DUBLIN, Ohio — Successful has change into a behavior for Scottie Scheffler, besides there was nothing typical about his victory Sunday on the Memorial.
He made just one birdie. He closed with a 2-over 74, his highest last spherical in two years. And victory wasn’t assured till Scheffler had the mettle to place a agency stroke on a downhill putt from 5 ft above the outlet to take out the break.
It went proper within the coronary heart for a 1-shot victory over Collin Morikawa, and a handshake with match host Jack Nicklaus. Their alternate mentioned all of it.
“You are a survivor,” Nicklaus instructed him.
“Thanks,” Scheffler mentioned. “Yeah, you made this place brutal at present.”
What a 12 months (And It is Solely June)
A breakdown of Scottie Scheffler’s torrid 2024 by the numbers:1st: Participant with 5 wins in a season general since Justin Thomas in 2016-171st: Participant to win 5 occasions in 8-start span on PGA Tour since Tiger Woods from 2007-081st: Profession tour win previous month of April; all 10 earlier wins got here in February, March or April5: Wins this season, tied for many earlier than finish of June in previous 60 seasons on tour6: Profession wins as world No. 1, tying Rory McIlroy for 4th most all-time; joins Tiger Woods (8) as solely gamers in OWGR historical past to have 5 such wins in single season11: Straight top-10 finishes on tour, longest streak since Tiger Woods from 2007-08 (additionally 11)74: Highest final-round rating by tour winner since Jon Rahm shot 75 in last spherical of 2020 Memorial$24.02 million: Prize cash this season, passing his personal report final season ($21.01M) for many official earnings in single season in tour history– ESPN Stats & Info
Scheffler endured extra stress than he wished and acquired the victory everybody has come to count on, his fifth of the season — one week into the month of June — as he heads for an additional robust take a look at subsequent week within the U.S. Open.
Muirfield Village was so demanding with its ultra-firm greens and swirling gusts all through the afternoon that solely six gamers broke par and the typical rating was a fraction beneath 75.
Scheffler, who began 4 photographs forward, by no means misplaced the lead. He by no means felt protected, both, not with Morikawa and Adam Hadwin on his heels all afternoon, and on a again 9 the place making par appeared like exhausting work. Par is what it took on the 18th gap.
“It is a robust place to shut out,” Scheffler mentioned. “I did not do an entire lot nice at present, however I did sufficient.”
Simply barely.
Scheffler was main Morikawa by 1 shot and each hit method photographs that bounced exhausting and excessive off the inexperienced and into the tough. Each chipped to about 5 ft. Scheffler buried his putt to win, and the pressure of his fist pump to rejoice confirmed how robust today was on him, and virtually everyone.
Making the day much more particular was a latest reminiscence with Nicklaus on the Memorial, and cradling month-old son Bennett at his new child’s first PGA Tour occasion.
Scheffler thought again to 2021, when he missed a 6-foot putt on the ultimate gap that ended any probability of a playoff. Strolling off the inexperienced, Scheffler recalled Nicklaus telling him at some point he would make the putt on 18, “and I will be strolling off to shake his hand.”
“It was fairly particular desirous about that as I used to be strolling over to shake his hand,” he mentioned.
Morikawa, who performed within the last group of each majors this 12 months, holed a 30-foot birdie putt on the par-3 twelfth gap and stayed on Scheffler’s heels the remainder of the best way. He shot 71, the one one from the ultimate 13 teams to interrupt par.
Hadwin was proper there with them till closing with three straight bogeys for a 74 to complete alone in third.
Scheffler completed at 8-under 280 and gained $4 million from this signature occasion and its $20 million purse. That pushes him over $24 million for the 12 months, breaking the PGA Tour season earnings report that he set final 12 months on this period of rising purses.
He is the primary participant with 5 wins in a season general since Justin Thomas in 2016-17 (additionally 5). He additionally turned the primary participant since Tom Watson in 1980 to have gained 5 occasions on the PGA Tour earlier than the U.S. Open.
That is subsequent week at Pinehurst No. 2, and Scheffler will likely be an enormous favourite. This was his eleventh consecutive match with a top-10.
Morikawa picked up $2.2 million and now has an enormous cushion as he tries to stitch up the fourth spot for the Individuals going to the Paris Olympics this summer time.
Hadwin was inside 1 shot of the lead earlier than ending the entrance 9 with a pair of bogeys. He stayed within the hunt till he closed with a pair of bogeys for a 74. Nonetheless, his third-place end strikes him forward of Corey Conners for the second Canadian spot within the Olympics.
The world rating after the U.S. Open determines who goes to Paris.
Scheffler had just one birdie — a 10-foot putt on the sixth gap — and he missed two birdie probabilities inside 10 ft on the again 9 that might have offered a cushion.
However he made the most important one on the par-3 sixteenth.
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Scheffler and Morikawa had been each wanting the super-slick inexperienced some 90 ft away. Scheffler used putter and hit it weakly, arising 15 ft brief. Morikawa chipped from the collar and in addition hit a pedestrian chip some 20 ft brief.
Morikawa missed his par putt, and Scheffler buried his for a 2-shot lead.
Scheffler dropped his last shot on the seventeenth, nevertheless, and he was clinging once more to a 1-shot lead enjoying the robust 18th that he ended with one final putt.
Subsequent up is the so-called hardest take a look at in golf, and gamers felt like they simply acquired completed with one at Muirfield Village.
“You may take a look at it certainly one of two methods,” Hadwin mentioned. “Both it is good prep for subsequent week or we simply acquired our butts kicked earlier than going into subsequent week.”
For Scheffler it is one other victory, his eleventh of his profession on the tour and twelfth worldwide. He has completed sturdy to win huge or come from behind. He has pulled away when it was tight at first. This time, he almost misplaced a 4-shot lead.
It was his highest closing spherical since a 74 within the British Open at St. Andrews in 2022. Nevertheless it goes within the e-book as one other huge win towards the strongest fields. He now has gained three signature occasions (Bay Hill and Hilton Head had been the others) to associate with the Gamers Championship and his second inexperienced jacket on the Masters.
Solely Scheffler and Tiger Woods have gained the Memorial, Gamers and Masters in the identical 12 months.
Info from The Related Press was used on this report.
