ATLANTA — Scottie Scheffler capped off the most important 12 months in golf in almost twenty years by profitable the most important prize in golf.
Challenged briefly Sunday within the Tour Championship, Scheffler responded with three straight birdies to make profitable look as inevitable because it has appeared all 12 months. He closed with a 4-under 67 for a four-shot victory over Collin Morikawa to seize the FedEx Cup and its $25 million prize.
That pushed his season earnings, together with bonuses, to simply over $62.3 million.
It was the best 12 months since Tiger Woods received eight occasions in 2006, together with six in a row and two majors, all whereas coping with the dying of his father. Scheffler’s eight wins included the Masters, The Gamers Championship, an Olympic gold medal and the Tour Championship that enabled him to lastly declare the FedEx Cup.
“I am simply happy with the work that we put in,” Scheffler stated of his season. “It is onerous to place into phrases what this 12 months has been like for me. It has been fairly emotional. There’s been lots of stuff that is gone on outdoors of golf. It has been a little bit of a wild 12 months.”
His seven PGA Tour titles are essentially the most since Woods in 2007.
“We’ll look again on 2024 and it is clearly among the finest particular person years {that a} participant has had for a very long time,” Rory McIlroy stated.
Scheffler took the drama out of the ultimate hour — 4 of his wins this 12 months have been by three photographs or extra — and eventually set free a “WOOO!!” as he stepped inside to signal his card. He hoisted two massive trophies, the silver FedEx Cup and his 4-month-old son, Bennett.
The beginning of his first youngster, his weird arrest in Louisville, Kentucky, earlier than the second spherical of the PGA Championship, one other Masters inexperienced jacket, Olympic gold. This was one season not quickly to be forgotten by Scheffler or another golf fan.
“This can be a difficult week,” Scheffler stated on the trophy ceremony. “I am exhausted proper now.”
This was the third straight 12 months Scheffler got here to East Lake as the highest seed, which means he began the event at 10-under par with a two-shot lead. Two years in the past, he misplaced a six-shot lead within the closing spherical to McIlroy.
Scheffler led by not less than 5 photographs after every spherical. However there was a harrowing second as storm clouds started to threaten. He made two straight bogeys, the second on a pure shank from a bunker on the reachable par-4 eighth gap. Morikawa made birdie, and a seven-shot deficit he confronted after two holes was all the way down to a mere two photographs with 10 holes to play.
After which it was over.
Scheffler hit his tee shot to five ft on the par-3 ninth for birdie. He hit wedge to three ft on No. 10 for birdie, after which swirled in a 15-foot birdie putt on the par-3 eleventh.
“He is not going to simply begin making bogeys after that,” Morikawa stated of the Scheffler shank. “He’ll do the alternative and he will begin hitting golf photographs. It virtually introduced his focus again in for a half second, and that is one thing you may’t train.”
Identical to that, Scheffler’s lead was again to 5 photographs. And when he holed a 15-foot eagle putt on the 14th gap, it was a matter of attending to the end line.
Scheffler referred to the FedEx Cup as a season-long race being “foolish” as a result of the whole lot got here all the way down to the ultimate week at East Lake. There was no doubting the FedEx Cup received a most acceptable champion.
Scheffler completed out of the highest 10 solely thrice in his 19 begins. He had a pair of runner-up finishes to go together with seven PGA Tour titles.
“He is the man to beat each single week,” Justin Thomas stated. “I do not assume folks perceive how onerous that’s to do, once you’re anticipated to win, once you’re the favourite to win, when each single factor you are doing is being checked out — good and dangerous — on the golf course, and the way onerous it’s to get in your individual little zone and personal little world and actually simply quiet the noise.”
Morikawa, the No. 7 seed who began the event six photographs behind, closed with a 66 and had the bottom rating of the Tour Championship at 22-under 262. He received $12.5 million for ending second within the FedEx Cup.
Sahith Theegala, who referred to as a two-shot penalty on himself Saturday for probably brushing a small quantity of sand on a bunker shot, closed with a 64 and completed third. He completed two photographs behind Morikawa and earned a $7.5 million bonus for third place.
Adam Scott, who tied for fourth, turned professional throughout the peak of Woods in 2000 and didn’t draw back from the comparisons Scheffler has created due to his constant stage of contending.
“I believe it’s on par with these nice years of Tiger’s,” Scott stated. “I believe it is very onerous right now for anybody to separate themselves as a lot as Scottie has. I do not assume we have seen that in a very long time. I believe it is more durable to do it right now.”
Scheffler’s season earnings of $29,228,356 represented about 9.2% of the whole purse from tournaments he performed. Woods received about 11.6% of the whole prize cash in tournaments he performed throughout 2000, nonetheless thought to be one of many nice seasons ever.
The $25 million FedEx Cup prize is unofficial, as is the $8 million he acquired from the “Comcast Enterprise Prime 10” for main the common season.
