Scottie Scheffler’s return to form ahead of his Masters title defence is ominous for his rivals, according to three-time winner Sir Nick Faldo.
Scheffler showed visible signs of frustration with his performance as he finished 20th last month in the Players Championship, one of nine titles he won in an incredible 2024 campaign.
Rory McIlroy defeated JJ Spaun in a play-off at Sawgrass to secure his second win of the year and has accumulated 188 world ranking points this season compared to Scheffler’s 72.
However, the world number one responded with rounds of 62 and 63 as he finished runner-up in the Houston Open, his last competitive start before seeking a third Masters title in four years at Augusta National.
Asked if that was an ominous sign, Faldo told the PA news agency: “Yes, yes.
“Great players get excited. You are playing regular golf but your number one thought, I can promise you, is Augusta. He probably had that since [last] July. You start thinking and preparing and gearing everything up.
“He will put his work in and double the rounds he is playing. The round he played at the Olympics in Paris [a closing 62] was blooming amazing.
“He has got a great ability to turn it on and make it happen. He will be in it even if he is eight shots out of it for a while. I bet he will find a way to get to the top of the leaderboard.
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“The better names generally will come to the top at Augusta through the week. There may be a few names we don’t recognise at the start but by the end of the week those [big] guys will be there.
“You can’t really call it a two-horse race [between Scheffler and McIlroy] at all, but you’ve got to believe they will be in there lurking throughout the week.”
Another player who Faldo believes could be in contention is US PGA and Open Championship winner Xander Schauffele, whose injury-hit season means he is not among the most fancied players.
“Lucky for him maybe, he can go in under the radar which is a nice thing,” Faldo added.
“He’s definitely a danger man. He could win and then he’s looking for one more [the US Open] for the grand slam. How cool is that? He’s had a quiet run for a while but he looks good.”
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