They say that the Masters does not start until the back nine on a Sunday. Not for Scottie Scheffler, it doesn’t. For the second time in three years, this is exactly when he ended it, clinically pulling clear towards the Butler Cabin as all those around him lost their heads.
There was no ‘if’ about it. Scheffler was supreme when birdieing three in a row from the eighth and then, after a blip on the 11th, birdieing the 13th and 14th to make it clear that the only person possibly stopping the world No 1 could be his wife.
Yes, Scheffler was adamant that he would leave the competition no matter where he stood on the course or the leaderboard if Meredith went into labour with their first child.
The 27-year-old has his priorities correct and on the evidence of the last few months, he will soon be racking up the majors apace anyway. He is that good, that composed, that serene and that imperturbable.
Scheffler came in at the head of the betting market at prohibitive 7/2 odds, but in the event made that gamble look a steal as he became the first favourite since Tiger Woods in 2005 to prevail. Inevitably, the comparisons with Woods in his prime will begin in earnest. And why not? In his last tournaments, Scheffler has won three times and been second in the other.
These are, indeed, Woods numbers. Yet in one respect he has eclipsed the red-shirted one. Scheffler has donned two green jackets in his first five Masters starts and only Horton Smith can boast the same. Except, the Missouri war hero completed his double in the first three Masters ever staged in the Thirties. In the modern age, Scheffler’s feat is unprecedented.
And the truly astonishing fact is that Scheffler was not at his most adept this week. Granted, he turned it on when he had to, but that is what great champions do and there can be no doubt that he is a great champion.
There will even be talk of golf’s first calendar grand slam this year, and even if that sounds as ridiculous as “the second coming of Tiger” claims, that is how impressive he has been in this run. Just like in 2022, he sucked the atmosphere out of the famously frenetic back nine, playing it in 33 shots for a 68 and an 11-under total.
Just to make another Tiger connection again, Scheffler is the type of front-runner who creates an award-winner by completely ruining the drama.
There were four sharing the lead after six holes – playing partner Collin Morikawa later tumbling with two double-bogeys in four holes and another American in Max Homa seeing his only challenge essentially die with a five on the notorious par-three 12th after an unplayable drop – but Scheffler was unrattled. The cavalry charge all soon became a procession.
Aberg and Fleetwood head European challenge
In fairness, Ludvig Aberg, the remarkable young Swede, made sure to keep him honest – although, there is nobody more honest on Tour than this God-loving Texan – and, despite finishing four shots short, could celebrate one of the great debuts at Augusta.
Not only did Aberg, by finishing runner-up, emulate Jordan Spieth for the best Masters performance by a first-timer since Fuzzy Zoeller won in 1979, but he produced the finest display ever at Augusta by a player in his first major.
Aberg’s 69 for a seven-under total gave further emphasis on the wisdom of Luke Donald to pick him for a Ryder Cup wildcard last October and highlighted what an asset Europe has in its teamroom.
Donald would also have been delighted by Tommy Fleetwood coming in a tie for third, alongside Homa and Morikawa, in his most notable Masters display to date. The Englishman did not make a single bogey in his 69 and nobody else in the top 10 could say the same.
“You know, eighth time at the Masters, and this is my first top 10,” Fleetwood said. “It’s been a fantastic week. You just keep playing. You never know what’s around the corner. But yeah, I loved it. It was great being out late on the Sunday and playing a good round of golf, and just another major championship where you’re at the right end of the leaderboard at the end of the week.”
Fleetwood’s CV already had runners-up placings at the US Open and Open and this is another huge leap in the direction of becoming a major-winner. “Who knows if my time will ever come, but all I can do is keep trying to put myself there and keep having performances like this, and then we’ll see,” he said.
TV ratings improved by LIV golfers
Tyrrell Hatton also finished in the top 10 after a 69. Like Fleetwood, he is another under the flag of St George who has previously struggled at Augusta and he will take plenty from this improvement, regardless of his bogey-bogey finish.
As a recent LIV recruit, Hatton is acutely aware that his world ranking will soon go into recession and it was his ambition to ensure he guaranteed his route back to Augusta with a top 12 here. Mission accomplished.
