Tom Watson singles out two Masters winners for | Sports News

Tom Watson, Scottie Scheffler and Dustin Johnson are no strangers to conquering Augusta National — and Watson has revealed he was left in awe by an distinctive expertise his fellow Masters champions share.

Distance control is essential at Augusta, given the dramatic slopes throughout the greens and the penalties that await gamers who’re even barely off with their strategy pictures. This yr’s event begins on Thursday, with Kai Trump predicting her winner.

Eight-time main champion Watson, a three-time Masters winner, says Johnson and Scheffler have honed the extraordinary capability to gauge exactly how far their ball will carry purely from the feeling at impression.

“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 informed 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 inform him precisely how far it was. That’s how good these guys are. I’ve at all times mentioned the great gamers can hit the ball plus or minus two yards to the precise distance they had been attempting to hit it within the air.”

World No. 1 Scheffler, the 2022 and 2024 Masters champion, and 2020 winner Johnson will be looking to capitalize on their exceptional distance control this week.

Scheffler, 29, is the bookmakers’ favorite to don the Green Jacket for a third time, though his build-up to the tournament has been far from perfect. After claiming victory at The American Express on the PGA Tour in January, he has struggled, failing to crack the top 10 in his last three outings.

The Texan has enjoyed three weeks away from competition heading into the Masters, during which he and his wife, Meredith, welcomed their second child, a boy named Remy. Despite the new addition to the family, Scheffler insists he is feeling sharp and well-rested ahead of the year’s first major.

“I’m getting loads of sleep. My spouse’s a trooper. Yeah, having a new child is at all times an fascinating factor, however Remy is so younger proper now, they sleep a lot of the day,” he said. “I believe he is used to being within the womb at this level. Yeah, I’ve been in a position to get a first rate quantity 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, in the meantime, shouldn’t be anticipated to be a critical contender this week. The 41-year-old has managed solely two top-10 finishes in 16 majors since becoming a member of LIV Golf in 2022, and has did not make the cut in his final two appearances at Augusta National.

The two-time main champion is raring to reverse that trend this week, saying: “I feel refreshed coming in here. Game feels good. Looking forward to a really nice week.”