<p>AUGUSTA, Ga. — Xander Schauffele stepped up to the 16th tee with all the momentum at the Masters.</p>
<p>
<a href="https://twitter.com/i/status/1381373676004720650">He had just ripped off</a> four straight birdies.</p>
<p>He had closed the gap on Hideki Matsuyama to a mere two strokes.</p>
<p>Schauffele decided to hit one right at the flag.</p>
<p>“I was coming in hot. I was feeling good,” he said. “I was a little hyper-aggressive on 16.”</p>
<p>Schauffele wound up becoming the latest victim of the iconic par-3 hole known as Redbud — and added another close call to a major championship resume that he admits is becoming “a big ball of scar tissue.”</p>
<p>His 8-iron didn’t go quite as far as he planned, skipped off the side of bank and plopped into the water. </p>
<p>Schauffele wound up with the first triple bogey he’s ever had in a major — in 1,042 holes — and squandered any chance of catching Matsuyama, who went on to become the first man from Japan to capture one of golf’s biggest events.</p>
<p>Schauffele tied for third with Jordan Spieth, three shots behind the winner at 7-under 281. Masters rookie Will Zalatoris slipped through to take the runner-up spot, just one stroke back after Matsuyama bogeyed the final hole.</p>
<p>This is starting to get real familiar for Schauffele, a 27-year-old Californian who is regarded by his peers as one of the game’s best.</p>
<p>In 2019, he made five birdies in seven holes to briefly tie for the Sunday lead at the Masters before giving way to Tiger Woods. <a href="https://apnews.com/article/f235067fe5ba4e0a98e76dd06008a6fe">Schauffele finished one shot back</a> in a tie for second, but was largely forgotten in the hoopla over Tiger’s 15th major title.</p>
<p>Schaufele, you might remember, also was in a hunt at the <a href="https://apnews.com/article/0a337f958808474aa4e7f2448cc531c4">2018 British Open at Carnoustie</a> until a bogey on the 71st hole ended his hopes. Again, he settled for the runner-up spot.</p>
<p>Let’s not forget a third-place showing at the 2019 U.S. Open, along with a top-10 finish at last year’s PGA Championship.</p>
<p>Spieth has called him the “most underrated player in the world," which tends to happen when you <a href="https://apnews.com/article/golf-augusta-the-masters-hideki-matsuyama-xander-schauffele-51e44043e4a91507dd682b7e32fd2696">keep coming so close</a> but can’t seem to break through.</p>
<p>Schauffele was at it again Sunday, taking a run at Matsuyama before that big mistake at 16 left him with yet another close-but-no-cigar major.</p>
<p>“I gave him a little excitement,” Schauffele said. “Unfortunately, I hit it in the drink.”</p>
<p>That he even had a chance was a tribute to Schauffele’s skill and resolve. </p>
<p>Starting the day four strokes behind, he quickly went in reverse. A bogey at No. 4, followed by a double-bogey at the next hole after he drove it to a patch of bushes right of the the fairway.</p>
<p>Schauffele steadied himself, but his playing partner in the final group didn’t falter at all. </p>
<p>When they walked off the 11th green, Schauffele was a daunting seven shots behind.</p>
<p>Then, he got hot. And Matsuyama cracked just a bit.</p>
<p>A birdie at the 12th. Two more at the 13th and 14th. When Schauffele managed to get up-and-down from a greenside bunker at the par-5 15th for yet another birdie, his confidence was soaring.</p>
<p>Matsuyama, on the other hand, decided not to lay up at 15, sending his second shot rocketing over the green. It skipped all the way into the pond at 16, leading to a bogey and a two-shot swing for the guys at the top.</p>
<p>Suddenly, it was game on.</p>
<p>“Hideki surprisingly went for the green on 15,” Schauffele said. “I felt like he gave me a little hope there.”</p>
<p>A few minutes later, it was gone.</p>
<p>That same little body of water claimed Schauffele’s ball. Whatever chance he had of winning his first major title went with it.</p>
<p>He’ll try to chalk it up as yet another learning experience.</p>
<p>What choice does he have?</p>
<p>“I’ll be able to sleep tonight,” Schauffele insisted. “I may be tossing and turning, but I’ll be OK.”</p>
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<p>Follow Paul Newberry on Twitter at <a href="https://twitter.com/pnewberry1963">https://twitter.com/pnewberry1963</a> His work can be found at <a href="https://apnews.com/search/paulnewberry">https://apnews.com/search/paulnewberry</a></p>
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