PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. — Within the first 49 years of the Gamers Championship, there had by no means been a repeat winner.
Jack Nicklaus could not do it (thrice). Neither may Fred {Couples} (twice), Davis Love III (twice), Tiger Woods (twice) and so many others.
On Sunday, world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler turned the primary back-to-back Gamers winner within the fiftieth version of the “fifth main” at TPC Sawgrass, chasing down Xander Schauffele from 5 strokes again initially of the ultimate spherical to win with a 72-hole complete of 20 underneath.
“It is powerful sufficient to win one Gamers,” mentioned Scheffler, who closed with an 8-under 64. “So to have it back-to-back is extraordinarily particular. Yeah, actually grateful.”
Gamers Championship: Behind The Numbers
• Scottie Scheffler: 64 (-8) on Sunday matches lowest ultimate spherical by winner in Gamers historical past (2003 Davis Love III, 1996 Fred {Couples})• Scheffler: First participant in match historical past to win in back-to-back years (received the Gamers by 5 pictures in 2023 at 17 underneath)• Scheffler: First world No. 1 to win consecutive weeks on the PGA Tour since Rory McIlroy through the 2012 FedExCup Playoffs• Scheffler: Led area in strokes gained: off the tee and strokes gained: tee to inexperienced; thirty seventh in strokes gained: placing• Scheffler: Gained strokes placing in three of 4 rounds this week; zero three-putts for second straight occasion (172 straight holes and not using a three-putt)• Wyndham Clark: Finishes runner-up to Scottie Scheffler in second straight week; has a win (AT&T Pebble Seashore) and a number of runner-up finishes this season• Clark: First participant to complete runner-up to identical winner in consecutive weeks on PGA Tour since Lanny Wadkins in January 1983 (completed runner-up to Gil Morgan in consecutive weeks)• Xander Schauffele: thirty fourth straight begin on Tour and not using a victory (second-longest streak of profession); 18th top-10 end in these 34 starts– ESPN Stats & Info
With the 2 most up-to-date main championship winners, Brian Harman (The Open) and Wyndham Clark (U.S. Open), and the world’s sixth-ranked golfer, Schauffele, chasing him, Scheffler may solely watch from the driving vary because the trio tried to make yet another birdie to power a playoff.
Scheffler’s second victory in as many weeks wasn’t secured till Clark, after he birdied the enduring seventeenth gap to maneuver to 1 again, watched his 17-foot birdie strive on the troublesome 18th cruelly catch the left lip and spin out for par.
“I used to be out on the vary,” Scheffler mentioned. “I used to be listening to the gang noise. I heard a groan, and so it appeared like a missed putt.”
Clark, who had a 4-shot lead after 36 holes, mentioned he was “gutted” the try did not fall.
“I do not know the way that putt would not go in,” Clark mentioned. “It was form of right-center with like a foot to go, and I knew it was going to maintain breaking. But it surely had velocity and I assumed it was going to go inside left, and even when it form of lipped, I assumed it will lip in. I am fairly gutted it did not go in.”
Scheffler turned solely the fourth Gamers winner to shoot 65 or higher within the ultimate spherical, becoming a member of Nicklaus (65 in 1976), {Couples} (64 in 1996) and Love (64 in 2003).
Harman, Schauffele and Clark tied for second at 19 underneath. Former Open Championship winner Matt Fitzpatrick was fifth at 16 underneath, birdieing his ultimate 4 holes.
Scheffler matched the biggest comeback by a Gamers Championship winner at TPC Sawgrass; Justin Leonard and Henrik Stenson additionally got here from 5 behind within the ultimate spherical in 1998 and 2009, respectively. Scheffler did not make a bogey over his ultimate 31 holes.
Scheffler was affected by a neck harm within the second and third rounds, however battled by the ache Saturday to put up birdies on 4 of his final 5 holes to remain within the hunt.
“I mentioned earlier than while you get an acute harm like that, should you can get up the subsequent day feeling a little bit bit higher or the very same, it is a win,” Scheffler mentioned. “Often the morning after is worse the next day. Awakened Saturday feeling a little bit bit higher, was capable of hit some pictures yesterday however not many. Then at present I awoke feeling pretty near regular. I went on the market and had a superb spherical of golf.”
After placing himself again into placing place, Scheffler mentioned a “sizzling day [Sunday] may go a great distance.”
He was certainly sizzling over the ultimate 18 holes. After posting pars on his first three holes, he jump-started his spherical by carding a hole-out eagle on the par-4 fourth from 92 yards away to maneuver to 14 underneath. He adopted that with an 18-foot putt for birdie on No. 5 and birdie putts of 16 toes and 11 toes on Nos. 8 and 9, respectively.
Scheffler, a former Masters champion, grabbed a share of the lead at 19 underneath with back-to-back birdies on Nos. 11 and 12. He squandered an opportunity to take the solo lead when he missed a 5-foot birdie putt on No. 13, his solely miss inside 5 toes your entire match.
Clark mentioned he checked out a scoreboard for the primary time at 11.
“I form of chuckled and I mentioned, ‘Yeah, after all,'” he mentioned. “I imply, he is the perfect participant on this planet.”
When Schauffele noticed Scheffler close to the highest, he thought, “It is simply one other week.”
After falling 1 behind Schauffele, Scheffler tied him once more at 20 underneath on the par-5 sixteenth. After hitting his strategy shot into the small greenside pot bunker, Scheffler chipped out to 1 foot and tapped in for birdie. By then, Schauffele had posted back-to-back bogeys, Clark had fallen again and Harman was operating out of holes.
