Scottie Scheffler produced a record-setting 8-under 64 on Sunday at TPC Sawgrass to claim a one-shot victory at the 2024 Players Championship.
The 27-year-old Texan had to be perfect on his final day at Bay Hill, and he was that and more. Scheffler entered Sunday’s finale at Sawgrass trailing Xander Schauffele by five shots, and Wyndham Clark by four. He was also three back of the Brian Harman and two back of Matt Fitzpatrick, the 2023 British Open champion and 2022 U.S. Open champion, respectively.
After three straight pars out of the gate, including a five on the par-5 2nd hole, it didn’t appear it would be Scheffler’s day. But he then holed-out for eagle on the par-4 4th and chased it with a birdie on No. 5. The world No. 1 was suddenly a serious chaser. Sheffler then reeled off four birdies in a five-hole span (Nos. 8, 9, 11 and 12) to grab a share of the lead on 19 under. He got it to 20 under with a terrific birdie on the par-5 16th and nearly made it -21 on the 18th but settled for a 20 under total.
Scheffler then watched as the reigning champions of the British Open, the Olympics, and U.S. Open each played the 18th, needing a birdie to force a playoff. Harman was first and missed. Then Schauffele came up short. And after Clark’s birdie attempt rimmed out, Scheffler was crowned the 2024 Players champion, again.
For his eighth career PGA Tour victory, Scheffler earned $4,500,000 and 750 FedEx Cup points.
The 2024 Players Championship
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Pro-File
Full Name: Scottie Scheffler
Nationality: American
Height: 6′ 3″
Weight: 200 lb
Birthdate: June 21, 1996 (age 27)
Born: Ridgewood, NJ
Native: Dallas, Texas
Resides: Dallas, Texas
Family: Married (Meredith)
Turned Pro: 2018
PGA Tour Rookie: 2019
College: U Texas
Highest World Rank: 1 (current)
Final Leaderboard
Top-10 Finishers
Pos-Player-To Par (Final Rd)
1. Scottie Scheffler -20 (-8)
2. Brian Harman -19 (-4)
2. Wyndham Clark -19 (-3)
2. Xander Schauffele -19 (-2)
5. Matt Fitzpatrick -16 (-3)
6. Si Woo Kim -15 (-8)
6. Hideki Matsuyama -15 (-5)
8. Ludvig Aberg -14 (-5)
9. Sahith Theegala -13 (-1)
9. Maverick McNealy -13 (E)
Top-5 Check Cashers
Pos-Player-(Money)
1. Scottie Scheffler ($4.5m)
2. Brian Harman ($1.89m)
2. Wyndham Clark ($1.89m)
2. Xander Schauffele ($1.89m)
5. Matt Fitzpatrick ($1.02m)
Winning Numbers
Topline
Driving: 299 yards (14th)
Fairways: 80.36%, 45/56 (T1)
Greens: 76.39%, 55/72 (T3)
Putts/GIR: 1.67 (18th)
Birdies: 22 (T6)
Strokes Gained
SG Off the Tee: 6.429 (1st)
SG Approach to Green: 6.352 (7th)
SG Around The Green: 3.099 (6th)
SG Putting: 1.246 (37th)
SG Total: 17.126 (1st)
2024 PGA Tour Season
Starts: 7
Cuts Made: 7
Wins: 2 (API, Players)
Additional Top 10s: 4
Earnings: $10,439,500 (1st)
FedExCup Pts: 2298 (1st)
OWGR Before/After: 1/1
Quotables: 3 Questions for Scottie Scheffler
1. When you were sitting on 14 tee on Friday, having the massage, could you have envisioned sitting in that chair right now?
SCOTTIE SCHEFFLER: Yeah, I think so. That’s probably why I kept playing. I had gotten off to a good start on — I played really good golf on Thursday. I made an early birdie. I think I was 2-under through 4 on Friday so I was right in the thick of the tournament.
All of a sudden I get that pinch in my neck, and I gutted it out around there, getting it around in a few under par, keeping myself in the tournament. Same thing Saturday.
I said before when you get an acute injury like that, if you can wake up the next day feeling a little bit better or the exact same, it’s a win. Usually the morning after is worse the following day. So, woke up Saturday feeling a little bit better. Was able to hit some shots yesterday but not many. Then today I woke up feeling fairly close to normal. I went out there and had a good round of golf.
2. When you’re behind five guys, down five shots, what’s the mentality, because you also tied the largest comeback in tournament history as well today.SCOTTIE SCHEFFLER: I just wanted to get off to a good start on the front nine. I felt like if I could shoot a low round on the front nine and put myself back right into the tournament, that was really my goal.
I was hoping to make some early birdies, and I parred the first three, and then the hole-out really got me going there on No. 4.
Yeah, I made some nice putts to close out the back nine. When I was looking at the leaderboard, I saw that they were starting — or Xander was starting at 17, Wyndham was starting at 16. So I needed some help, obviously, going into today if I wanted to win the tournament.
I felt like if I could go out and shoot a good round on the front nine, I could put myself in it as long as one of them didn’t shoot 4- or 5-under on the front, as well.
The birdie on 9 was huge, and I was right in the tournament the whole back nine.
3. That one comment you made after winning at the Masters when you said you cried with your wife and it was like, I’m not really sure if I’m ready for this. Have you found that that sort of entered the public consciousness because it very much did for me just watching you from a distance.SCOTTIE SCHEFFLER: Well, I just think that I try to be as honest as I can. This environment here where everything’s being recorded I think it can be a tough place to be a hundred percent honest all the time. You got to be cautious and don’t want to say the wrong thing this day and age.
But at the end of the day, I think it all goes back to the support system at home. I really do have a great support system. I’m very thankful for it. I have a great wife, and if I started taking my trophies and putting them all over the house and walking in all big-time, I think she would smack me on the side of the head and tell me to get over myself pretty quickly. Winning golf tournaments doesn’t give me any brownie points at home, so I just try and do my best. (Laughing.)
WITB: Scottie Scheffler
Scottie Scheffler plays a mixed bag of TaylorMade (driver, metal wood, irons, putter), Srixon (long irons), and Titleist (wedges, ball).
Driver: TaylorMade Qi10 (8°)
3-wood: TaylorMade Qi10 (15°)
Long Irons: Srixon Z U85 (3, 4)
Irons: TaylorMade P7TW (5-PW)
Gap : Vokey Design SM8 (50°)
Sand: Vokey Design SM8 (56˚)
Lob: Vokey Design WedgeWorks Proto (60˚)
Putter: TaylorMade Spider Tour X
Golf Ball: Titleist Pro V1
Source: GolfWRX.com
Credits: Getty Images, PGA Tour Media