This week, Scottie Scheffler had an easy aim in mind. He had given up trying to be the best putter there was. Every time his ball went past the hole, he knew, even if it missed by the slimmest of margins, that the shot would be broadcast on TV and social media, and the discussion about his putting would go on.
For good reason, putting is the most inconsistent aspect of this tiresome game. The outcomes are binary and the margins are quite narrow. Failing or succeeding. There aren’t any other possibilities. A middle ground does not exist. This week, Scheffler resolved to worry less about the outside world and concentrate just on his stroke, which he was in complete control of.
“It’s not very practical to try to play flawless golf. That doesn’t exist. When things aren’t going well, you could attempt to be flawless at times.” Scheffler stated.
Once again, golf demonstrated its charming paradoxical nature when Scheffler, accepting the inherent flaws in the game, performed flawlessly in the Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard. His five-stroke victory was the biggest margin of victory here since Tiger Woods’ 2012 triumph, and it was his first victory on the PGA TOUR since the PLAYERS Championship. Scheffler’s putter ultimately proved to be the ideal addition, as his ball-striking performance met the record-breaking level he’s demonstrated over the past year.
When all was said and done, Scheffler was unstoppable. Not long after he turned, the last round from Bay Hill Club & Lodge was drama-free. Being the only player to shoot a bogey-free round on Sunday, his final-round 66 was the lowest round of the day by two strokes. When Bay Hill played to a 73.2 scoring average in the last round, just three other players broke 70. Scheffler finished five shots clear of runner-up Wyndham Clark, the 2024 Signature Event winner and current U.S. Open champion, at 15-under 273 (70-67-70-66).
This week, Scheffler was first in the field in Greens in Regulation, SG: Off-the-Tee, and Strokes Gained: Tee-to-Green. Additionally, he started SG: Around-the-Green first. Of all the data, Scheffler’s SG: Putting performance was the most noteworthy. For the third time in his career, he finished in the top five of this criterias, placing him fifth for the week.
It was a welcome sight after Scheffler’s puttering woes became widely publicised a year earlier.
“This one is quite unique. I hadn’t won in a long time. It was fantastic to kind of come in here with a positive mental attitude and to perform well under pressure because there had been a lot of talk about my game and where it was at. I believe today’s round was really significant for me going ahead.” Scheffler said on Sunday evening.
The type of celebrity-filled showdown that the Signature Events were meant to be was expected to take place on Sunday. On one of the hardest courses of the year, the TOUR’s best players were grouped at the top of the leaderboard. The only course to have finished among the top 10 most challenging on the TOUR in each of the previous five seasons is Bay Hill.
Rather, Sunday swiftly brought to mind Scheffler’s capacity for dominance, particularly under the most trying circumstances. Scheffler has won 7 times on the PGA TOUR, all within the last 25 months. Among such victories are his triumph at the 2022 Masters, where he led by 5 shots heading into the last hole before making a pointless four-putt, and another five-shot victory at the PLAYERS last year.
At 9 under par, Scheffler and the winner of the 2019 Open, Shane Lowry, shared the lead early in the final round at Bay Hill. Clark, the world’s winningest player among the top ten over the previous twelve months was just 1 shot back.
In his first round since winning the Tiger Woods Genesis Invitational with a final-round score of 62, Hideki Matsuyama trailed by two, as did a surging Will Zalatoris, whose recovery from back surgery has exceeded expectations. Rory McIlroy had shot himself into contention on Saturday, equalling the back-nine score record at Bay Hill and becoming the first player to drive the 10th par-4 hole on the course. At 5-under par to begin the final day, he was tied for the lead with Max Homa and Scheffler’s closest friend, Sam Burns.
Scheffler remained steadfast in the face of the dense, harsh, swirling wind and enormous lakes that are characteristic of Bay Hill, while others faltered. He led by 3 after shooting two under par on the front 9. On the front nine at Bay Hill, he was the only player who began Sunday in the top 10 on the leaderboard to break par. During the first 9 holes, the other 9 players averaged 38 strokes.
He accomplished this with a string of clutch putts, beginning with a first-hole 13-foot birdie putt. At the next, he holed a 6-foot par putt. Scheffler made 2 consecutive 7-foot putts to save par on the 6th hole, a par-5, after Clark’s birdie on the previous hole had brought the score within one shot.
Scheffler’s bogey at No. 9 gave him a three-shot lead going onto the back nine. On Nos. 10 and 11, Scheffler then made birdie putts of 8 and 6 feet to establish a five-shot lead. Throughout the last seven holes, nobody came any closer. It was like running up the score when he holed a 35-footer for birdie on the 15th hole, and he added one more birdie on the 16th after lying up and smacking a wedge a few feet from the hole.
Scheffler improved his score on the greens by more than four strokes this week, most of which came on Sunday when he made all 16 of his putts from within ten feet.
Scheffler’s 3.89 strokes gained on the greens on Sunday were his best since the Shriners Children’s Open in 2021 and the fourth most in a single round of his career.
“If he were to start putting really well, that would be almost unfair. Though I never like to cast blame, it will be extremely difficult to overcome him if he starts putting great every week.” said Clark.
Scheffler was without a doubt the most reliable player in the game throughout the previous 12 months, even when he was not making good putts.
Last season, he finished in the top 10 the most since Vijay Singh in 2005 with 17. Scheffler only finished outside the top 10 four times in 19 events between the 2023 PLAYERS and this week. Many questioned how dominant he could be if he was merely mediocre on the greens because his ball-striking was nearly what kept him competitive.
Scheffler, who finished 162nd in Strokes Gained: Putting the previous season, was named the 2023 PGA TOUR Player of the Year and ranked first in the Official World Golf Ranking. He was the first player on the TOUR to lead in both Strokes Gained: Approach-the-Green and Off-the-Tee in the same season.
“When someone is a wonderful person with many wonderful qualities, and people just want to draw attention on his struggles, it can be difficult. Being able to handle the noise and play with your innermost thoughts and feelings is crucial to winning this game. That’s what makes him so unique, and despite his uniqueness, it can still be challenging at times.” Scheffler’s Caddie ; Ted Scott said.
Over the previous year, Scheffler’s putter changes and short misses have been closely examined, to the point where even Scheffler became irritated with the excessive attention. Prior to the Ryder Cup, Scheffler hired renowned putting coach Phil Kenyon, but it appeared that his problems would not go away as he finished in the top 10 in four of his first five starts of 2024 despite ranking 144th in putting.
“Even though I know I can putt extremely well, it annoys me to not be at my best. It’s not as though I’ve always been a poor putter. I’ve simply experienced some difficult times recently. I believe I did a great job this week of not letting the misses get to me. I shot a lot of good putts this week thanks to Teddy’s excellent job of keeping me in a positive frame of mind while we were out there.” Scheffler said.
This week, Scheffler switched to a more forgiving mallet instead of his go-to blade putter. It certainly helped, but Scheffler’s attitude also played a role. Despite losing 1.5 strokes on the greens on Thursday and missing a 6-foot putt on his first hole of the event, he remained composed. In the following three rounds, he improved his stroke count on the greens.
“This week, I think my technique worked incredibly well, and the initial results are hard to dispute.” Scheffler said.
