AUGUSTA: Prime-ranked Scottie Scheffler and world No. 2 Rory McIlroy, every chasing a milestone Masters victory, shall be taking part in companions within the first two rounds beginning Thursday at Augusta Nationwide.
Reigning Olympic champion Xander Schauffele, the world No. 5 looking for his first main title, will full the function trio from the sector of 89, which incorporates 20 Masters newcomers.
Scheffler, fancied by oddsmakers, might be part of 15-time main winner Tiger Woods as the one gamers to win the Masters twice whereas ranked world No. 1.
The 27-year-old American has seven top-10 finishes in eight begins this 12 months, together with wins at The Gamers Championship and Arnold Palmer Championship.
However Scheffler’s trademark self-discipline and composure received’t let him ponder the affect of a second inexperienced jacket in three seasons.
“I strive to not look too far into the long run,” he mentioned. “I’m enthusiastic about how I’ve been taking part in to start this 12 months.
“All I’m making an attempt to do is put myself in competition within the match and hopefully end it off. I actually am not trying a lot previous tomorrow. I’m centered on my preparation.”
McIlroy, a four-time main winner from Northern Eire, is aware of all too nicely {that a} Masters triumph would full a profession grand slam. It’s the tenth time he has tried to complete the feat since successful his most up-to-date majors in 2014.
“I’ve already acquired most of my prep work completed, so it’s nearly going on the market and being relaxed and being in the precise way of thinking,” McIlroy mentioned. “The extra I can try this, the extra I’ll have the ability to execute on the golf course.”
McIlroy, a 2022 Masters runner-up to Scheffler, has six top-10 finishes in his previous 9 begins at Augusta.
Amongst these assured McIlroy will full the profession grand slam is five-time Masters champion Woods.
“No query, he’ll do it sooner or later,” Woods mentioned. “Rory is just too gifted, too good. He’s going to be taking part in this occasion for a really very long time. He’ll get it completed. It’s only a matter of when.
“I feel Rory shall be an excellent Masters champion someday and it could possibly be this week. You by no means know. I simply suppose that the expertise he has, the way in which he performs the sport and the golf course suits his eye, it’s only a matter of time.”
It was a motivational increase for McIlroy, whose decade-long main win drought contains 10 top-five finishes and three runner-up efforts, together with final 12 months’s US Open.
“It’s flattering. It’s good to listen to, for my part, the very best participant ever to play the sport say one thing like that,” McIlroy mentioned.
“Does that imply it’s going to occur? Clearly not. However he has been across the sport lengthy sufficient to know I at the very least have the potential to do it. I do know I’ve acquired the potential to do it too. It’s not as if I haven’t been a reasonably good participant for the final couple a long time.
“However yeah, it’s good to listen to it when it comes out of his mouth.”
Woods, a five-time Masters winner, is making an attempt to make a report twenty fourth consecutive Masters reduce, surpassing the present mark he shares with Gary Participant and Fred {Couples}.
The 48-year-old American says he nonetheless has what it takes to match the report six inexperienced jackets received by Jack Nicklaus regardless of extreme leg accidents from a 2021 automotive crash and ankle surgical procedure final April.
“If all the things comes collectively, I feel I can get yet another,” Woods mentioned.
Woods admits he aches day-after-day, an ailing omen as he struggles to stroll 72 holes at Augusta Nationwide.
“It’s actually one of many extra hillier walks that we’ve on tour,” Woods mentioned.
Third-ranked Jon Rahm will attempt to be part of Woods, Nicklaus and Nick Faldo as the one gamers to win back-to-back Masters titles.
He’s amongst 13 gamers from the Saudi-backed LIV Golf League within the Masters area, having made the bounce from the PGA Tour final December.
Amongst these taking part in their first Masters are fourth-ranked Wyndham Clark, the reigning US Open champion, and world No. 9 Ludvig Aberg of Sweden. No rookie has received the inexperienced jacket since Fuzzy Zoeller in 1979.
