ATLANTA — Scottie Scheffler capped off the most important yr in golf in practically 20 years by successful the most important prize in golf.
Challenged briefly Sunday within the Tour Championship, Scheffler responded with three straight birdies to make 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 simply over $62.3 million.
It was the best yr since Tiger Woods gained eight instances in 2006, together with six in a row and two majors, all whereas coping with the demise 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 pleased with the work that we put in,” Scheffler stated of his season. “It is arduous to place into phrases what this yr 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 yr.”
His seven PGA Tour titles are probably the most since Woods in 2007.
“We’ll look again on 2024 and it is clearly among the best 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, 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 last spherical to McIlroy.
Scheffler led by at the least 5 pictures 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 right down to a mere two pictures 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.
Similar to that, his lead was again to 5 pictures. 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 all the pieces got here right down to the ultimate week at East Lake. There was no doubting the FedEx Cup bought a most acceptable champion.
Scheffler completed out of the highest 10 solely 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 do not suppose individuals perceive how arduous that’s to do, whenever you’re anticipated to win, whenever you’re the favourite to win, when each single factor you are doing is being checked out — good and unhealthy — on the golf course, and the way arduous it’s to get in your individual little zone and personal little world and really simply quiet the noise.”
Morikawa gained $12.5 million for ending second. Sahith Theegala closed with a 64 and completed third, incomes a $7.5 million bonus.