There were two of his LIV colleagues in the top 10 – Cam Smith and Bryson DeChambeau in a tie for sixth on two-under after a 71 and 73 respectively – and although this did not match 2023, when they had four players in the top six, the rebels heavily contributed to the tournament.
Rory McIlroy made the point that the TV ratings in America have been transformed at the Masters, more than 20 per cent up year on year, after being so low so far in 2023. This, he claims, is because the fans want to see the best playing against the best and not being divided.
McIlroy, himself, is out of form and after consulting Butch Harmon to fix his technical problems a few weeks ago, this tie for 22nd, after a 73, was no surprise. His wait for the career grand slam, and the resulting career grand slam, goes on, but he believes that there is plenty of life in this campaign’s pursuit of a first major in 10 years.
However, he will have to overcome Scheffler, the undisputed champion in the game. He has just two majors but at the moment he is not only fighting his contemporaries, but the greats of each and every era.
Scottie Scheffler dominates the final round, as it happened
12:48 AM BST
Congratulations to Scottie Scheffler
A brilliant front-running display today. There was one tiny wobble on seventh that coincided with a couple of rivals getting birdies to briefly set up a four-way tie with Homa, Morikawa and Aberg but in all honesty Scheffler reasserted his control pretty quickly and this was a hugely impressive, commanding win. James Corrigan will talk you through all of it in his report above but from the live blog, it’s time to say thanks for following and goodnight.
12:45 AM BST
Tiger
Tiger Woods finishes Masters weekend 60th and last as tips from 15-year-old son fail to help
12:31 AM BST
Aberg
“You always strive to finish high up. I felt god about the way I was swinging the club. Privilege to play here. It looked like Scottie was running away with it a bit but I am proud with how I hung in there. Obviously I hope to win a Major but at the moment it’s just about improving.”
12:27 AM BST
Scottie Scheffler
still only 27, now has two Masters and two players’ championships.
Here he is talking on Sky. “I stayed calm and made some good shots when I needed them. I had that bogey on seven and then a good birdie on eight and that set me up for nine.”
[Message for wife?] “You are going to make me cry in the Butler Cabin. Erm. I’m coming home! I love you and I am coming home. It is a very special time for both of us. I am looking forward to getting home and celebrating with Meredith.”
Jon Rahm presents the green jacket to Scottie.
12:00 AM BST
Scottie Scheffler wins The Masters
Scheffler hits his tee shot into the bunker on the fairway. Gets out of that well enough, towards the edge of the green. 16 yards from the hole. Delicate work with the chip gives him a putt of two feet. He’s -11 and Aberg -7 so I think we can be pretty confident that he is going to win his second Masters in three years.
(His playing partner Morikawa, incidentally, has also had the bucket and spade out on 18. He has a putt for a bogey which he makes, dropping him back to four under and meaning that he, Homa, and Tommy Fleetwood all finish on four under. Aberg on his own in second on -7).
But back to the main event: Scheffler tucks the put away and gets a warm round of applause from everyone. Scottie Scheffler wins The Masters. Raises his hands in triumph. A pretty calm customer. Big smiles. Seems like a good lad. A serious operator: every time the pack got close this afternoon he just seemed to raise his game.
11:59 PM BST
Ludvig Åberg
cards a super 69, what a massive talent he looks to be. Going to be a force for some time surely. He’s going to finish second here.
11:54 PM BST
Not quite sure what to make of this
Very odd exchange at the end of Neal Shipley’s press conference. A reporter said he saw Tiger Woods write something down and hand a note to Shipley in the 8th fairway.
Shipley promptly turned to the green jacket next to him and there was dead silence.
“He didn’t,” Shipley… pic.twitter.com/9Mot1GMdLX
— Christopher Powers (@CPowers14) April 14, 2024
11:52 PM BST
Åberg on 18
He’s into the fairway bunker with his tee shot. Obviously figuring he has to go for broke, he now finds a bunker by the green as well. But a lovely escape from that gives him a fighting chance of a par that should be enough for clear second place.
