After Masters bid falls short, Scottie Scheffler airs Augusta frustration

1 had just sent roars cascading through Augusta National with late Sunday birdies at 15 and 16 and had a downhill putt on 17 to cut Rory McIlroy’s lead to one. He hit it right where he wanted and at the proper speed. He watched it roll.

The ball dripped toward the cup and seemed like it was destined to light the fuse for an Augusta explosion. Then? It wiggled left and stopped on the lip of the cup.

Scheffler stood, hands on his hips, staring at the baked-out Augusta National green, the firmest on the property, and then at the sky. When the final tally at the 2026 Masters was recorded, Scheffler lost to McIlroy by one shot . That one could have come from anywhere over the 72 holes, but the four-time major winner’s putt that fate rejected on 17 stood out as McIlroy celebrated his historic repeat victory .

“The putt on 17 I thought I made,” Scheffler said. But that’s not where Scottie Scheffler lost this Masters . That happened earlier in the week, and his frustration at how this loss transpired on this course over 72 holes was evident as he readied to leave Augusta National with a sour taste in his mouth due to a factor that was outside his control.