Reflections on week at Augusta: Champion Scheffler likely to be in contention all year

I have just arrived back in the UK after my week at The Masters and I am going to Rotherham on the Motorway. I managed to get three players in the top 20, Danny Willett, for whom I work on his short game, Matt Fitzpatrick along with Mike Walker, and Lee Westwood, with whom I will be working moving forward.

Readers may remember that when we were previously together, Westwood won 25 tournaments around the world in a period of around five years from 1995 to the early 2000s. The 49 year-old is in good form and is still up there with the best, with his all round golf game.

It seems to me that a lot of the leading players are getting injured more often these days.

This last week we saw Paul Casey and Louis Oosthuizen withdrew through injury and Bryson did not pronounce himself fully fit. Also, Brooks Koepka, Dustin Johnson and few others are seemingly playing with niggling injuries.

It is acknowledged that they all try and play a major week, as did Tiger Woods (more of Tiger later), but it does seem more than normal. Perhaps, the intense gym work by players is taking its toll, as players try and gain that slight advantage over the rest of the field. It is something that is worth watching.

I have had my own injuries lately and will have a knee operation on my right knee on April 21, not from excessive gym work, but more from wear and tear over the years, with meniscus on my knee joint along with bone spurs.

It is far from a serious operation: I had a similar operation six years ago on my left knee and it is as ‘good as new’ now.

What shocked us all last week, that perhaps was not evident to the TV viewers, was how cold it was at Augusta, most of the week.

The golf Tours of the world usually follow the sun, but this was not the case last week.

Cold weather was never going to suit Woods, but we must all applaud his remarkable performance of making the cut and walking around one of the toughest walks in golf. We all welcomed Tiger back to golf, we have missed him and so has the game of golf.

One surprising stat of the week was that there were no eagles on hole 15. They moved the tee back a bit, and, as they do post event every year, I am sure the Augusta Committee will look at this as good or not so good and adjust or otherwise as appropriately for 2023.

Finally, a word on the champion, Scottie Scheffler.

What a streak he has had over the last few weeks, his confidence is sky high, and I can only think of the likes of Tiger, Johnny Miller from the 70s, Jordan Spieth and Jason Day being so dominant and seemingly in contention every week.

See you all soon. I expect my next tournament to attend is in early May, fitness permitting, at The Belfry in England’s Midlands for the Betfred British Masters, hosted by Danny Willett before I am off to the US again for the second major of the year, the US PGA at Southern Hills, Tulsa, Oklahoma in the second half of May.

My only message to all Gulf News readers is stay fit and healthy, keep warm and enjoy your golf, wherever and whenever you are playing.

— Peter Cowen is a world-renowned golf coach with academies in the UAE and England.