Masters 2025: Scottie Scheffler looks like his two-champ self Thursday at Augusta

AUGUSTA, Ga. – That’s more like it.

For all the handwringing and second-guessing that Scottie Scheffler faced heading into the year’s first major, his opening 68 was a reminder that he’s still the player to beat at Augusta National.

The world No. 1 began the week as the betting favorite at the Masters, which he has won twice in the last three years, but his play in 2025 has not been as dominant as it’s been the last two seasons, prompting some to question his form. Those concerns were quickly put to rest on a breezy afternoon at Augusta National.

Scheffler was bogey-free on Day 1 with birdies at Nos. 2, 4, 8 and 16, and was only really challenged twice during his round — at Nos. 7 and 17 when he missed the green but was able to scramble for par thanks to sublime greenside bunker play.

“Anytime you can keep a card clean out here, it’s a really good thing,” he said. “I struggled for what felt like two pars today. I had to make two really good up-and-downs. But other than that, the golf course was in front of me most of the day, kept the ball in play, did a lot of really good things out there.”

Following an off-season hand injury that set him back about a month, Scheffler has been “good, not great” this year with six starts, three top-10s — including a tie for second in his Masters warmup two weeks ago in Houston — and no finish worse than 25^th. However, he told the media earlier this week that he felt “very prepared” on the eve of the Masters.

“I think that was more the nature of just the time that I’ve had to get ready for the tournament post-injury, I would say,” he said. “As far as my preparation went, I wasn’t doing anything different, I was just able to get more and more reps in. Just through time, I felt more prepared than I did for any other tournament.”

Just once in his five previous starts at the Masters has Scheffler posted a better opening-round score — in 2024, when he shot a first-round 66 — and Thursday was the fifth time he’s began the week under par.