Scottie Scheffler caught fireplace to win his first FedEx Cup title.
Keyur Khamar/PGA TOUR by way of Getty Photos
For a second, Scottie Scheffler was spiraling in a means we had by no means seen him spiral earlier than.
However that second was temporary. The Scottie Scheffler who set information 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 simply 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 toes, making the putt after which birdieing the subsequent two holes to revive his result in 5 over Collin Morikawa. The Olympic gold medalist saved his foot on the gasoline with an eagle on 14 coming in and he received the Tour Championship, and the season-long FedEx Cup title, by 4 strokes.
Scheffler’s 30 underneath last rating was the very best within the six editions of the Tour Championship performed underneath the staggered strokes format and his win marks simply the third time the participant beginning the week at 10 underneath and with a two-shot lead has received the event. It’s additionally Scheffler’s first Tour Championship win regardless of getting into the week with a two-shot lead because the FedEx Cup chief every of the earlier two seasons.
The win can be Scheffler’s seventh in a historic season through which 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 yr of dramatic twists and turns for Scheffler each on and off the course. He and his spouse Meredith welcomed their first baby 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. Based on 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 regarded prefer it might 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 toes, however he missed the putt, his solely miss from inside eight toes all week.
He nonetheless led by 4 pictures 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 certain 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 yr, Scheffler was up only one. However it is a a lot completely different Scottie Scheffler.
After Morikawa left his strategy quick on the par-3, Scheffler pulled 4-iron and flushed a excessive lower that simply barely carried the entrance of the inexperienced, landed softly however launched all the way in which to the again pin, stopping simply 5 toes away. The person of the hour was again in management.
He wasn’t executed there. On 10, like he’s executed so many occasions in 2024, he stuffed his strategy to a few toes. 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 toes, and one other make for eagle.
After his final-round 67, Scheffler will acquire $25 million for profitable the FedEx Cup, mixed with an $8 million bonus for main the FedEx Cup for the common season and his report haul of $29,228,357 in official winnings, Scheffler received greater than $62 million on the course this season, by far probably the most of all time.
