PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. – The loud noise could be heard from a half-mile away just 16 minutes after the last group started the final round of The Players Championship on Sunday. The noise was strong enough to show that something extraordinary had occurred. The main question was more about "what" than "who."
Shortly after, Scottie Scheffler’s name showed up on the leaderboard, and he began, adding another aspect to his reputation as the best in golf.
His 8-under 64 matched the Players Championship record for the best Sunday score by a champion. His five-shot comeback equaled another tournament record. And now, he stands alone as the only player to win consecutively in 50 years of the PGA Tour’s primary championship.
“It’s hard enough to win one Players,” mentioned Scheffler, who had just secured a five-shot victory the previous week at Bay Hill. “So winning back-to-back is particularly special. Yeah, really thankful.”
For those competing against him, it was not surprising, even with Scheffler beginning five shots behind.
“Just another week,” Xander Schauffele commented when he saw that Scheffler had joined the pursuit.
Wyndham Clark didn’t see a leaderboard until No. 11, and Scheffler was tied for the lead.
“And I kind of laughed and I said, ‘Yeah, of course.’ I mean, he’s the best player in the world,” Clark stated.
Scheffler made an eagle from the fourth fairway — that was the immense cheer — had four birdies in a five-hole stretch around the turn, and had such control of his game that he played the final 31 holes on the challenging TPC Sawgrass without a bogey.
This contributed to a one-shot victory that was decided by the very last putt.
Schauffele, Clark, and Brian Harman all had an opportunity to force a playoff with a birdie on the daunting 18th hole at the TPC Sawgrass.
Clark had the final shot, a putt just under 18 feet that went into the cup on the left side and came out on the right side, leaving him shocked as he covered his mouth with his hand.
“I don’t know why that putt didn’t go in,” Clark expressed. “Even when it kind of lipped, I thought it would go in. I’m pretty disappointed it didn’t go in.”
Schauffele missed an eagle putt from 25 feet on the par-5 16th and a birdie putt from 6 feet on the island-green 17th. His shot from the pine straw on the 18th went long and his chances were over. Harman missed a birdie putt on the 18th from about 18 feet.
They tied for second and each earned just under $1.9 million from the $25 million prize, the largest in golf.
Scheffler finished at 20-under 268 and received $4.5 million for his ninth win globally, pushing him over $50 million for his career. And to think it was only two years and one month ago that he was still seeking his first win.
This was no typical week.
Scheffler experienced a sharp pain in his neck early in the second round that needed treatment as he played three holes. It turned out to be difficult to take the club back, and he mentioned he might have withdrawn if he wasn't in contention and disliked abandoning a challenge.
He was eight shots behind late Saturday when he finished with three straight birdies to at least give himself hope.
Schaeffler said he woke up feeling almost normal and went out to play golf, despite still having some black kinesiology tape on his neck. He had a good round of golf.
He speaks modestly, but his golf game is excellent.
Schaeffler played an outstanding round on the Players Stadium Course, where unexpected things can happen. His score of 64 matched the lowest round ever achieved by a Players champion, a feat previously accomplished by Davis Love III in 2003. He tied Justin Leonard (1998) with the five-shot comeback.
He is quite competitive and didn't want to give up in the tournament. He hung in there until his neck felt better, and today he felt really good.
Schauffele, who began the final round with a one-shot lead, was in control until he made some poor tee shots on the 14th and 15th holes, leading to a bogey. Despite having a birdie chance on the 17th, he didn't come close to making it, and he struggled on the 18th, resulting in a final score of 70.
He finished with a score of 70.
Schauffele expressed a sense of resignation to the situation, acknowledging that he tried his best but made some mistakes and now has to accept the outcome.
Harman stuck around long enough to have a chance, but he missed the fairway on the par-5 16th and had to two-putt from 50 feet to make par.
Clark made a late push, narrowly missing an eagle putt on the 16th and scoring a birdie on the 17th. His birdie attempt to force a playoff looked promising but ultimately fell short. Clark finished with a score of 69.
After the Players Championship, Schaeffler has some time off before the Houston Open, followed by the Masters a month later. Additionally, his wife is set to give birth to their first child at the end of April, making it shaping up to be a big year for him.
Just 13 days ago, Schaeffler was at the TPC Sawgrass doing video spots, unable to avoid questions about his putting and the speculation about his world ranking.
Two weeks later, he looks as good as ever.
