AUGUSTA, Ga. — Scottie Scheffler had battled his way back from a poor start in the second round and was staring at a prime scoring opportunity on Friday when he made a decision that might have sunk his chances to win the 2026 Masters.
Scheffler dropped back to even par for the tournament with two bogeys through his first five holes on Friday, but rebounded with birdies at No. 8 and another at the difficult 10th hole at Augusta National. He holed a clutch par putt on No. 11 and was even through the first two holes of “Amen Corner” when he walked up to his drive on the par-5 13th hole.
Despite watching playing partner Robert MacIntyre put one in Rae’s Creek in front of the green just before him, Scheffler stuck with his decision to go for the green. It’s not his typical shot shape, but Scheffler liked the draw lie with a 3-iron to a back right pin location.
Then came a poor swing, Scheffler’s ball failed to draw the way he envisioned and also hopped into the creek. With the short angle he was left, Scheffler chose to use the drop zone, which was a longer chip. He failed to get up and down, and carded a bogey on one of Augusta National’s easiest holes.
“Probably my only shot I would rather be able to hit again. Maybe a different decision there,” Scheffler said. “That’s a tough shot, but I felt like I could make something happen to that pin.
“To that pin specifically that’s a shot that I could get in there close, so I felt like it was worth the risk of going for it.”
Scheffler also bogeyed the par-5 15th hole when his approach bounded off the green and into the water, leading to a 2-over 74 that marks the second-highest score in 18 career rounds at the Masters.
“I felt like I played a lot better than my score,” Scheffler said. “Just the little things that I felt like I was close to having a really, really good round today. Just a few things here or there that, you know, poor swing on 13 and then a few breaks that didn’t go my way.
“The margins are small.”
Scheffler planned to hit the practice facility before heading back to rest. He’ll need to take advantage of an earlier tee time on Saturday and make his move before the front page of the leaderboard tees off.
“You can’t force anything around this place,” Scheffler said. “I definitely struck it well enough to have a really, really nice round today, so go get a bit of practice, get some rest, and get ready for tomorrow.”
