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Max Homa did not win the Masters. He left feeling good anyway.
Darren Riehl
AUGUSTA, Ga. — Golf tournaments are usually a zero-sum recreation. One man’s bogey is one other man’s treasure. One man’s good bounce is one other man’s misfortune. One man’s victory means one other man’s defeat. The larger the occasion and the upper the stakes, the extra chasmic the hole between profitable and dropping. It doesn’t assist that golfers could be a depressing bunch, tending as they do in direction of perfectionism, cynicism, dissatisfaction.
Besides at the 2024 Masters, the place everyone’s leaving blissful.
THE TITLE OF MASTERS RUNNER-UP tends to come back with a sure melancholy, figuring out the heartbreaking proximity of what may have been. However on Sunday that spot belonged to Ludvig Aberg, the 24-year-old Swedish stud who gave away his probability on the win with a double bogey at 11 however battled again fiercely, enjoying the ultimate six holes in two below par for a final-round three-under 69. He completed 4 pictures behind the winner and three pictures away from everyone else. As he got here off the 18th inexperienced he was greeted by household and buddies like a conquering hero, and with good purpose: This was the primary main of his profession.
It’s tough to overstate the gravity of Aberg’s displaying so I gained’t hassle. I’ll let him understate it as a substitute; that’s extra his fashion.
“It reveals we’re doing a number of good things, and clearly ending effectively within the Masters is a dream come true,” he mentioned. “Simply enjoying right here has been such a privilege, and I’m tremendous happy with myself and the staff and all of the work that we’re doing.”
Aberg performed within the penultimate pairing alongside Max Homa and when Aberg faltered with seven holes to play, Homa seemed to be the one remaining challenger for Scottie Scheffler. However his tee shot to the ticklish twelfth landed simply lengthy, took a brutal bounce into the ivy and led to an premature double bogey.
His hopes of profitable the match have been undone however he steadied the ship on the best way house and completed at 4 below par and a share of third. Homa has been emotional after near-misses up to now however not this time; he emerged from scoring and burst out laughing as his spouse Lacey appeared holding their one-year-old son, Cam, who wouldn’t be denied till he’d grabbed maintain of considered one of his father’s wedges.
“It’s bittersweet, I suppose,” Homa mentioned a couple of minutes later, taking an extended pause as his tried to sum up his week. “As a result of I really feel achieved — however I really feel prefer it doesn’t actually imply something within the grand scheme of issues. However I simply really feel like I discovered. I really feel like I took an enormous leap.”
In recent times Homa has established himself among the many greatest golfers on this planet however one massive factor has been lacking: competition on the majors. This week he dealt with the strain of enjoying alongside Tiger Woods within the first two rounds and the strain of enjoying close to the lead on the weekend. He didn’t win however he didn’t fold, both. That meant progress.
“I really assume it would calm me down,” he mentioned, requested about strain at future majors. “I don’t really feel like I must show the rest to myself. Clearly I’d like to show I can win, however I do know I can play in these items effectively now.”
IT WOULD BE EASY TO FEEL for the person who performed beside the person who lapped the sector, however the truth that Collin Morikawa performed his means into the ultimate pairing on Sunday on the Masters marked a big step ahead for a man who entered off a MC-T45-T75 run of play. Morikawa modified coaches and altered his gear and located one thing particular in his recreation. And regardless of double bogeys at No. 9 and No. 11, which killed his probability at a win, he bounced again with birdies at 13 and 15 to safe a T3 end.
“This has been a bizarre yr, however I noticed a number of good this week,” he mentioned. “I feel I’m going to make use of this so much on this subsequent little stretch of golf, particularly since majors, all of them come one proper after one other.”
The one different professional who started Sunday’s closing spherical inside 5 pictures of the lead was Bryson DeChambeau, who’d by no means recorded a top-20 end on the Masters. He held the first-round lead and light on the weekend however held onto T6 at two below par alongside fellow LIV golfer Cameron Smith.
“You already know what, it was a constructive step in the best course for me out right here,” he mentioned. “Realized so much about my recreation and figuring out that I can do it out right here.”
