Scottie Scheffler and Dustin Johnson both know what it takes to win at Augusta National, and Tom Watson has explained the rare skill they deployed to win their Masters title
Tom Watson has hailed a rare skill that Scottie Scheffler and Dustin Johnson both possess(Image: Lillie Yazdi/Augusta National/Getty Images)
Tom Watson, Scottie Scheffler and Dustin Johnson know a thing or two about taming Augusta National, and Watson has admitted he was blown away by a rare skill his fellow Masters champions possess.
Distance control is imperative at Augusta due to the severe slopes on the greens and the trouble that awaits if players are fractionally imprecise with their approach shots.
Eight-time major champion Watson, a three-time winner of the Masters, says Johnson and Scheffler have developed the remarkable ability to know how far their ball will carry just from the feel off the clubface. That skill is a big reason why they had an invitation to Rory McIlroy’s Champions Dinner on Tuesday, when they had to abide by some unwritten rules for seating arrangements.
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“I remember watching Dustin Johnson hit 77-yard pitch shots with a sand wedge to that short green out there, and each time he hit it, he said, ‘That’s 76 yards, that’s 75 yards, that’s 77 yards,’ and he was spot on,” Watson told Golf Channel.
“And I remember Scottie Scheffler doing his little piece in his shorts with every club in the bag. He started with his driver and he was asked, ‘How far did that ball carry,’ He said, ‘That ball carried 313.’ And then the 3-wood, ‘That was 286,’ and he went down through all of his clubs, and he was within two yards.
“He hit the ball, guessed how far it was, and he had the launch monitor to tell him exactly how far it was. That’s how good these guys are. I’ve always said the great players can hit the ball plus or minus two yards to the exact distance they were trying to hit it in the air.”
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Scheffler is the oddsmakers’ favorite to win, but Johnson is a rank outsider after his recent major woes(Image: Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
World No. 1 Scheffler, the 2022 and 2024 champion, and 2020 winner Johnson will hope to profit from their impeccable distance control this week.
Scheffler, 29, is the oddsmakers’ favorite to slip on the Green Jacket for a third time, although his preparation for the tournament has not been ideal. After winning The American Express on the PGA Tour in January, he has hit a slump, finishing outside the top 10 in his past three starts.
The Texan has had three weeks off heading into the Masters as he and his wife, Meredith, welcomed their second child, a boy named Remy. Despite the new arrival, Scheffler says he is feeling sharp and rested heading into the year’s opening major.
“I’m getting plenty of sleep. My wife’s a trooper. Yeah, having a newborn is always an interesting thing, but Remy is so young right now, they sleep a lot of the day,” he said. “I think he’s used to being in the womb at this point. Yeah, I’ve been able to get a decent amount of sleep.
“Game feels like it’s in a good spot. I got some rest the last few weeks at home. So I feel rested and ready to go this week.”
Johnson, meanwhile, is unfancied to contend this week. The 41-year-old has only two top-10 finishes in 16 majors since joining LIV Golf in 2022, and he has missed the cut at his past two trips to Augusta National.
The two-time major winner hopes to buck that trend this week. He said: “I feel refreshed coming in here. Game feels good. Looking forward to a really nice week.”
