Scottie Scheffler wins the Masters again; NBA postseason field locked in; WNBA Draft tonight

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SCOTTIE SCHEFFLER, TWO-TIME MASTERS CHAMPION

There was a moment on Sunday when a classic Masters finish appeared as a possibility. Three players, all with impressive credentials, caught the 54-hole leader, who was struggling uncharacteristically.

There were four co-leaders at that time, but it didn’t take long for the game’s hottest player to prove what we already know: Scottie Scheffler stays alone. The world No. 1 claimed his second Masters green jacket – becoming just the tenth to do so in a three-year period – with a stunning rise as all other competitors fell.

Sunday’s final round proved the potential client of a green jacket weighs a lot while the experience of having a is invaluable. After Scheffler botched the 7th hole, he shared the lead with the two-time major champion Collin Morikawafast rising star Ludvig Åberg and fan favorite Max Homa. Then …

• Scheffler made three birdies in a row, starting with a crucial and steady up-and-down on No. 8. On No. 9, he increased his approach to six inches. At number 10, he hit another wonderful approach and curled a 9-footer. It was the first time he had bogeyed three holes in a row at the Masters, and they came when he needed them most.
• Morikawa, meanwhile, shot right and failed to get out of a bunker on the 10th, making double bogey. He made another double on the 11th after finding water to spare, a mistake you simply can’t make, especially in Sunday’s contest at Augusta National.
• Åberg, a group ahead of Scheffler and Morikawa, also found water on the 11th en route to double bogey.
• Homa, playing alongside Åberg, hit his tee shot at No. 12 into the weeds, took an unplayable and made double bogey.

After a bogey and a par, Scheffler birdied the 13th and 14th, plus the 16th for good measure, to finish 11 under – four strokes ahead of Åberg.

When Scheffler didn’t have his best, he relied on masterful and creative plays on the field. And once he found his best things, no one else had a chancewrites Kyle Porter.

• Concierge: “Scheffler’s game is relentless. As players around him encountered all the water and flora that Augusta National has to offer, he found the fattest part of Augusta’s greens – again and again. He again led the field from the tee to the green and credited his underrated short game for doing so this week. … Objectively, Scheffler is not only the best iron player in the world, but nearly the best off the tee and around the greens.

Scheffler not only had to overcome a formidable route and a group of contenders, he had to do it without his wife, Meredithwho is about to give birth to the couple’s first child, notes Patrick McDonald.

The numbers are surprising. Schefler is the…

• Fifth player to win multiple Masters by three strokes or more, joining Tiger Woods, Seve Ballesteros, Jack Nicklaus It is Sam Snead
• Fourth youngest Masters winner, behind Nicklaus, Woods and Ballesteros
• The hottest golfer in the world, winning for the third time in his last four events (the other being a T2) without a single round over par since August 2023
• Second player to earn two Masters wins in his first five matches, the first to do so in 88 years (Horton Smith: 1934, 1936)

OK, that’s historic greatness. What about modern greatness? As of 2020, Scheffler has been working in the specialties for 73 years, the best of all. Rory McIlroy And the second… at 34 below.

Again, there’s Scottie and everyone else.

Honorable mentions

Not-so-honorable mentions

The NBA postseason is set: Thunder wins the West, Knicks take second place in the East

And with that, the NBA regular season came to an end. Now things really get fun. All 30 teams played Game 82 yesterday, and here were the main results:

In the west…

• O Thunder finished in first place towing the Independentswhich rested practically everyone.
• O Nuggets finished in second place and Timber Wolves finished third.
• O Suns won sixth place (and avoided the play-in) by defeating the Timberwolves and having the Lakers beat the Pelicans.

Then Here’s what’s next in the West:

• Tuesday’s journey: (7) Pelicans vs. (8) Lakers (winner gets 7 seeds)
• Tuesday’s journey: (9) Kings vs. (10) Warriors (winner faces 7-8 loser for 8 seeds)
• Friday’s journey: West No. 7/8 vs. West No. 9/10
• Decisive games: (1) Thunder vs. (8) Pelicans/Lakers/Kings/Warriors
• Decisive games: (2) Nuggets vs. (7) Pelicans/Lakers
• Decisive games: (3) Timberwolves vs. (6) Suns
• Decisive games: (4) Clippers x (5) Mavericks

In the east…

• O Knicks achieved second place with an extra-time victory over Bulls. new York Could have tried to play the confrontation gamebut this is not the Tom Thibodeau way, writes Brad Botkin.
• O Money It is Knights finished third and fourth.
• O Magic and the Pacemakers secured the No. 5 and No. 6 seeds, respectively. This means that 76ers – winners of eight consecutive games – will have to go through the play-in as seventh place.

Here it is what’s to come in the east:

• Wednesday’s journey: (7) 76ers vs. (8) battery (winner gets 7 seeds)
• Wednesday’s journey: (9) Bulls vs. (10) Falcons (winner faces 7-8 loser for 8 seeds)
• Friday’s journey: East #7/8 vs. East #9/10
• Decisive games: (1) Celtics vs. (8) 76ers/Heat/Bulls/Hawks
• Decisive games: (2) Knicks vs. (7) 76ers/Heat
• Decisive games: (3) Bucks vs. (6) Pacers
• Decisive games: (4) Cavaliers vs. (5) Magic

That makes the Lakers winners…and losers on the final day, writes Sam Quinn.

• Quinn: “The Lakers now have two chances to make the playoffs and are playing a Pelicans team they outscored by 57 points this season. However… Guess who awaits the Lakers if they manage to beat the Pelicans on Tuesday? That’s right, it’s their old enemy, the Nuggets, who have beaten them eight straight times… The Lakers could theoretically avoid them by making the playoffs as the eighth seed, but remember, they didn’t beat the. Kings this season and Anthony Davis It is no victory against Domantas Sabonis for your entire career.”

Oh yes, and Davis had a injury scare …although he’s supposed to play tomorrow.

The Lakers aren’t the only recent former champions needing to navigate play-in: Colin Ward-Henninger has the latest on the Warriors, whose rollercoaster season could end tomorrow night.

Here is the complete playoffs schedule and the support. And if your favorite team’s season is over… well, Here are the lottery odds!

WNBA Draft arrives with our final mock draft as Caitlin Clark prepares to be the top pick

Just eight days after finishing second with her Iowa team falling to South Carolina in the national championship, Caitlin Clark go first. The all-time top scorer in Division I will be chosen by the Fever tonight to open the 2024 WNBA Draft. We (practically) know this. Current WNBA stars are already fans, reports Isabel Gonzalez.

After that? Nobody knows, and Jack Maloney did his best in his final draft:

1. Fever: G Caitlin Clark, Iowa
2. Sparks: C Cameron Brink, Stanford
3. Sky: C Kamilla Cardoso, South Carolina
4. Sparks: F Rickea Jackson, Tennessee
5. Wings: G Jacy Sheldon, Ohio State

Jack also has staffing needs for each franchiseand here it is how to watch.

MLB Power Rankings: The Yankees have the best record, but are they No. 1?

One year after his worst record since 1992o 12-4 Yankees has the best record in MLB. They have yet to lose a series and have the second-best ERA in MLB even without Gerrit Cole having thrown a single pitch so far.

This is all good enough to No. 1 in Matt Snyder’s latest MLB Power Rankings? Here are your top five:

1. Yankees (previous: 2)
2. Bravos (1)
3. Dodgers (5)
4. Brewers (8)
5. Pirates (6)

Here’s more from the weekend:

What will we watch on Monday

WNBA Draft7:30 pm on ESPN
Wild at Kings9:30 pm on ESPN