This year’s Masters golf tournament was extremely interesting and featured many surprises. A Ridgewood native, Scottie Scheffler, ended up winning his first green jacket. In fact, Scheffler is now the first person born in New Jersey to win the Masters! The golfer is only 25 years old and won his fourth championship this year. Scheffler separated himself from the rest of the pack after the second day. He tied the highest lead through 36 holes in Masters history. Although Scheffler did not face many challenges, there were many noteworthy moments during the Masters .
The most notable golfer in the Masters this year was none other than Tiger Woods. The 46-year-old golfer made his return to the Masters after a life-threatening car crash in February of 2021. Tiger played well the first day, shooting one-under par. He made the cut after the second day. But, Tiger did not play great Saturday or Sunday. Tiger ended up shooting 13 over par. It was amazing to watch the, arguably, greatest golfer of all time play again. Tiger took home the green jacket in 2019 with a shocking upset. Some fans thought he could recreate his 2019 run and come away with his sixth Masters win. It is impressive that Tiger came off a possible career-ending injury
Rory McIlroy almost came back on the final day of the Masters. He almost broke the single-day course record at Augusta. McIlroy sunk a birdie on the 18th from the bunker. It was amazing to see him dominate the course on the final day. If he had played better in the first three days he could have earned himself a green jacket.
Cameron Smith was not far behind Scheffler going into the fourth day. Smith looked like he could beat Scheffler at times on the final day. However, Smith ended up triple bogeying the 12th hole. This eliminated any chance of Smith winning the Masters.
Some famous golfers were cut on the first day: Jordan Spieth, Brooks Koepka, and Bryson Dechambeau. They were all cut after 36 holes. It was surprising to see such successful golfers not make the cut.
The 2022 Masters were not as dramatic as past Masters. Some fans are calling the tournament a disappointment. Scottie Schelffer is clearly not disappointed by the results. The former Ridgewood resident will look to win more tournaments in the future and defend his Masters win next year in Augusta.
Thomas Gluckow
staff writer
Graphic: Ryan Cho