11:50 PM BST
Scheffler
misses a putt on 17 but it’s not the end of the world and he has made his par right enough.
11:40 PM BST
Scheffler piles it on
Scottie Scheffler into Devon Loch territory now. He’s found the green at the par three 16th, putted for birdie successfully. That leaves him -11 and it’s all over by the shouting you fancy.
Aberg with a par on 17. So Scheffler is four up with two to play himself. Aberg can only hope to birdie 18 and pray.
11:36 PM BST
Tommy Fleetwood
“I think I did well. Maybe could have scored better on the par fives. It has always felt like a place I should play well but haven’t quite. If you push too much around here it pushes back and you get a double bogey out of nowhere.”
11:34 PM BST
Aberg tried for the Tiger
Ludvig Aberg plays out of the sand on 16, the one Tiger chipped out of so famously in 2005.
Sadly for him, it doesn’t go in. Par not birdie and he’s running out of road here. -7 through 16.
11:22 PM BST
Tommy Fleetwood’s work is done
He’s scored 69 today, a really good effort without ever quite forcing himself into the conversation. Every chance of finishing top five though which would be a terrific performance.
11:18 PM BST
Scheffler
on 15. He’s hit the ball into a bunker near the green and the question now is what sort of lie it has got. Is it plugged?
But ahead of him on 16, Aberg has hit a wild tee shot so that might take the pressure off Scheffler just a touch.
Scheffler looks like he is alright there actually. Better than first thought. He’s about to take his third. Out the bunker okay, better than okay in fact.
Scheffler has two putts for par. Bit aggressive with the first one, leaving himself more than he would like. But nails that one to stay at 10 under.
11:08 PM BST
Scheffler
is starting to pull away again. Birdie on the 14th moves him to ten under and this has, so far, been a superb front-running effort.
10:57 PM BST
Åberg and Scheffler trading blows!
Good contest between these two. A birdie on 14 for the young Swede, but Scheffler keeps the gap as it was when he two putts for a four on 13, carding a birdie on the par five there.
Scheffler -9 and Aberg -7.
10:46 PM BST
Ludvig Åberg
Ludvig Åberg is not going away. He’s birdied the par five 13th.
Ludvig before this guy knocked his power bar out of his hand: -7
Ludvig since this guy knocked his power bar out of his hand: +2
🤔🤔🤔 pic.twitter.com/m1WEnqaMYu
— Riggs (@RiggsBarstool) April 14, 2024
That moves him to six under (the birdie, not dropping his snack).
10:41 PM BST
Progress today
Tommy Fleetwood is three under for today. He has a huge putt here on the 16th, this must be 45 feet. It hits the flag and come out! Ooh, Tommy.
Other than the Evertonian, the only contenders under par today are Scheffler and Aberg.
Tom Kim of Korea smashed a 66, nicely done.
10:38 PM BST
As it stands
-8 Scheffler (11)
-5 Homa (12), Aberg (12)
-4 Fleetwood (15)
10:30 PM BST
Max Homa
the latest man to wearily card a double bogey. His tee shot on 12 rattled off the fairway and into that red brown scrub. He had to take a drop and it was always an uphill struggle from there.
10:28 PM BST
Tommy Fleetwood
is doing nicely and is four under on 14. He’s in with an outside chance of the podium places. If this long birdie putt on 15th hadn’t finished a few inches short he would have been even better placed.
10:27 PM BST
Scheffler
has given back a shot thanks to a bogey at 11. But his partner Morikawa goes one worse: another double for Morikawa and I think that surely ends his challenge. He’s now three under.
10:19 PM BST
Aberg in the drink
One by one, Scheffler’s challengers are falling away. Ludvig Åberg has hit the ball into the water at 11, which means a drop, and soon after that, a double bogey. He is back to five under.
10:16 PM BST
Morikawa
Ooh, that’s a real gutshot for Collin’s chances. He’s double bogeyed the ninth. He got into a bunker at the side of the green, tried to get out but botched it and needed a second crack with the sand wedge. Would have needed a minor miracle with the putter but not to be. To add insult to injury, playing partner Scheffler birdied the same hole and suddenly there was three between them.
