HILTON HEAD ISLAND, S.C. — Despite winning a Masters green jacket, Scottie Scheffler wanted more.
Scheffler, still emotionally drained from his four-shot win at Augusta National, was determined to do well at the RBC Heritage. His effort paid off with a similar, expected victory.
He hardly made any mistakes and left little chance for his competitors. On Monday morning, he left Harbour Town with another win, marking a level of dominance not seen since Tiger Woods' peak years.
“I didn’t come here just for a ceremony or congratulations. I came here with a goal,” Scheffler said after finishing with a 3-under 68 for a three-shot victory.
Scheffler had a five-shot lead with three holes to play when the final round was suspended due to storms on Sunday. His victory seemed inevitable, becoming a common occurrence when he plays.
Scheffler has now won four of his last five starts, with his only exception being a second-place finish in the Houston Open due to a misread putt.
He considered this win to be particularly challenging coming right after the Masters.
“Transitioning from the high of last week to coming here without much energy or preparation is underrated in terms of its difficulty. What Tiger was able to do, winning almost every single week, takes a lot out of you emotionally and physically, especially in major championships,” Scheffler said.
Turns out he still had plenty left in the tank.
Scheffler has now completed 40 consecutive rounds at par or better. He also holds the No. 1 position in the world, becoming the first player since Woods to surpass the 15-point average mark.
“It’s very impressive,” Patrick Cantlay said. “He’s been playing great for a while now, and it seems like he's currently playing the best golf of his life.”
The only competition on Monday morning was for second place.
The storms brought cold weather and strong winds. Scheffler missed the 18th green to the right, chipped safely to 18 feet, and bogeyed. This ended his streak of 68 consecutive holes with no worse than a par.
“I hit driver, 3-wood into there,” Scheffler said. “So I’m going to count that as a par for myself.”
Sahith Theegala birdied the 16th hole, saved par from a bunker on the par-3 17th, and finished with a par for a 68 to secure second place, earning $666,667 more than if he had finished in a three-way tie for second.
“Even though I finished second, I felt like I was never really in it to win there. Scottie was just so far ahead,” Theegala said.
Cantlay (68) and U.S. Open champion Wyndham Clark, who finished his 65 on Sunday before the storms, tied for third.
Scheffler finished at 19-under 265 and earned $3.2 million. This brings his season earnings to nearly $18.7 million in just 10 tournaments.
The positive information for the other players on the PGA Tour is that Scheffler won't participate in any more events until the PGA Championship in May. He went back home to Dallas, where his wife is expecting their first child next week.
Scheffler had a one-shot lead at the start of the final round and made a chip shot for an eagle on the second hole. Soon, he had a four-shot lead and showed no signs of losing it.
"I had a good start yesterday and just kept the momentum going," he said.
It wasn't the easiest start for Scheffler, who was six shots behind after the first round and made a bad shot from the bunker on the third hole. He didn't make any more mistakes for the rest of the week.
The only thing that didn't go as planned for Scheffler was the celebration. His caddie, Ted Scott, tried to do a celebratory move, but Scheffler just laughed and didn't react.
Around 400 fans waiting along the 18th fairway were allowed to fill a section of the stands as Scheffler approached. He turned and waved to them after his final stroke.
Scheffler has been so dominant that he has won his last seven victories against fields that included at least eight of the top 10 players in the world.
The last player to have a run of wins like this — four victories and a second-place finish — was Woods at the end of 2007. Woods then won his first three PGA Tour starts to begin 2008.
Scheffler now has 10 titles on the PGA Tour in 51 tournaments since his first win in the 2022 Phoenix Open.
"It never gets old," Scheffler said. "I think hitting a really well-struck golf shot close to the pin feels addictive."
Korda delays her attempt to win a 6th consecutive victory.
Nelly Korda has officially pulled out of the JM Eagle LA Championship, which starts on Thursday at Wilshire Country Club in Los Angeles. Korda tied Nancy Lopez and Annika Sorenstam with her fifth consecutive win at the Chevron Championship near Houston, the first major of the year.
The LGPA golfer Nelly Korda officially withdrew Monday from the JM Eagle LA Championship, which starts Thursday at Wilshire Country Club in Los Angeles. Korda tied Nancy Lopez and Annika Sorenstam with her fifth straight win last weekend at the Chevron Championship near Houston, the year’s first major.
"It was a difficult decision," Korda said in a statement on the LPGA Tour website. "After the incredible week at The Chevron and dealing with the mental and physical challenges of four events in the past five weeks, I am definitely feeling exhausted. With so much still to come throughout 2024, I feel I need to listen to my body and get some rest, so I can be ready for the remainder of the season."
Korda’s two-shot win at the Chevon Championship was her second career major and her fifth win in five starts.
The 25-year-old from Florida didn’t indicate when she’ll compete next. After this week’s stop in Los Angeles, the Cognizant Founders Cup in New Jersey is May 9-12. The next major is the U.S. Women’s Open in Pennsylvania from May 30-June 2.
