Masters 2026: Scottie Scheffler gets spicy after his round at Augusta

Scottie Scheffler of the United States reacts on the 17th hole during the third round of the 2026 Masters Tournament at Augusta National Golf Club on April 11, 2026 in Augusta, Georgia. (Photo by David Cannon/Getty Images)

(David Cannon via Getty Images)

AUGUSTA, Ga. — Scottie Scheffler — stoic, reserved polite Scottie Scheffler — was a little spicy after Round 3 of the Masters.

After carding five birdies and an eagle to match the lowest round of the tournament — a 7-under 65 — Scheffler was asked if his round could have been even better.

“That's just a terrible question,” Scheffler said. “Next question. Awful.”

Except that it wasn’t a terrible question considering the circumstances.

He had a birdie putt lip out at 3, then parred the remaining par 5s, which were extremely gettable Saturday. And considering he entered the day 12 shots back of Rory McIlroy, likely needing every stroke he can gain on the defending champion, it wasn’t an unfair question.

How do we know? Because even Scheffler, himself, agreed the round could have been better.

“It wasn't maybe that bad, but it definitely could have been lower,” Scheffler said later in the same interview. “But like I said, I did what I needed to do. Went out and executed to give myself some opportunities, and more of that tomorrow, and I think I'll be in a good spot.”

From 12 shots back to five when he finished his round is certainly more favorable, but still a steep hill to climb. But this is the most dominant player the sport has seen since Tiger Woods.

Since the advent of the World Golf Rankings in 1986, only two players have held onto the top spot longer than Scheffler — Woods and Greg Norman. Scheffler took the No. 1 spot on May 31, 2023, and has not given it up since. In fact, he holds a Secretariat-at-Belmont sized lead over McIlroy at No. 2.

And yet, 2026 has been been a less-than-dominant season by his standards. There was a win in January followed by a pair of top 5s. But coming into Augusta National, Scheffler hadn’t had as much as a top-20 finish since February.

The good, though, is that he has once again put himself near the top of the leaderboard at Augusta. Along with his two wins here, he hasn’t finished outside the top 10 at a Masters since 2021.

He started Saturday’s Round 3 in a tie for 24th. He’ll end the day somewhere inside the top 10, with players still on the course.

“When you come here, I think that's why it's such a great test too, because not only do you have to conquer this golf course, you have to conquer changing conditions, a difficult country club golf course, but you also have to conquer your nerves as well to get it done around here,” he said. “There's numerous challenges to get it done in this tournament, and we'll see what happens as the weekend progresses.”