DeChambeau mentioned that he felt one thing particular being in competition at Augusta of all locations.
“There was a few moments on the market the place I acquired the tingles. It’s a bizarre factor to say. It’s like goosebumps, virtually,” he mentioned. “It’s positively a step in the best course. I’m upset, however I’m constructive. My mindset is absolutely constructive.”
FOR CLARITY’S SAKE, not everyone left blissful. Not the most important champs who missed the cut on a brutal, blustery Friday night. Not the defending champ, who admitted it was powerful to have to stay round post-round to current the jacket to another person when he’d by no means actually had an opportunity. And never for Rory McIlroy, the World No. 2 who feels miles from World No. 1.
“I’m shut in some methods, however then I really feel fairly distant in others,” he mentioned.
But it surely was a satisfying week for almost everyone else.
For the Augusta Nationwide membership, it should have been satisfying to re-coronate such a deserving champion. The World No. 1 profitable the world’s greatest occasion feels effectively earned. He entered the occasion because the world’s greatest golfer and he left little doubt.
For golf followers it was a satisfying week, too, seeing the perfect gamers on this planet pitted in opposition to one another as soon as once more. They proved their pleasure with huge early-round viewership, too, suggesting that the Masters nonetheless reigns supreme.
Heck, even the man in final place left blissful.
“It was a great week,” mentioned Tiger Woods. “It was a great week throughout.”
Woods shot 16 over par for the week, two worse than anyone who made the lower. However he warmed up Sunday morning together with his son Charlie by his aspect. And he walked 72 holes at a significant championship for simply the second time since 2020.
“I feel that coming in right here, not having performed a full match in a really very long time, it was a great combat on Thursday and Friday,” he mentioned. He additionally implied that he’s gearing up for a full main season. “I’m going to do my homework going ahead at Pinehurst, Valhalla and Troon, however that’s type of the sport plan.”
And don’t neglect his enjoying companion, Neal Shipley, who leaves Augusta as low am.
“Enjoying with Tiger Sunday on the Masters, the entire week — I feel I’ve to win considered one of these items to type of prime this week,” he mentioned.
IN A STRANGE TWIST befitting this unusual recreation, the man who sounded the least glad as he wrapped up at Augusta Nationwide may need been Scheffler himself. He’d performed so effectively and gained by such a large margin that his opponents figured there was nothing they might have accomplished; that was a part of the rationale for his or her collective good cheer. However as he sat in entrance of the assembled media for his winner’s press convention, the dominant World No. 1 was requested about satisfaction and admitted he hasn’t but achieved it.
“I really feel like enjoying skilled golf is an endlessly not-satisfying profession,” he mentioned. “As an illustration, in my head, all I can take into consideration proper now could be getting house. I’m not serious about the match. I’m not serious about the inexperienced jacket. I’m attempting to reply your questions and I’m attempting to get house.
“I want — I want I may soak this in a bit bit extra. Possibly I’ll tonight after I get house. However on the finish of the day, I feel that’s what the human coronary heart does. You all the time need extra, and I feel you must combat these issues and concentrate on what’s good.”
Golf at any degree is a recreation of pursuit. You’ll be able to all the time get higher, all the time rating decrease, all the time chase down the following man in entrance of you. There’s satisfaction within the chase and there’s satisfaction in progress. The imperfection isn’t one thing to repair nor to resolve — it’s the complete level. Scheffler, who will turn into a first-time father within the coming weeks, sounded distinctly glad together with his off-course life if unfulfilled together with his on-course accomplishments. Maybe that’s the candy spot for greatness.
“I’ve an extended solution to go to catch somebody like him,” mentioned Xander Schauffele as he wrapped up a T8 end. “I’ve a number of work on my plate, and that’ll proceed for fairly a while.” He regarded excited as he mentioned it. Golfers wish to purpose at targets. And so they like after they come near hitting ’em, too.
Irrespective of his degree of {golfing} satisfaction, there’s excellent news for Scheffler — and for the fields wanting to chase him down. One other main lurks a month away. Then there’s one other main after that, and one other after that, and extra years and extra majors forward.
They only gained’t all have such blissful endings.
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