Scottie Scheffler caught hearth to win his first FedEx Cup title.
Keyur Khamar/PGA TOUR by way of Getty Photographs
For a second, Scottie Scheffler was spiraling in a method we had by no means seen him spiral earlier than.
However that second was temporary. The Scottie Scheffler who set data all all through 2024 got here again simply as quick as he disappeared.
The World No. 1 missed a brief par putt on the seventh gap after which shanked his second shot on the eighth gap to see his as soon as seven-stroke lead on the Tour Championship dwindle to only two with 11 holes to play within the last spherical.
Scheffler responded by knocking a 4-iron on the 236-yard par-3 ninth to 5 ft, making the putt after which birdieing the following two holes to revive his result in 5 over Collin Morikawa.
“9 was an enormous turnaround,” Scheffler mentioned afterward. “[My caddie] Teddy [Scott] gave me a pleasant pep discuss there on the again of 8 inexperienced as a result of I form of checked out him like, ‘Man, I don’t find out about this; this isn’t trying so sizzling proper now.’
“He form of gave me a bit of pep discuss after which I used to be capable of hit a very nice iron shot in there and acquired issues rolling.”
The Olympic gold medalist saved his foot on the gasoline with an eagle on 14 coming in and he gained the Tour Championship, and the season-long FedEx Cup title, by 4 strokes.
“We’ve put in a whole lot of work to get so far, and it’s been a protracted week,” Scheffler mentioned. “Proper now I’m simply fairly drained, so don’t actually know learn how to put this into phrases. But it surely’s a fairly particular feeling to be lastly holding the trophy.”
Scheffler’s 30 below last rating was the perfect within the six editions of the Tour Championship performed below the staggered strokes format and his win marks simply the third time the participant beginning the week at 10 below and with a two-shot lead has gained the match. It’s additionally Scheffler’s first Tour Championship win regardless of coming into the week with a two-shot lead because the FedEx Cup chief every of the earlier two seasons.
The win can also be Scheffler’s seventh in a historic season wherein he captured the Masters and Gamers Championship titles, together with 4 different PGA Tour Signature Occasion wins and the Olympic gold medal. He’s the primary participant to win seven occasions in a single PGA Tour season since Tiger Woods in 2007 and the primary to win a significant, Gamers and FedEx Cup in the identical season.
It was additionally a 12 months of dramatic twists and turns for Scheffler each on and off the course. He and his spouse Meredith welcomed their first youngster in Could, however that very same month, Scheffler was additionally arrested whereas making an attempt to get to Valhalla Golf Membership for the second spherical of the PGA Championship.
It’s additionally Scheffler’s thirteenth PGA Tour win, together with his first coming simply 931 days in the past on the 2022 WM Phoenix Open. In accordance with stat whiz Justin Ray, Scheffler had the quickest time from his first to thirteenth win since 1960, 102 days sooner than Jack Nicklaus and 182 days faster than Tiger Woods.
However early Sunday, the day seemed prefer it may have been way more of a catastrophe than a coronation. Scheffler prolonged his in a single day five-shot lead to seven, the identical because it was after his opening spherical 65, shortly with a birdie at No. 2.
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However then Morikawa began chipping away on the lead with birdies at 4 and 6. Then Scheffler snap hooked his tee shot on the seventh, a fence solely saving it from going out of bounds and needed to play his second again to the golf green whereas standing in a tree. He appeared like he was going to avoid wasting par when he knocked his third to 5 ft, however he missed the putt, his solely miss from inside eight ft all week.
He nonetheless led by 4 photographs when he put his tee ball within the greenside bunker on the par-4 eighth. That’s when Scheffler shocked everybody by shanking his second shot practically 45 levels proper of his goal, and watched it sure over the inexperienced. He failed to avoid wasting par as Morikawa acquired up and down for birdie to chop the result in two.
The second was drawing shades of 2022 when Scheffler blew a six-shot lead at East Lake to Rory McIlroy on the ultimate day. By the ninth tee that 12 months, Scheffler was up only one. However this can be a a lot totally different Scottie Scheffler.
He additionally has a veteran caddie in Scott, who stepped in proper earlier than Scheffler hit the essential tee shot at 9.
“I’m not going to provide away all our secrets and techniques, however Teddy has at all times been my greatest supporter,” Scheffler mentioned. “I believe the outcomes communicate for themselves after he was capable of choose up my bag and begin serving to me. He actually is a large a part of the crew. I don’t know if I’d be capable of do any of this with out him on my bag. We’ve acquired an ideal relationship.
“He has a behavior of claiming the appropriate factor on the proper time to form of preserve me in the appropriate mind set.”
After Morikawa left his method quick on the par-3, Scheffler pulled 4-iron and flushed a excessive minimize that simply barely carried the entrance of the inexperienced, landed softly however launched all the best way to the again pin, stopping simply 5 ft away. The person of the hour was again in management.
He wasn’t achieved there. On 10, like he’s achieved so many occasions in 2024, he stuffed his method to 3 ft. On 11, he poured in a 15-footer for an additional birdie. Then on 14, he slammed the door shut for good with a 374-yard drive, iron to 16 ft, and one other make for eagle.
After his final-round 67, Scheffler will accumulate $25 million for profitable the FedEx Cup, mixed with an $8 million bonus for main the FedEx Cup for the common season and his file haul of $29,228,357 in official winnings, Scheffler gained greater than $62 million on the course this season, by far essentially the most of all time.