10:11 PM BST
Rory
“I hasn’t been my year but I am going to keep coming back until it is. My game felt okay. It is hard to make it up once you drop.
“If feels like a lifetime ago (my last Major title) but it is good to return to a place you have had success (Valhalla next for the PGA)”
10:03 PM BST
Scheffler
is pouring it on now. He’s birdied ten as well and that opens up a two shot lead. He’s nine under.
09:44 PM BST
Scheffler
though is really looking strong. He’s also birdied the ninth thanks mainly to a lovely approach shot that pitches over the flag and spins back savagely. It looked for a second that it would go in, it didn’t, but the birdie was a formality.
Scheffler -8
Morikawa and Aberg -7
09:41 PM BST
Putt of the day
Sensational from Ludvig Åberg on the ninth. He looks to have all the shots and he looks to have an ice-cool temperament as well. He hit his drive 372 yards, set it up to 36 feet and then drained a nerveless putt for a birdie that gives him a share of the lead. Scheffler, Morikawa, Aberg on -7.
09:30 PM BST
Scheffler
showing significant minerals here, he’s battling hard and has birdied the eighth. But here is playing partner Collin with a downhill four footer, nastier than it looks, slippery, but he pings it and that’s now two co-leaders on seven under
09:22 PM BST
Four way tie now
A fourth man has joined the leaders on six under: it’s Homa. A quality approach shot on the par-five eighth set him up nicely and then he wrapped up the birdie. He birdied this hole on day one, also.
09:13 PM BST
That could be a big moment!
Scheffler has failed to get out of jail with that saver putt. It always looked a little bit ginger, a tiny bit underpowered as he struck it. He’ll have to card himself a bogey five on the seventh and that means he drops back to six under
Which means we now have a three-way tie for the lead. Scheffler, playing partner Morikawa, and Aberg, who birdied the seventh a few minutes prior.
09:08 PM BST
Scheffler
Scheffler is in the bunker on the seventh. He’s got himself out of it but there’s a lot to do from here.
09:04 PM BST
Tough day again for Rory
He’s bogeyed 13. One over for today so not a disaster but he’s further away than ever from that green jacket.
08:59 PM BST
Tiger Woods reveals his son gave him tips today
Tiger Woods finishes last at the Masters after resorting to swing tips from his son, 15.
08:55 PM BST
Scheffler with a super putt
there but it’s just an inch or two shy. He taps that away for his par and here’s Collin for a birdie and a share of the lead. It’s a horrible bendy wavy creature and it slides past the hole.
08:50 PM BST
Here is Collin Morikawa
on the sixth. Lovely shot. Right into the green, excellent control. Can Scheffler match it? Here he is in a peach polo shirt, blue slacks, white shoes and white cap. Onto the green okay but a long putt awaits.
08:46 PM BST
Smudge
08:44 PM BST
Homa
has a birdie attempt for a share of the lead. On the seventh. Ooooh…. just wide.
08:43 PM BST
Big day for amateur Neal Shipley
Not, as you might imagine, a lower league footballer from the 1980s but in fact an amateur golfer and a grad student at Ohio State. He’s the only amateur to make the cut. His caddie is his buddy from high school, Carter Pitcairn.
And the playing partner today? Tiger Woods.
08:38 PM BST
The leader
Scottie Scheffler overcooks his tee shot on the par three, goes out the back of the green and cannot save his par. He drops back to seven under.
08:37 PM BST
A friend to trees everywhere
08:26 PM BST
DeChambeau
Back-to-back birdies for Bryson DeChambeau. He’d started with two bogeys but back in business now.
08:25 PM BST
The leader
Scottie Scheffler not looking entirely comfortable out there. Battling pars on the first two holes but he then birdies the third. He’s onto eight under.
08:04 PM BST
Excellent rally from Nicolai Hojgaard
Double bogey on the first but he has fought back well with birdies on two and three.
07:57 PM BST
Aberg
has birdied the second and that moves him to five-under.
