Before he won the Masters, Scottie Scheffler witnessed one of the Masters' greatest moments as a fan

AUGUSTA, GEORGIA - APRIL 07: Scottie Scheffler walks onto the ninth green prior to Masters Tournament at Augusta National Golf Club on April 7, 2026 in Augusta, Georgia. (Photo by Ben Jared/PGA TOUR via Getty Images)

(Ben Jared via Getty Images)

AUGUSTA, Ga. — Bubba Watson’s shot from the trees on the 10th hole at the 2012 Masters remains one of the finest moments in Masters history. An impossible arc that somehow ended up on the green, the shot in sudden death gave Watson the first of his two green jackets.

Equally remarkable: although nobody knew it at the time, another two-time green jacket winner was among the patrons in the gallery watching it all unfold.

“I was here that day,” Scottie Scheffler said Tuesday prior to the start of the 2026 Masters. “This tournament is a great experience to come to as a patron, and being able to be up close and see someone accomplish something that I dreamed of accomplishing at the time, I think is very inspirational.”

Scottie Scheffler's in there somewhere. (Streeter Lecka/Getty Images)

(Streeter Lecka via Getty Images)

At the time, Scheffler was a 15-year-old student at Highland Park High School in Dallas, and already showing signs of the golf genius he would become. He won three straight state titles from 2012 to 2014, and the U.S. Junior Amateur in 2013. Two years after watching Watson execute one of the finest shots in Masters history, Scheffler made his PGA Tour debut as a 17-year-old at what was then called the HP Byron Nelson Championship. (Naturally, he made the cut and finished T22.)

Continuing the improbable intersecting storylines from that day, Watson’s caddie Ted Scott would one day become Scheffler’s caddie, and an instrumental element of his charge to the top of the golf world.

“Never in my wildest dreams would I have thought the guy carrying Bubba's bag at the time would be one of my best friends,” Scheffler said, “and my caddie for a long time as well.”

Scheffler is in what passes for him as a lull, with “just” one win in six starts. Still, there’s something about this week that brings him peace.

“Augusta is the place you always want to get to, whether or not it's to play in the tournament or just to get to see the golf course,” he said. “For me, I truly feel that once you drive down Magnolia Lane, everything else melts away, and you get to be here and be focused. There's not a lot of distractions this week.”

Although he has two green jackets of his own, Scheffler hasn’t yet crafted one of the eternal Masters shots like Watson’s in 2012. Still, there’s plenty of time … starting with his 1:44 p.m. tee time on Thursday.