Scottie Scheffler cruised to a four-shot victory over Ludvig Aberg in the 88th Masters tournament after entering the final round in a three-way tie for first. His 68 clinched the win and was worth $3.6 million, up $360,000 from last year when Jon Rahm won.
The win further cemented Scheffler’s position as the best golfer on the planet right now. He ranks first in the Official World Golf Rankings, and this was his third win in four events—he finished second in the one he didn’t win. He earned $12.6 million over those four events, including $4.5 million for his win at the Players Championship in March.
Scheffler was a Tiger-like favorite at +450 to win the Masters, ahead of Rory McIlroy and Rahm at +1100, according to FanDuel. Scheffler won the Masters in 2022, and at 27, he is the fourth youngest to have two green jackets after Jack Nicklaus, Tiger Woods and Seve Ballesteros.
This year’s tournament paid out a record $20 million in prize money, up $2 million from last year and 74% from the $11.5 million for the 2021 event.
Sweden’s Aberg was playing in his first major tournament and earned $2.16 million, while a trio of players—Tommy Fleetwood, Max Homa and Collin Morikawa—finished tied for third and earned $1.04 million each.
Tiger Woods made the cut at the Masters for a record 24th straight time, breaking his tie with Fred Couples and Gary Player. But the weekend was a slog for Woods as he posted scores of 85 and 77 to finish +16. His four-round total of 304 was his highest 72-hole total for any event since he turned pro in 1996. He still drew huge cheers from the crowd after every shot on Sunday when he was paired with 23-year-old Neal Shipley, the only amateur to make the cut.
Woods finished last among the 60 players that made the cut.
The Masters unfolded as the PGA Tour and Saudi-backed LIV Golf tour continue to negotiate on a merger of their commercial operations. This week, LIV Golf is expected to officially announce that longtime sports executive Katie O’Reilly will join its executive team after serving as chief revenue officer for the Philadelphia 76ers.
LIV golfers are banned from competing on the PGA Tour, but the major events operate outside the jurisdiction of the PGA Tour. So the Masters brought the best golfers to the same course for the first time since the British Open in July.
Eight of the 13 LIV golfers in the field made the cut. Cameron Smith and Bryson DeChambeau were the top finishers in a tie for sixth and earned $695,000. Phil Mickelson finished in a tie for 43rd and added $72,000 to his Masters total earnings which stands at $9.85 million in 31 appearances and highest of all time. It’s nearly $200,000 ahead of Tiger Woods’ career tally.
The LIV and PGA golfers will now go back to their respective tours and reconvene next month at Valhalla Golf Club in Louisville, Ky., for the PGA Championship. They will all be chasing Scheffler.