07:51 PM BST
Here is our leader then
Scottie Scheffler on the first, a low iron. Ball dribbles to the green but won’t stay on. No picnic getting up and down fom there.
Collin Morikawa pings his onto the green.
07:40 PM BST
Rory is on the 8th
with an attempt at an eagle, but that’s not very close at all. I wouldn’t say the birdie is a formality to be honest.
07:33 PM BST
Tiger Woods speaks to Sky
“I hoped to shoot something in the 60s. I thought I had that in my system. But I hit a bad shot at 5 and I never got it back.
“I am aiming to play the Majors. That is one a month so that gives the body time to recover.”
As Mel says, the great man is certainly sweating up!
07:28 PM BST
Some good starts
Several guys are making hot starts this evening.
Cameron Smith has an eagle on the second.
07:23 PM BST
Hojgaard
has made a pig’s ear of his first tee shot.
07:23 PM BST
Massive day for this young man
Imagine being this kid. You’re 20, played high school golf and some in college golf, and your buddy surprises you by asking you to caddie in the Masters. Insane. Then he makes the cut and is the low am! Wild. All of a sudden you’re shaking hands with the best to ever do it in his… pic.twitter.com/YbaYyGnBFC
— Kyle Porter (@KylePorterCBS) April 14, 2024
07:11 PM BST
Hojgaard
Cameron Davis and Nicolai Hojgaard on the first tee. Hojgaard was going well before a wobble yesterday.
07:10 PM BST
Sky’s coverage begins in earnest
Ewen Murray: “Theater, a battle for supremacy on this elegant but very dangerous golf course.”
Here’s Tommy Fleetwood rattling in a terrific long put for birdie on the first.
06:50 PM BST
Butch Harmon on Ludvig Åberg
“I think he is the next superstar.”
Sir Nick Faldo adds: “tall guy, good swing, nothing flashy about his game.”
06:48 PM BST
Tommy Fleetwood
Hello, Tyers here, joining you just in time to watch Tommy Fleetwood tee off. He begins his round on one under and there’s probably a little bit too much to do but you never know.
06:33 PM BST
Woods finishes up
As Tiger comes up to the green on the last, he receives a huge round of applause from the patrons.
He nearly treats them to a final great chip but it just misses the hole. It is a par on the last but he finishes on 16-over-par and is currently bottom of the leaderboard.
That is all from me. I will hand you over to the very capable hands of Alan Tyers. Enjoy!
06:21 PM BST
Woods on the last
Tiger is onto the 18th and he is 16-over-par on his 100th round at The Masters. He is currently bottom of the leaderboard by two shots.
06:18 PM BST
Par for McIlroy
The par-five second which has yielded a number of birdies and eagles today comes and goes for Rory as he three-putts and he has to settle for a par to remain at +4. That is ridiculous that he has not got at least one shot back. He missed a relatively short putt for eagle and then misses an even shorter putt for birdie.
That is an atrocious three-putt by McIlroy at the second. His eight-footer for eagle barely even grazed the cup, and nor did the three-foot effort for birdie coming back. He desperately needs some remedies for his short game. While it is his pitching that most urgently calls out for attention (he scuttled a 40-yard chip through the green at the following hole), his putting is equally ragged.
06:17 PM BST
Rahm makes up another shot
Jon Rahm has birdied the par-four seventh to move to three-over-par.
06:07 PM BST
Eagle for Scott
2013 Masters champion Adam Scott has just secured an eagle on the short par-four third and he is now two-over-par.
Back on the first Austrian Sepp Straka, who was on Europe’s Ryder Cup-winning team last year, has made birdie to move to +1.
06:05 PM BST
Woods problems continue
Tiger has had a horrible round and his bogey at 15 takes him to 16-over. He is bottom of the leaderboard with three holes to play.
06:02 PM BST
McIlroy drops a shot on the first
Despite a good tee shot, McIlroy ends up off the green with his second after a slightly unfortunate bounce. He cannot get up-and-down for par so he drops to four-over with that bogey.
