Scottie Scheffler makes complaint after Rory McIlroy makes history with Masters triumph

Jack Otway
Mon, 13 Apr 2026 06:17:56 +0000

Scottie Scheffler complained about the Augusta course after missing out on Masters glory to Rory McIlroy on Sunday.

McIlroy, the defending champion, won the prestigious year for the second year in a row - becoming just the fourth golfer in history to do so.

It was a thrilling final day, with plenty of nerves on display, with the British star eventually winning by just a single shot.

There was to be no repeat of last year, when McIlroy needed a nerve-wracking play-off to overcome Justin Rose after things had finished level.

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Scheffler performed well over the four days, with the world No 1 returning to form after a difficult few weeks beforehand.

Ultimately, however, the 29-year-old came up short as his hopes of a third Augusta triumph were ruthlessly dashed.

Speaking afterwards, Scheffler rued a missed shot on the 17th hole, an opportunity that ultimately cost him the honour he wanted most.

He then proceeded to complain about the course, suggesting that he was disappointed at how things played out while admitting it's something out of his hands.

“I’m not in charge of course setup,” said the runner-up.

“I would have liked it to have been a little bit more equal in terms of the firmness on Thursday and Friday.

"I was a bit surprised at how soft things were on Friday afternoon, especially as it got late in the day.

“But the weather also changes and it was a bit windy on Thursday, so who knows. That’s part of the game. We play an outdoor sport and you don’t know how conditions are going to change, especially course conditions.”

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Scheffler also admitted that he felt his display on Friday proved to be his undoing, having initially struggled to reel in the leaders.

“I’d say Friday probably hurt the most in terms of my chances of winning,” he added.

“We went out on Thursday afternoon were some of the most challenging conditions we had all week.

"I didn’t see many birdies out there Thursday afternoon, so going out on Friday, whatever they did to the greens to soften them up, they did some stuff, and I just wasn’t able to take advantage of that going on early on Friday.

“And then you saw the barrage of birdies that Rory made and Cam Young and a bunch of guys made on Friday late in the day, and I think I finished maybe two over par on Friday.

"So that day probably hurt the most in terms of my chances to win.”

McIlroy, meanwhile, was elated after winning the Masters - with the 36-year-old savouring the 'incredible' feeling of becoming a champion once more.

"I thought it was so difficult to win last year because of trying to win The Masters and the Grand Slam, then this year I realised it's just really difficult to win The Masters," he said.

"I tried to convince myself it was both.

"Yeah, just incredible. I obviously did the bulk of my work on Thursday and Friday. I don't think I would have believed anyone if they said to me all you have to do is shoot even-par for the weekend and you'll win.

"I definitely thought I was going to need to go out there and at least shoot a couple of under-par scores. I just had to hang in there. Yeah, just absolutely delighted to be able to get it done.

"I definitely thought I was going to need to go out there and at least shoot a couple of under-par scores.

"I just had to hang in there. Yeah, just absolutely delighted to be able to get it done.

"Having a six-shot lead going into the weekend, it would have been a bitter pill to swallow if I wasn't able to get myself over the finish line."