AUGUSTA, Ga. — As Scottie Scheffler and his sage caddie - Bubba Watson’s man from his two championships here – were conducting a search and rescue mission in largely unexplored brush left of the fairway at 18 Saturday, all matters Masters got a lot more interesting.
What was taking on the look of a ratings-killing rout by the world’s No. 1-ranked player was suddenly being recast as a head-to-head battle between earth’s two hottest golfers. And classic conflict is what we come here for, not some one-man off-Broadway Sunday matinee.
What a fitting final pairing we have in store. There’s Scheffler (9 under), winner of three of his last five tournaments. And Aussie Cameron Smith (6 under), winner of two of his last four, including the prestigious Players Championship. The three-stroke margin is far more manageable than the cushion Scheffler was threatening to build early in the third round.