05:48 PM BST
McIlroy under way
Rory is on the first tee and he is playing alongside Joaquin Niemann. McIlroy gets his final round going with a fine tee shot that finds the fairway.
05:44 PM BST
Butch Harmon on Sky Sports
“Rory [McIlroy] is going to be disappointed, no doubt about that. He came in with high hopes and had done some good practice – I know we’ve talked about the four hours he spent with me.
“But it’s very hard to take a new technique to a course in a major, especially this course – which demands so much concentration.
“Rory won’t be happy with what he’s done, but he could go out today and shoot a good score – and then we’ll see in terms of the rest of the year.”
05:39 PM BST
Early birdie for Willett
2016 Masters champion Danny Willett has got his final round off to a strong start with a birdie on the first to move to two-over-par.
05:34 PM BST
Birdie for Rahm
Jon Rahm has gone birdie, bogey and now he has a birdie on the third to improve to four-over-par.
05:33 PM BST
Making me hungry
05:31 PM BST
Nearly time for McIlroy
Rory’s final round will get under way in a quarter of an hour at 17.45 BST. He is three-over-par, ten shots off the leader Scottie Scheffler.
05:28 PM BST
Kim on a roll
Tom Kim is flying out there, although he is well out of contention. He started the day on 11-over but through 12 holes he is 6-over, five-under for the day after four straight birdies between nine and 12.
05:24 PM BST
Masters champions paired together
2016 Masters champion Danny Willett and 2013 champion Adam Scott are getting their final rounds under way right now. Willett is +3 and Scott is +4.
05:17 PM BST
Rahm drops a shot
It was a good start on the first for the defending champion with a birdie but he has dropped a shot on the second with a bogey. Back to five-over-par.
Playing alongside Rahm is Tony Finau, who has made birdie to improve to four-over.
05:14 PM BST
Woods update
Tiger is still bottom of the leaderboard on 15-over-par and he is onto the par-five 13th. After a terrible first six holes, he has nor secured pars on six straight holes.
05:10 PM BST
Only way to stop Scheffler?
04:57 PM BST
Birdie for Rahm
Good start for the defending champion as he birdies the first to move to four-over-par. He knows no matter what he shoots today, he will not be joining Jack Nicklaus, Sir Nick Faldo and Tiger Woods as the only three players to defend their Masters crown.
04:47 PM BST
Defending champion on his way
Jon Rahm is just getting his final round under way alongside American Tony Finau. Both are five-over par going into today. Rahm’s tee shot is onto the fairway. Here are some of the other pairings who will be making their way out soon:
5.25pm: Danny Willett (England), Adam Scott (Australia)
5.35pm: Will Zalatoris (America), Tyrrell Hatton (England)
5.45pm: Rory McIlroy (Northern Ireland), Joaquin Niemann (Chile)
5.55pm: Mathieu Pavon (France), Sepp Straka (Austria)
6.05pm: Matt Fitzpatrick (England), Patrick Reed (America)
04:40 PM BST
More players on their way out
Still plenty of players yet to tee off but the likes of Phil Mickelson, Shane Lowry and Brooks Koepka have all just begun their final rounds.
04:35 PM BST
Woods onto the back nine
Tiger has completed his front nine in four-over and he is now +15 for the week. He has been joined on 15-over-par by 2000 Masters champion Vijay Singh.
04:25 PM BST
Bradley to +5
One man who has made a good start to his final round is Keegan Bradley. He has made birdies on two and three to move to five-over-par. If you have watched the Netflix series ‘Full Swing’, you will have seen the devastation for Keegan and his family when he found out that he had not made the US Ryder Cup squad.
04:22 PM BST
Shipley birdies eight
What an honour it must be for amateur Neil Shipley to be playing alongside Tiger Woods for his final round on the day Woods is playing his 100th round at The Masters. Shipley has just birdied to move to +10. He is already guarantee the Low Amateur, Silver Cup as he was the only amateur to make the weekend.
Neal Shipley is a grad student at Ohio State and the only amateur who made the cut at the Masters.
