Scottie Scheffler kept opponents at bay in PLAYERS win
He regained first place in the world thanks to his sixth title at TPC Sawgrass even if he was certain of becoming world No. 1 again if he finished in the top 5 of the Players Championship, he did not fail to do a double blow by winning the event, considered the 5th Grand Slam.

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Each year, THE PLAYERS championship is a true example. As the week progresses and the conditions get tougher, the water hazards and bunkers suddenly become more intimidating and the targets start to shrink. The players laugh as they aim for the Island Green on a Wednesday. Their body beats to the rhythm of cortisol when they see it on Sundays.

Names like Len Mattiace, Paul Goydos and Sean O'Hair are an integral part of PLAYERS history due to the dramatic way they suffered at the hands of the Stadium Course. Whatever the ranking at the start of the last round, uncertainty reigns until the last putt.

This year seemed like it could be an exception. The tournament's signature theatrics seemed set to fade after reigning PGA TOUR Player of the Year Scottie Scheffler built a two-shot lead after 54 holes. Scheffler was the clear favorite in the standings.

He had just won his fifth PGA TOUR title in the last 13 months and appeared to be in the midst of another string of victories like the one he achieved last spring, which propelled him to the top spot in the world ranking and allowed him to win his first major championship.

But as Scheffler slowly entered the final round on Sunday, settling for six pars and a bogey on the first seven holes, his lead was assailed from all sides. Hideki Matsuyama had six birdies in eight holes. Max Homa played the first three holes of the last nine at 4 under par. Viktor Hovland birdied four in five holes from No. 9. And Tyrrell Hatton birdied on his last five holes.

When Scheffler's tee shot on the par-3 eighth slid down a grassy slope bordering a greenside bunker, it looked like his tumble would continue. But what wasn't noticeable at the time was that Scheffler's tee shot placement was a shrewd decision based on intimate knowledge of the course. Scheffler and his caddy, Ted Scott, knew that if the shot was placed at pin height, it would be difficult to save par due to the slope of the green. He would have a much better chance of hitting the par if his approach shot was shorter than the hole, even if he was not on the green.

"If I hadn't played smart, I would have been in a very difficult position", said Scheffler after his turn. Instead, he ended up with what he called “a very easy to play up-and-down”.

As Scheffler surveyed his shot, the man who coached him since he was a little boy wearing long pants to emulate the circuit pros he idolized watched him from outside the ropes. Randy Smith could see in Scheffler's eyes that the next shot was going to land. He saw Scheffler surveying the break of the green, picking a landing spot, and even a small smile Scheffler gave his caddy.

“There is a good chance that he will enter the hole”, says to himself Smith.

He was right, as he predicted the move that started the period when Scheffler effectively took control of THE PLAYERS Championship. The chip-in on move eight was the first of five straight birdies Scheffler used to complete a final round 69 that gave him a five-shot victory over Tyrrell Hatton. Scheffler had a three-point lead at the turn and his lead increased to six the moment he birdied at number 12.

“I wanted to get as far ahead as possible,” said Scheffler

He was aware that any PLAYERS champion must go through the 17 and 18. He expired when his tee shot on the 17 hit the green, knowing his job was almost done. Even though his lead grew by half a dozen holes on the back nine, Scheffler told Scott he was exhausted as he descended the final fairway.

The win, Scheffler's second in his last four starts, moved him back to No. XNUMX in the world and No. XNUMX in the FedExCup standings. He joins Tiger Woods and Jack Nicklaus as the only players to simultaneously hold the Masters and PLAYERS titles.

As in his win last year at Augusta National, a greenside hole played a big part in his final round. It's a testament to Scheffler's soft hands and short game that provides a solid complement to his elite ball striking. At the Masters, Scheffler hit a bump-and-run into the slope in front of the third green to increase his lead by three shots, earning him the win.

Scheffler's chip-in on Sunday came a day after he hit a tricky flop for an eagle on the second hole. His short game insight began at the Royal Oaks Country Club in Dallas, where Scheffler studied under Smith and trained alongside tour pros like Justin Leonard, Harrison Frazar and Colt Knost. The short game was the only area where a little boy could compete with the pros, and Scheffler drove players who played this game crazy by beating them in chipping contests. Smith estimates that Scheffler won 70% of these contests from the age of 9.

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The variety of courses he conquered in his six victories over the last 13 months testifies to a game without discernible weaknesses. He is second in strokes gained: Off-the-Tee this season and first for the Greens in Regulation (he also led the Tour in this stat last season). He's won on courses ranging from Alister MacKenzie's artistic creation at Augusta National, where wide fairways allow players to carve their own path, to Pete Dye's penalizing design at TPC Sawgrass, where potential disaster awaits. moving away from the short grass. Scheffler has won in stroke play and match play, on courses wide and narrow, short and long.

"He's more of an artist", said Mr. Smith. “You give him a canvas, he wants to paint it. That's the thing. He's not a one-dimensional player."

"When he lands an exceptionally difficult shot, he exclaims, 'Look at that. It was crazy”, said Smith. “It shows how much fun he takes to play. »

Scheffler said on Sunday that he also likes to conquer difficult conditions, as evidenced by his record in major championships. He loves the challenge of saving par and recovering from the inevitable imperfect shot. Scheffler ranked in the top five for shots gained: Off-the-Tee, Approach-the-Green and Around-the-Green this week. No one hit more greens than him (54 of 72, 75%) and he was fourth in scrambling, going up and down 13 of the 18 times he missed the green. Scheffler's five bogeys are the fewest of the week and he hasn't had a double-bogey or worse.

"Around here, it's really, really… hard to do", said Scheffler about his few bogeys. “That's probably what I'm most proud of. »

There is perhaps no player on the tour more adept at dealing with the game's inherent imperfections, a trait that bodes well in the game's biggest tournaments where bogeys are inevitable. The man who admitted his fears before the final round of last year's Masters brought him to tears is a man unafraid to face his weaknesses. He often talks about how he isn't defined by his golf score, so he doesn't grieve when bad shots happen.

« I had times throughout the week where I didn't feel like I was swinging my best or playing 100%.", said Scheffler, “and then I waited and chose my moments”.

Chaos often reigns at TPC Sawgrass. On Sunday, Scottie Scheffler did it.

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