This Testing Augusta Trio Has Bamboozled Scottie Scheffler (It's Not Amen Corner) – Does It Hold The Key To Masters Success?

Scottie Scheffler heads into The Masters this week looking to become only the second player behind Jack Nicklaus to win a third Green Jacket in four years.

The 2022 and 2024 champion at Augusta National has dominated this event in recent years, with five consecutive top-20 finishes in his five career starts.

But, while it's true that Scottie Scheffler has developed a knack to negotiate the unique challenges posed by the iconic venue, there are a few kinks in his armour that could cause him problems in his pursuit for the career hat-trick.

In comparison to the famous Amen Corner, this tricky trio of holes is rarely discussed but boy can they pack a punch - landing more than a few blows on the World No.1 in recent years...

Scottie Scheffler's Worst Scoring Holes At Augusta National

If you were to look at Scottie Scheffler's cumulative score to par on each hole at Augusta National, you would see that he has lost the most shots on the 18th - but I believe there is a slight caveat to that.

When winning his first Masters title in 2022, Scottie frittered away meaningless shots by four-putting the last when five-shots clear of McIlroy in second place.

I am not saying the 18th isn't tough, but I would argue that this particular stretch of consecutive holes is where Scottie has struggled most at The Masters...

Hole 4 – 'Flowering Crab Apple'

This monster par-3 can play up to and around 240 yards in length, requiring laser-like precision and plenty of power to create any sniff of a scoring opportunity.

In his Masters career, Scottie has played the fourth hole at Augusta National in a combined four-over-par, ranking the hole as the third toughest in what I will creatively call the 'Scottie Scoring Measure'.

When talking about the hole during a video for The Masters Youtube Channel, Scottie shares that the strategy is to "get the wind right and then trying your best to hit a three or four-iron onto the green somehow".

He also eludes to the penalty that comes when finding the bunkers, creating a tricky up-and-down. Just ask Henrik Stenson, who knows about the dangers of this hole after making a record-breaking eight back in 2011.

Hole 5 – 'Magnolia'

From the third hardest hole on the aforementioned 'Scottie Scoring Measure' to the second hardest hole - creating a damaging duo that has the ability to inflict pain on anyone's scorecard, including the two-time Masters Champ.

With a cumulative career score of five-over-par on this punishing par-4, Scottie explains why it is essential to miss the two fairway bunkers down the left hand side.

"Off the tee on the fifth hole, (do) anything you can do to get the ball in the fairway while avoiding those bunkers.

"The bunkers are a pretty significant penalty because you pretty much know you are not going to be able to get the ball to the green".

The bunkers at Augusta National might be pristine in appearance, with their beautiful white sand, but they can certainly sting in the scoring department.

Still, those that avoid them will likely have a long club in to a green that has a significant ridge, tough pin positions and plenty that can go wrong - escaping with a four is a great result.

When you consider that the pair of holes at four and five have cost Scottie 9 shots relative to par in his five starts so far - it will be very interesting to see how he navigates them in 2025... but the fun doesn't stop there!

Hole 6 – 'Juniper'

The second par-3 in a three hole stretch, and the task doesn't get any easier than the one posed just a couple of tee boxes back.

Scheffler's cumulative career score of one-over-par is marginally better than his performances on the fourth, perhaps because it plays around 60 yards shorter, but he describes the challenge here to be navigating the putting surface effectively.

"A lot of it is just lag putting up to those pins on the top, it's a small shelf up there and it can be pretty challenging to get the ball to stay on there".

With some pin-positions that are more accessible than others, there are opportunities during the week to take this green on.

But, the fact that one of the best players in the world is over-par for this particular hole in five career visits exemplifies the necessity to give it the utmost respect when deciding how to attack it.

How Does That Compare To Amen Corner?

Over five career starts, Scheffler has played this trio of consecutive holes (4,5,6) in 10-over-par, which is actually 18 shots worse than his performance around Amen Corner (eight-under-par). When you add the 7th into the mix, positive scoring continues to be hard to come by.

With a cumulative career score of two-over-par, that makes this stiff stretch an area to watch at Augusta National this week - with a view to see if Scheffler can start to improve on a run of holes that he has lost twelve shots on over the past five years.

Quiz Time: Masters Special