Scottie Scheffler

American Scottie Scheffler will return to the top of the world rankings after winning the Players Championship by five shots from England's Tyrrell Hatton.

A three-over 75 left him six under on his Players debut. "I was tied 26th going out, so me playing the back nine compared to the leaders is a different kind of pressure. The shots on 17 were challenging and I made a great par on 18. He eventually signed for a 76 to finish on eight under par. "The final stretch is tough, especially with how windy it was getting. Scheffler started the final round with a two-shot lead over Min Woo Lee of Australia but that advantage had been wiped out by the third hole.

The American Scottie Scheffler finished on 17 under for his second win this season while England's Tyrrell Hatton was second on 12 under.

He’s in a good position to be able to continue to do this for a while.” “When I feel like I get the better of him it’s a boost of confidence. “It’s as simple as that where it’s a level-playing-field rule, going out, trying our best every week and if you play better, then you’re going to be in the bigger events. He is already a near-certainty to represent Europe once again at the Ryder Cup in Italy in September. The Englishman played the closing half in 29 – matching a record – and birdied the last five holes while en route to a 65. After completion of the Ryder Cup in the autumn of 2021, and as well as the victories, Scheffler has 14 top-10 finishes.

Scottie Scheffler shot 10 under par in the final two rounds to seize his first Players Championship victory and regain the No. 1 spot in the world.

In a tournament with all kinds of weather and plenty of travails for some of the world’s best, Scheffler was remarkably steady, consistent, and often brilliant. And then I got hot in the middle of the round and tried to put things away as quickly as I could.” The Texan doesn’t lack confidence or ability, and so, of course, Scheffler pulled a 3-wood from his bag and tried to drive the green.

Scottie Scheffler destroyed the rest of the competition at the unofficial fifth major of the year, while Ryan Fox struggled to make up ground.

He was 7 under for the round through 13 holes and had to settle for a 68. Hatton teed off two hours ahead of Scheffler, and he capped off his closing run of five straight birdies as Scheffler headed for the back nine. The wind was gusting close to 50 kph, which only added to the trouble on this course. Scheffler’s victory was worth US$4.5 million (NZ$7.3 million) and sent Scheffler back to No 1 in the world for the second time this year. By the time he recovered, Scheffler was racing away. Ultimately, though, this was a one-man show. Tyrrell Hatton birdied his last five holes for a 65, finishing when Scheffler was making the turn. That was something the strongest field of the year couldn't do. Scottie Scheffler took on the scary TPC Sawgrass as if he was playing alone. One of them came on the par-4 fourth, when Lee was tied for the lead. Lee made one too many blunders, not that it would have changed anything the way Scheffler lit up the TPC Sawgrass. That set up his fifth straight birdie, and a six-shot lead.

When boring golf is winning golf, there are far worse ways to describe one's game.

Is it more fun to watch Spieth carry on about the wind and the spin and the way the Earth's axis is affecting his fade? It's a run with no end in sight because, like Rahm, Scheffler isn't putting out of his mind (he was field average this week), and he's not really achieving anything outside of his baseline ability. Maybe so when it comes to entertainment value, but quite the opposite is true if a golfer wants to win world-class events with consistency. Just remember to breathe, and breathing is part of my routine, and I've imagined being in those moments and so I know that I'm prepared to be in them. All I can do is just try and hit a got and after that the rest isn't up to me." He played to the fat part of almost every green and missed on the proper side of every fairway. The flip side is that plenty of golfer have boring games, but almost none are as gifted at the basics as Scheffler. "If you miss it pin high on that hole to either of those pins you're more than likely going to make a bogey. A statistician who advises golfers described Scheffler's dispersion pattern as tight and described how he moves that dispersion to the proper side more often than most. "If I wasn't playing that smart, I would have been in a really tough position. This was all part of the plan coming into the week: strike balls into oblivion and hope you make enough putts to come out on top. When played correctly at its the highest level, golf is not exactly supposed to be a thrill ride.

Kiwi Ryan Fox, who started the day 10 shots behind Scheffler, carded a one-under 71 on his final day to finish in a tie for 27th at five under. Scheffler's ...

Scheffler has been winning in bunches since he was a junior star in Dallas, and once he got going on the biggest stage, he hasn’t really stopped. He was 7 under for the round through 13 holes and had to settle for a 68. Hatton teed off two hours ahead of Scheffler, and he capped off his closing run of five straight birdies as Scheffler headed for the back nine. The wind was gusting close to 30mph, which only adds to the trouble on this course. Tyrrell Hatton birdied his last five holes for a 65, finishing when Scheffler was making the turn. Scheffler’s victory was worth US$4.5 million ($7.3m) and sent him back to No 1 in the world for the second time this year.