Scottie Scheffler Breaks Away at Players Championship, Wins By 5

Scottie Scheffler surprised no one on Sunday as he ran away from the field at the Players Championship, beat his closest competitor by five shots and reclaimed the world No. 1 position. 

Scheffler, who started the round two strokes ahead of Australia’s Min Woo Lee, was unstoppable all day. He posted a 2-under 70 with five straight birdies and just two bogeys to total 16 under for the tournament. 

On the 18th, the 2022 Masters champion sailed a drive into the trees right of the fairway, chipped out, and stuck his 152-yard shot to 20 feet. Scheffler put the cherry on top of his dominant performance by sinking the midrange par putt to secure four rounds in the 60’s.  

“Long day, tough day. I knew the conditions were going to get really tough late, and I did a really good job of staying patient, not trying to force things, and then I got hot kind of in the middle of the round. I tried to put things away as quickly as I could,” Scheffler said. 

Scheffler’s round was highlighted by a chip-in on the 8th hole—his second hole-out of the week. The shot was eerily reminiscent of his 3rd hole chip-in during the final round at Augusta National last year, which was a major factor in his push to claim the green jacket. 

The Players Championship is Scheffler’s second victory of the 2022-23 season. Last month, the Texan successfully defended his title at the WM Phoenix Open. Both Phoenix and TPC Sawgrass have been classified as “designated” events on the PGA Tour, meaning that Scheffler will now have collected two record-breaking winner’s checks. Jon Rahm, who began the week at world No. 1 but was forced to withdraw from the tournament with an illness, has also claimed two designated-event victories this season. 

“I’m just trying to get a little bit better at a time, not overthink things. I’m just so fortunate to be able to see some results and enjoy some wins. I’m very thankful,” Scheffler said. 

Scheffler secured his sixth PGA Tour win in front of his entire family, including his 88-year old grandmother, Mary, who walked all 72 holes of the tournament. 

Tyrrell Hatton, who came in solo second place, shot a record-breaking back nine score of 29 to post 12 under par for the tournament. Despite being just two back to start the day, Lee struggled. He carded a double and a triple bogey to shoot a 4-over par 76. Max Homa and Hideki Matsuyama also made mid-round surges, but their hot streaks weren’t enough to come close to Scheffler.  

Viktor Hovland and TPC Sawgrass course record holder Tom Hoge finished tied for third place at 10 under par.