Even the 17th at Sawgrass, host to carnage throughout the final round of the Players Championship, could not halt Scottie Scheffler. It helped that the man who is now restored as No 1 in the world took to the famous par three while holding a five-shot lead. As soon as his tee shot was dry, victory was secure. This was a procession.
Scheffler’s glory, by five from Tyrrell Hatton courtesy of a 17-under-par aggregate, means he has won half a dozen times since last February. After completion of the Ryder Cup in the autumn of 2021, and as well as the victories, Scheffler has 14 top-10 finishes. His on-course reward for that is close to $25m, $4.5m (£3.7m) of which was earned here at Ponte Vedra.
“That was a lot of fun,” he said. “I am just hoping to improve and get a little better over time. I’m fortunate and thankful to see wins along the way.” His 88-year-old grandmother Mary was among family members behind the 18th green.
Scheffler had played his first seven holes in one over par. He was assisted in part by the struggles of his playing partner, Min Woo Lee, but also a chip-in birdie at the 8th. By the time the unflappable Scheffler collected further shots at the 9th, 10th, 11th and 12th, everyone else was playing for second. His return to Augusta National, where he will defend the Masters next month, presumably cannot come quickly enough.
He has become the third player, after Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods, to hold the Masters and Players titles at the same time. “I did a really good job of staying patient then got hot in the middle of the round,” he said. Indeed, this was something of an anticlimax; which was precisely the way Scheffler wanted it. A 69 was his joint-highest round.
Hatton had earlier emerged as Scheffler’s biggest threat. The Englishman played the closing half in 29 – matching a record – and birdied the last five holes while en route to a 65. Second place earned him the biggest cheque of his career, $2.7m. He is already a near-certainty to represent Europe once again at the Ryder Cup in Italy in September. Now firmly established in the world’s top 50, Hatton is also likely to feature in the limited-field events created by the PGA Tour for 2024.
“If you play well you earn your right to be there,” he said. “It’s as simple as that where it’s a level-playing-field rule, going out, trying our best every week and if you play better, then you’re going to be in the bigger events. Sport is brutal and golf is no different.”
Viktor Hovland and Tom Hoge shared third at 10 under. A 71 for Justin Rose earned him a top 10 berth. To Lee’s credit, he bounced back from the posting of two sevens to share sixth.
Jordan Spieth, who told the world all about Scheffler long before his fellow Texan blasted on to podiums, led the praise. “I play against him a lot at home and consistently he’s shooting really low rounds,” he said. “When I feel like I get the better of him it’s a boost of confidence. His golf is pretty incredible. He lost in a couple of playoffs, his top 10s are off the charts.
“He’s extremely grounded. He’s got really good parents, a great family structure. Randy Smith’s been around for a long time, his coach, and he’s been with him for ever. So I don’t see it changing. He’s in a good position to be able to continue to do this for a while.”