Today, he’s playing in the final round of #themasters with Tiger Woods. Memories to last a life time 🐅🙌 pic.twitter.com/gVRRVQlTFb
— Sky Sports Golf (@SkySportsGolf) April 14, 2024
04:18 PM BST
Eagle for Lee
On the par-five second Australian Min-Woo Lee has registered an eagle to go from +7 to +5. We have seen plenty of players make up shots on the second so far so you can imagine the leaders will be fancying at least a birdie on this hole.
04:11 PM BST
Final few pairings
7.05pm: Cameron Davis (Australia), Nicolai Hojgaard (Denmark)
7.15pm: Bryson DeChambeau (America), Xander Schauffele (America)
7.25pm: Max Homa (America), Ludvig Aberg (Sweden)
7.35pm: Scottie Scheffler (America), Collin Morikawa (America)
03:56 PM BST
Crowds out in force
03:52 PM BST
More misery for Woods
Tiger’s 100th round at The Masters is not exactly going to plan. After missing the green with his tee shot at 6, he ends up with a bogey. He is now bottom of the leaderboard on 15-over-par.
03:43 PM BST
Horror hole for Woods
Tiger has had a mare on the fifth. He ends up with a triple bogey seven to drop to +14. Only Adam Hadwin is below him on the leaderboard.
03:38 PM BST
Trouble for Woods
Tiger has problems at the par-four fifth. His initial tee shot goes into the trees on the right and after it is deemed unplayable, he has to go back to the tee. His second effort is much better, down the fairway this time.
03:26 PM BST
Live from The Masters
Nice stat just popped up on the Masters screen here in the media centre at Augusta. Should Collin Morikawa (71-70-69) post a 68 or better today, he would become the first man in Masters history to break par on his opening round, and then improve his score every round thereafter.
03:16 PM BST
Bogey for Tiger
Just as Tiger had made up a shot on the second, he loses it on the third with a bogey to drop back to +11.
03:04 PM BST
Woods makes birdie
On the second Tiger has a lengthy eagle opportunity which he almost takes but he has to settle for a birdie to move to +10.
03:03 PM BST
More frustration for Rory
Rory McIlroy’s quest for the career Grand Slam is likely to go on for at least another year. He will begin his final round on three-over-par, ten shots off leader Scottie Scheffler. It is now at the decade mark for the last time he won a major and Oliver Brown has been writing about how Augusta National continues to frazzle the Northern Irishman.
02:57 PM BST
Can Aberg win The Masters?
No debutant at The Masters has won since Fuzzy Zoeller in 1979. Swede Ludvig Aberg has a chance of winning today not only on his Masters debut, but also his major debut. Tom Cary has been looking at Aberg’s chances of wearing that green jacket later today.
02:52 PM BST
Birdies for Hadwin and Singh
On the par-five second, both Adam Hadwin and Vijay Singh have made birdies. They are now 13-over-par.
02:49 PM BST
Woods pars the first
Despite a good tee shot, Tiger misses the green with his second. He manages to get up and down for a par to remain at 11-over-par.
02:38 PM BST
Woods (+11) under way
Tiger Woods’ final round is a go. He sends his opening tee shot down the fairway, exactly the start the 15-time major winner wanted. This is Woods’ 100th round at The Masters.
02:30 PM BST
Singh makes a two-putt par on the first
Hadwin sent his approach slightly long, chipped to 6ft but then sunk that for an opening-hole par. Steady.
02:22 PM BST
The first shots of the day have been played
Adam Hadwin has found the fairway, as has Vijay Singh. Singh then finds the green with his approach to give him a birdie putt.
02:07 PM BST
Watch: DeChambeau holes his approach on 18
What a spectacular finish.
01:55 PM BST
Woods shoots his worst-ever major round after Masters meltdown
Tiger Woods shot a horrific 82 here, his highest-ever round in a major, on the third day of the Masters when the toll of his injuries and the extent of his rust once again became painfully clear.
After breaking the record on Friday for the most consecutive Masters cuts made – 24 – this was not the sort of personal history he and his multitude of admirers were expecting. It was his 99th round in the season’s first major and his worst score by four shots.
