Miami: World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler became the first man to win back-to-back Players Championships on Sunday with a superb eight-under-par 64 to secure a one-stroke victory at TPC Sawgrass. Wyndham Clark, Brian Harman, and Xander Schauffele finished a shot behind Scheffler, with Clark agonizingly close to forcing a playoff with Scheffler.
All three challengers in the All-American battle needed a birdie on the 18th, and Clark was upset after his 17-foot birdie putt went missing. That left Scheffler waiting at 20-under to celebrate his historic feat of back-to-back victories at Ponte Vedra Beach as he followed up his win at Bay Hill last week with another display of his consistency.
Scheffler entered the final round trailing overnight leader Schauffel by five shots but got his charge going with an eagle on the par-4 fourth, where he holed out from 92 yards before making three more birdies before the turn. It was classic Scheffler on the back nine as he stayed out of trouble and added three more birdies for a bogey-free 64.
Then it was down to the trio chasing him to close the gap, and while Clark birdied the 16th and 17th, he fell short on the last. “We had a great finish yesterday and then we started slow today, but then the hole in the four got us going a little bit,” Scheffler said. “I played a lot of good shots this week, I did a lot of good things and it’s nice to come out on top.
“It’s hard enough to win one player, so to have it back to back is extremely special. The chasing trio paid for a crucial bogey. Schauffele bogeyed 14 and 15 and reigning US Open champion Clark’s bid appeared to have faded after bogeys at 10 and 14. Clark, who has won at Pebble Beach this season, had the worst putter of the week but found himself with birdies at the 16th and 17th before the 18th ended in frustration.
Also read: Giannis-less Bucks stun the Suns behind Lillard’s big effort
“I don’t understand how that putt didn’t go in,” he said. “It was kind of a right-center that was going to go like a leg, and I knew it was going to keep breaking, but it had speed and I thought it was going well to the inside left, and even though it bent a little bit, I thought he would climb inside. “I’m pretty gutted it didn’t go in.
“You finish second, you get a lot of points and money and all that stuff, but it sucks. I’ve always wanted and dreamed of making a putt that mattered to force a playoff or win a tournament. In my professional life, I haven’t done that in my career yet, so I was pretty upset that I didn’t have one of those amazing moments.
“I’m still kind of beside myself. I’m still in shock that the putt didn’t go in.” Harman was able to wax more philosophical about his loss after recovering from a bogey at No. 6 to birdie four over the next five holes, his 68 not enough to catch Scheffler. “He’s the best player in the world and this is a championship golf course, so – if you look at it on paper, the best player of the week won,” Harman said.
“That’s something you want in a golf tournament. We all had our chances and he just delivered – he hit twice or three times more than the rest of us.” Schauffele, who had seen his lead slip away overnight, had his chances and was left to rue a seventeen-foot birdie on the 17th as he shot a 70. “If I had, it might have been a different story.
I held tight, but it wasn’t a surprise to see Scottie’s name up there,” he said. England’s Matt Fitzpatrick was fifth, four shots off the lead after finishing his round of 69 with four straight birdies. South Korea’s Kim Si-woo, the youngest winner of the 2017 Players, was tied for sixth place by five strokes with Japan’s Hideki Matsuyama, winner of the 2021 Masters.
