Johnson Wagner believes that Scottie Scheffler has received a boost ahead of The Masters amid reports on how conditions at Augusta National are set to play this week.
There is a sizeable question mark hanging over Scheffler heading into the first major of 2026. It has not been at all easy to sum up the world number one’s form over the first few months of the year.
He did win at The American Express back in January. However, he has been unable to kick on since that victory and actually finished outside the top 20 in each of his last two starts on the PGA Tour.
His results would not stand out as being particularly alarming for anyone else. However, Scheffler has established himself as the most dominant player the game has seen since Tiger Woods over the last few years.
Johnson Wagner thinks conditions will suit Scottie Scheffler at The Masters
The birth of his second child could act as something of a reset for the 29-year-old when it comes to his form on the golf course. Scheffler has simply not looked like himself with a club in his hands in recent events.
What will help, it seems, is reports that Augusta National is set to play firm and fast over the coming days.
In fact, speaking on CBS Sports, Johnson Wagner claimed that the conditions could be perfect for Scheffler as he seeks his third Green Jacket.
“Fairways are going to be smaller, the greens are going to be smaller when they’re bouncing like that. You’re going to have to have a really great knowledge of where your miss should be to certain hole locations. As we’ve seen Scottie over the last few Masters, he’s a wizard at leaving it in the right place and leaving himself the best chance to get it up and down. I think it’s going to be magnified,” he said.
“When you think about iron play and greens here around Augusta, it’s going to help to hit the ball high. And Scottie has this ability to vary his shot shapes into the greens like nobody else, so I think the firmer, faster the golf course gets, yes, it’s going to bring some shorter hitters maybe into the equation if they’re playing great. But when the course is firm and fast, it is always beneficial to the best players in the world, and obviously that’s Scottie Scheffler.”
What Scheffler needs to show to convince Wagner he’s ready to win again at Augusta National
Scheffler has definitely taken exception with the idea that he is not playing as well this year. But the eye test certainly suggests that unfamiliar problems are creeping into his game.
He is 64th for driving accuracy on the PGA Tour this year, while he is down for 82nd for strokes gained approach. That statistic, in particular, is jarring considering how good Scheffler has been from the fairway across his career.
And yet, it would come as absolutely no surprise if he is able to get everything to click together over the next four days.
Wagner explained what he wants to see from Scheffler as the tournament starts to get going.
“It’s the driver for me. And the last time we saw him at The Players Championship, he was going back and forth between the new version of his driver and his old version. He had a lot of heads on the range, and he just seemed lost with it. So I would like to see him not changing driver heads early in the week during practice rounds. Just stick to one driver head, have a back-up in the bag. I don’t care if it’s the old one or the new one, but he seems lost on trying to get this new club,” he said.
“Hopefully having had three weeks off, I know their second child is a big deal, but I know he’s been out practicing and hopefully he’s got the driver ironed out. For Scottie Scheffler, he sets the golf course up so well off the tee, drives it in play and seemingly gives himself a look on every single hole for birdie, so I want to see him hit fairways and be in control.”
Last year’s Masters proved to be a turning point in his year, with Scheffler finishing fourth despite being nowhere near his best. He obviously did not have to wait too much longer for the first win of 2025.
It is hard to imagine Scheffler finishing outside the top 10 this week regardless of how he performs.
But clearly, if he is able to rediscover some better form, he is going to be incredibly difficult to stop.
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