line, but I still love competing.
“I don’t plan on taking my eye off the ball any time soon.”
Rory McIlroy carded a closing 73 to finish in a tie for 22nd on his 10th attempt to complete the career grand slam, with defending champion Jon Rahm a distant 45th following a final round of 76.
Related: Tiger Woods now focusing on year’s final three majors
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