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

This is an article version of the CBS Sports HQ AM Newsletter, the ultimate guide to every day in sports. You can sign up to get it in your inbox every weekday morning here.

🏌 Good morning to everyone but especially …

SCOTTIE SCHEFFLER, TWO-TIME MASTERS CHAMPION

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

There were four co-leaders in that moment, but it did not take long for the game’s hottest player to prove what we already know: Scottie Scheffler stands alone. The world No. 1 captured his second Masters green jacket — becoming just the 10th to do so in a three-year span — with a stunning surge as all other contenders fell away.

Sunday’s final round proved the prospect of a green jacket weighs heavily while the experience of having one is invaluable. After Scheffler bogeyed the 7th hole, he shared the lead with two-time major winner Collin Morikawa, fast-rising star Ludvig Åberg and fan favorite Max Homa. Then …

• Scheffler made three straight birdies, starting with a crucial, steadying up-and-down on No. 8. At the 9th, he stuffed his approach to 6 inches. On No. 10, he hit another marvelous approach and made a 9-foot curler. It was his first time birdying three straight holes at the Masters, and they came when he needed them the most.
• Morikawa, meanwhile, sprayed a drive right and then failed to get out of a bunker on the 10th, making a double bogey. He made another double at the 11th after finding water left, a miss you just can’t have, especially while in contention on Sunday at Augusta National.
• Åberg, one group ahead of Scheffler and Morikawa, also found the water on the 11th en route to double bogey.
• Homa, playing alongside Åberg, put his tee shot on No. 12 into the bushes long, 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 clear of Åberg.

When Scheffler didn’t have his best stuff, he leaned on masterful, creative greenside play. And once he found his best stuff, no one else stood a chance, Kyle Porter writes.

• Porter: “Scheffler’s game is relentless. As players around him found all the water and flora Augusta National has to offer, he found the fattest part of Augusta’s greens — on repeat. He again led the field from tee to green and credited his underrated short game for getting it done 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. This objective data alone makes him unfair.”

Scheffler didn’t only have to overcome a formidable course and group of contenders, he had to do it without his wife, Meredith, who’s about to give birth to the couple’s first child, Patrick McDonald notes.

The numbers are astounding. Schefler is the … 

• Fifth player to win multiple Masters by three strokes or more, joining Tiger Woods, Seve Ballesteros, Jack Nicklaus and Sam Snead
• Fourth-youngest multi-time Masters winner behind Nicklaus, Woods and Ballesteros
• 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 win two Masters wins within his first five appearances, the first to do so in 88 years (Horton Smith: 1934, 1936)

OK, so that’s some historic greatness. How about modern greatness? Since 2020, Scheffler is 73 under in majors, best of anyone. Rory McIlroy is second … at 34 under.

Once again, there’s Scottie, and there’s everyone else. 

👍 Honorable mentions

👎 Not so honorable mentions

🏀 NBA postseason is set: Thunder win West, Knicks grab East No. 2 seed

And with that, the NBA regular season has come to a close. Now, things really get fun. All 30 teams played Game 82 yesterday, and here were the key results:

In the West …

• The Thunder finished No. 1 by plastering the Mavericks, who rested pretty much everyone.
• The Nuggets finished second, and the Timberwolves finished third.
• The Suns nabbed the No. 6 seed (and avoided the play-in) by beating the Timberwolves and having the Lakers beat the Pelicans.

So here’s what next in the West:

• Tuesday play-in: (7) Pelicans vs. (8) Lakers (winner earns 7 seed)
• Tuesday play-in: (9) Kings vs. (10) Warriors (winner faces 7-8 loser for 8 seed)
• Friday play-in: West No. 7/8 vs. West No. 9/10
• Playoffs: (1) Thunder vs. (8) Pelicans/Lakers/Kings/Warriors
• Playoffs: (2) Nuggets vs. (7) Pelicans/Lakers
• Playoffs: (3) Timberwolves vs. (6) Suns
• Playoffs: (4) Clippers vs. (5) Mavericks

In the East …

• The Knicks claimed the second seed with an overtime win over the Bulls. New York could have tried to play the matchup game, but that’s not the Tom Thibodeau way, Brad Botkin writes.
• The Bucks and Cavaliers finished third and fourth.
• The Magic and the Pacers secured the No. 5 and No. 6 seeds, respectively. That means the 76ers — winners of eight straight — have to go through the play-in as the No. 7 seed.

Here’s what’s to come in the East:

• Wednesday play-in: (7) 76ers vs. (8) Heat (winner earns 7 seed)
• Wednesday play-in: (9) Bulls vs. (10) Hawks (winner faces 7-8 loser for 8 seed)
• Friday play-in: East No. 7/8 vs. East No. 9/10
• Playoffs: (1) Celtics vs. (8) 76ers/Heat/Bulls/Hawks
• Playoffs: (2) Knicks vs. (7) 76ers/Heat
• Playoffs: (3) Bucks vs. (6) Pacers
• Playoffs: (4) Cavaliers vs. (5) Magic

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

• Quinn: “The Lakers now have two chances to reach the playoffs, and they’re playing against a Pelicans team they’ve 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 nemesis, the Nuggets, who have beaten them eight times in a row. … The Lakers could theoretically avoid them by making the playoffs as the No. 8 seed, but remember, they’re winless against the Kings this season and Anthony Davis is winless against Domantas Sabonis for their entire careers.”

Oh yeah, and Davis had an injury scare … though he’s expected to play tomorrow.

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

Here’s the full playoff schedule and the bracket. 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 top pick

Just eight days after finishing second with her Iowa team falling to South Carolina in the national championship, Caitlin Clark is going first. Division I’s all-time leading scorer will be drafted by the Fever tonight to open the 2024 WNBA Draft. That much we (pretty much) know. Current WNBA stars are already fans, reports Isabel Gonzalez.

After that? It’s anyone’s guess, and Jack Maloney gave his best in his final mock 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 team needs for every franchise, and here’s how to watch.

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

One year after their worst record since 1992, the 12-4 Yankees have MLB’s best record. They haven’t lost a series yet, and they have the second-best ERA in MLB, even without Gerrit Cole having thrown a single pitch thus far.

Is all of that good enough for No. 1 in Matt Snyder’s latest MLB Power Rankings? Here’s his top five:

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

Here’s more from the weekend:

📺 What we’re watching Monday

🏀 WNBA Draft, 7:30 p.m. on ESPN
🏒 Wild at Kings, 9:30 p.m. on ESPN