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Evening Standard
Evening Standard
Sport
Matt Majendie

Scottie Scheffler fires rivals ominous warning as Players Championship win seals No1 return

Scottie Scheffler has warned his rivals that he is far from the finished article despite returning to golf’s world No1 spot.

The 26-year-old replaced Jon Rahm as the planet’s top-ranked star after a dominant performance at the Players Championship, which he won on Sunday by five strokes from Tyrrell Hatton, who finished with five straight birdies.

But following his sixth PGA Tour win, Scheffler believes he can still get even better.

“I’m just hoping to improve,” he said. “I’m just trying to get a little bit better at a time, not overthink things and fortunately I’ve been able to see some good results and enjoy some wins.

“I think I’m just comfortable with where my game is. I feel like I’m improving. I’m definitely learning more and more the more I get into contention. I would say I maybe am a bit comfortable for knowing what I need to do.

Celebration: Scottie Scheffler held off the challenge of Tyrrell Hatton to win the Players title (Getty Images)

“I get excited for a good hard test. I feel like I can find a way to make pars and hang in there. I feel the challenge of harder golf courses. This tournament feels like a major championship to me.”

Another former world No1 in Jordan Spieth, who is a regular practice partner with Scheffler away from the tour, backed his fellow American’s sentiments.

Spieth said: “He’s arguably the best player in the world right now. His golf is pretty incredible, his top 10s are off the charts, he’s just playing that good. I don’t see it changing, he’s in a good position to be able to continue to do this for a while.”

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