Scottie Scheffler had no interest in a dramatic finish to the Masters Tournament.
Augusta National Golf Club has been the site of so many late surges, collapses and duels down the stretch in the year's first major, and a third of the way through Sunday's final round it looked as though some fireworks were about to be lit.
The scoreboards on the course loom ominously over the field, telling the leader how much - or little - breathing room he has, indicating to the chasers how much ground they have to make up and how much time they have left to do it.
Scheffler knew he had talented players coming after him once he regained the lead, and he knew he needed to make birdies. And he locked in.
That singular focus on the task at hand, that tunnel vision, his refusal to look beyond the previous or next shot, is what's carried him to the No. 1 spot in the world rankings. It's what produced two wins in his previous three events, with only one player finishing ahead of him during that stretch. It's what's led to zero over-par rounds competitively in 2024.
And it led to Scheffler running away with the Masters.
"I tried to soak in stuff around me today," he said. "I looked up at the trees at times. I looked up at the fans occasionally to try to soak in some of their energy. But did not ever let myself get attached to the lead. I just tried to keep pushing."
Augusta National requires calculated aggression from its champions. Too much of it puts a player out of position to score, and too little takes away their chances. Shots have to be on target from holes 1 through 72, and a tentative strike will miss the mark.
That's where Scheffler's focus came into play, as he pulled off golf shot after golf shot every time it looked like the field had an opportunity to pick up some strokes on him.
Thursday it was a hole-out from the back bunker for birdie on 12 and then an up-and-down for another birdie on 13 when it appeared his ball may have found the tributary to Rae's Creek.
Friday it was his ability to grind out par after par that felt like birdie after birdie in a gusting wind that blew away most of the field's hopes of winning.
Saturday it was that eagle bomb on 13 that produced a rare outward burst of emotion, and he buried another on 18 while his competitors were going the wrong way on moving day.
Then came the birdie binge Sunday, not to mention several good chips throughout the week that kept him from dropping shots. The shot of the tournament was his lob-wedge approach into 9 that landed on the slope behind the hole and nearly tumbled into the cup for an eagle. Another birdie followed at 10, then another at 13 as he kept the pedal to the floor and went for the green in two. He perfectly judged the slope on the back of the 14th green to set up another kick-in for birdie to all but start buttoning up the green jacket.
He maintained his focus on 18, keeping his head down until the final putt - and it was only one on that green this time - to win the Masters for the second time in three years.
Then his brain locked in on the next task.
"I feel like playing professional golf is an endlessly not satisfying career. For instance, in my head, all I can think about right now is getting home" to his pregnant wife Meredith, he said. "I'm not thinking about the tournament. I'm not thinking about the green jacket. I'm trying to answer your questions and I'm trying to get home. I wish - I wish I could soak this in a little bit more. Maybe I will tonight when I get home. But at the end of the day, I think that's what the human heart does. You always want more, and I think you have to fight those things and focus on what's good."
Meredith was who kept him focused two years ago when he was in anguish that Sunday morning about a moment - and a young career - he was worried might be too big for him. With her back in Texas this week, Scheffler called on some of his old friends for comfort during the hours-long wait for that coveted final Sunday tee time.
"I was sitting around with my buddies this morning, I was a bit overwhelmed," he said. "I told them I wish I didn't want to win as badly as did I or as badly as I do. I think it would make the mornings easier. But I love winning. I hate losing. I really do. And when you're here in the biggest moments, when I'm sitting there with the lead on Sunday, I really, really want to win badly.
"And my buddies told me this morning, my victory was secure on the cross. And that's a pretty special feeling to know that I'm secure for forever and it doesn't matter if I win this tournament or lose this tournament. My identity is secure for forever."
Now comes a major life change in the form of the couple's first child. He's looking forward to his final few opportunities to get a good night's sleep, and he's excited to become a parent and all that comes with it. Golf will now become the fourth-most important thing in his life behind his child, wife and faith, but he said that doesn't mean he plans on losing his focus or competitive edge on the golf course.
The field for this week's RBC Heritage at Harbour Town was released Monday morning, and as one of the PGA Tour's signature events it's a who's-who of the world's top players. On the list, right between Xander Schauffele and Adam Schenk, is Scottie Scheffler.
Right back to the grind for the Masters champion.