Read more on Woods’ struggles here.
01:45 PM BST
Round 4 tee times and groups
All times BST (US unless designated)
* denotes amateur
2.15pm: Adam Hadwin (Canada), Vijay Singh (Fiji)
2.25pm: Jake Knapp, Grayson Murray
2.35pm: Neal Shipley, Tiger Woods
2.45pm: Tom Kim (South Korea), Denny McCarthy
2.55pm: Kurt Kitayama, Thorbjorn Olesen (Denmark)
3.05pm: Erik van Rooyen (South Africa), Eric Cole
3.15pm: Jose Maria Olazabal (Spain), Camilo Villegas (Colombia)
3.25pm: Russell Henley, Jason Day (Australia)
3.35pm: Keegan Bradley, Min Woo Lee (Australia)
3.45pm: Si Woo Kim (South Korea), JT Poston
4.05pm: Corey Conners (Canada), Brooks Koepka
4.15pm: Phil Mickelson, Shane Lowry (Ireland)
4.25pm: Taylor Moore, Sahith Theegala
4.35pm: Akshay Bhatia, Harris English
4.45pm: Jon Rahm (Spain), Tony Finau
4.55pm: Hideki Matsuyama (Japan), Luke List
5.05pm: Ryan Fox (New Zealand), Rickie Fowler
5.25pm: Danny Willett (England), Adam Scott (Australia)
5.35pm: Will Zalatoris, Tyrrell Hatton (England)
5.45pm: Rory McIlroy (Northern Ireland), Joaquin Niemann (Chile)
5.55pm: Mathieu Pavon (France), Sepp Straka (Austria)
6.05pm: Matt Fitzpatrick (England), Patrick Reed
6.15pm: Adam Schenk, Chris Kirk
6.25pm: Patrick Cantlay, Lucas Glover
6.45pm: Cameron Young, Tommy Fleetwood (England)
6.55pm: Byeong Hun An (South Korea), Cameron Smith (Australia)
7.05pm: Cameron Davis (Australia), Nicolai Hojgaard (Denmark)
7.15pm: Bryson DeChambeau, Xander Schauffele
7.25pm: Max Homa, Ludvig Aberg (Sweden)
7.35pm: Scottie Scheffler, Collin Morikawa
11:14 AM BST
Good afternoon
Welcome to our live coverage for the final round of the 2024 Masters. It has been a fascinating three days so far, but the upshot is that 2022 Masters champion Scottie Scheffler leads by one shot over Collin Morikawa with Max Homa a further shot behind.
Scheffler shot a one-under 71 which seems like a fairly regulation score and one that, as a contender after round three, you would take. Yet that was not entirely the case. Two birdies and a bogey saw in go out in a one-under 35 but that is when things got tricky with a double bogey by a bogey on 10 and 11. An eagle on 13 put things right before a final birdie put him on 71 for the day and seven under in total.
At one point there was a four-way tie for the lead but several players in contention fell away towards the end. It is certainly finely poised at the top but it is not quite as close as it might have been with four shots separating the top five. 12 players within six shots is not too bad, though and there is always the potential for someone a bit further down to put in a 65 or 66 and get in amongst it as the clubhouse leader.
At one stage it looked like round-three leader Bryson DeChambeau’s challenge was disintegrating. Four shots dropped in seven holes after the turn and then in a bit of trouble on 18, having to come sideways out of the trees. Yet he holed his 77-yard pitch to rapturous applause to keep himself in contention for first Green Jacket.
At one point Nicolai Hojgaard got to six under at the turn but a run of five bogeys in as many holes leaves him only an outside chance. He is two-under overall and in a tie for sixth but you feel that with the quality and number of players ahead of him, it will be a hard ask to be in contention at the very end.
The fourth-round action gets going at Augusta National at 2.15pm BST with Vijay Singh and Adam Hadwin. Of the lead four groups, Cameron Davis and Hojgaard are out at 7.05pm with the lead two-ball of Scheffler and Morikawa teeing off at 7.35pm.
Source Agencies
