Homa, Morikawa and Aberg react to Scottie Scheffler's Masters win: "I got greedy"
Collin Morikawa, Ludvig Aberg and Max Homa have offered their thoughts on Scottie Scheffler's 2024 Masters victory at Augusta National.
Max Homa says his performance at the 2024 Masters is 'bittersweet' but he's proud of his efforts at the first major of the year.
Homa started the final round two strokes behind the red-hot favourite Scottie Scheffler.
But he saw his challenge for the green jacket go up in smoke after the famed par-3 12th hole at Augusta National claimed another victim.
Homa's nine iron sailed long of the green into the ivy and for a brief moment he struggled to find his golf ball.
When he walked off the hole, he etched a double bogey five onto his scorecard that all-but ended his chances.
"I thought I handled myself great, didn't make any putts, really didn't feel like I blinked," Homa said
"Would have loved the ball on 12 not to go in the foot of ivy. But I hit a good shot, and I think I did that all weekend."
Asked by a reporter if his disappointment was easier to swallow given Scheffler's brilliance, Homa said: "I swallow just fine. I'll be all right."
He continued: "It's bittersweet, I guess, because I feel accomplished but I feel like it doesn't really mean anything in the grand scheme of things.
"But I just feel like I learned. I feel like I took a big leap.
"The rhetoric on me, and this is from myself, as well, is I have not performed in these things, and I performed for all four days.
"I didn't throw a 65 in there and sneak my way in. I had to sleep on this every single day, this feeling and kind of this monkey on my back.
"For me, I think it'll change some things, and then in other ways it'll change nothing at all."
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Collin Morikawa started the final round one behind Scheffler but disaster struck for the American on nine and 11.
On both occasions the two-time major champion walked off the holes with ugly double bogeys.
Morikawa said of his disaster on nine: "Greed got the best of me. Nine, can't miss it over there and can't leave it in the bunker.
"[On] 11, just tried to hit too perfect of a shot. It's not like at that point I was trying to press. I knew where I stood."
He added: "We put a lot of pieces of the puzzle together this week, but after watching Scottie this week, I know what to do if I really want to close this gap on what he's doing and how impressive he's playing."
Swedish phenom Ludvig Aberg finished solo second.
Like Morikawa, he came unstuck on the 11th and found the water when you simply cannot miss left.
Aberg drew plaudits as he was smiling and laughing with his caddie Joe Skovron as he walked off the green to get back on the horse.
"Obviously it wasn't ideal to hit it in the water on 11," he said. "I think we all know that.
"Me and my team, we've focused a lot on just keep playing no matter what happens.
"I think if you just keep playing, skills are going to show up. I think once you stop playing, that's when you -- the skills are not showing up, and I think we did a great job of that.
"It was a good example of just keep playing, just to make sure to keep the ball in front of you, and there's a lot of holes left to be played. I think me finishing well after those couple holes were pretty encouraging to see."
Aberg was playing in his first Masters and players such as Rory McIlroy have described him as a generational talent.
"Hearing those things from Rory and those guys is very, very encouraging," he said.
Asked if he feels comfortable knowing that he is potentially the next 'face of golf', Aberg said: "Iwouldn't consider myself the face of golf. Absolutely not.
"Obviously I'm okay with all these things that comes with it.
"Obviously my main focus is to play good golf and all the media things that comes with it is not really up to me.
"All I try to do is make sure that for the next tournament that I come prepared, and I think the experience that I've had this week solidifies that we are doing a lot of good stuff and that we are not going to change a whole lot."
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