American Scottie Scheffler won The Players Championship at TPC Sawgrass by five strokes on Sunday to return to number one in the world rankings.
Scheffler ran away with the US PGA Tour title in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida, after making five straight birdies between the eighth and 12th holes as his nearest rival, Australia’s Min Woo Lee, fell.
The defending Masters champion, who finished at 17-under par 271, will replace Spain’s Jon Rahm at the top spot on Monday. Rahm withdrew from the event due to illness.
The 26-year-old from New Jersey won four events on the tour last year, including in Augusta, and now has two more this season, having won in Phoenix last month.
“I’m just trying to get a little bit better at the time, not over-thinking about things, and fortunately to be able to see some good results and enjoy some wins and I’m very grateful,” he said.
The wind may have been a factor in the closer battle, but by the time it got to the final hole, Scheffler had it covered.
“Very happy. It was a long day, a tough day,” he said. “I knew things were going to be tough and I did a really good job of staying patient, not trying to force things, then getting hot in the middle of the innings and trying to eliminate things- goods quickly. like I can.”
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Scheffler started the day with a two-stroke lead over Lee, who immediately reduced the deficit with a birdie on the opening hole.
When Scheffler bogeyed three times, the pair was in a tie for the lead but soon to change dramatically when Lee had a nightmare on the par-4 fourth hole, where he made triple bogey.
Lee found the rough from the tee and took medicine, chipping out back to the fairway but that cautious decision was followed by the approach taken last in the water.
A double bogey on the 11th, where he ran into trouble in the trees, saw Lee fall out of contention and when Scheffler was in the groove and moved off the field.
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“It happened so fast,” the Australian said.
“It’s one of those things where on Sunday you just make a few bad decisions and it all falls apart.
“To make it seven there, it was really hard after I got off to a good start.”
After the birdie streak, which started when he chipped into the eighth par-three birdie, it was a procession of victory for Scheffler through the final hole.
He crowned victory in style with a superb 21-foot putt on the 18th.
Excited to ‘test hard’
Scheffler became only the third player to hold the Masters and Players titles at the same time after Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods and said the bigger event raised his game.
“I feel excited for a tough test,” he said. “I think I can find a way to make pars and stay there. This week I had five bogeys all week. Around here that’s really hard to do and the thing I’m most proud of is just playing solid.
England’s Tyrrell Hatton finished second after sensationally coming close with five straight birdies to finish the back nine in 29, the lowest score on the back section of the final round.
Hatton finished at 12-under par after a 65 with Norwegian Viktor Hovland and American Tom Hoge tied for third, two strokes back.
“It’s just pretty mad two and a half hours at the end, from standing on the 10th tee” said Hatton, who birdied seven of the last nine holes.
Japan’s Hideki Matsuyama shot a four-under 68 to finish fifth, 9-under for the week, with a good round canceled by a double bogey on 14 where he ran into trouble in the rough.
Australia’s Cam Davis was third on the overnight leaderboard but had to settle for sixth after shooting a 74.
World number three Rory McIlroy has missed out.