Scottie Scheffler capped off the most important yr in golf in practically twenty years by successful the most important prize in golf.
Challenged briefly Sunday within the Tour Championship, Scheffler responded with three straight birdies to made successful look as inevitable because it has appeared all yr. 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 only over $62.3 million.
It was the best yr 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.
His seven PGA Tour titles are essentially the most since Woods in 2007.
“We’ll look again on 2024 and it is clearly probably the greatest particular person years {that a} participant has had for a very long time,” Rory McIlroy stated.
This was the third straight yr Scheffler got here to East Lake as the highest seed, that 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 at the very least 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 toes on the par-3 ninth for birdie. He hit wedge to three toes on No. 10 for birdie, after which swirled in a 15-foot birdie putt on the par-3 eleventh.
Similar to that, his 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 every part got here all the way down to the ultimate week at East Lake. There was no doubting the FedEx Cup acquired a most applicable champion.
Scheffler solely completed out of the highest 10 3 times in his 19 begins. He had a pair of runner-up finishes to associate with seven PGA Tour titles.
“He is the man to beat each single week,” Justin Thomas stated. “I don’t suppose folks perceive how exhausting that’s to do, whenever you’re anticipated to win, whenever you’re the favourite to win, when each single factor you’re doing is being checked out — good and unhealthy — on the golf course, and the way exhausting it’s to get in your personal little zone and personal little world and really simply quiet the noise.”
Morikawa received $12.5 million for ending second. Sahith Theegala closed with a 64 and completed third, incomes a $7.5 million bonus.