Nothing had changed since Scottie Scheffler returned following a two-month hiatus. With a 9-under 63 on Sunday, he tied the tournament record and won the Hero World Challenge by six strokes at Albany Golf Club.
Scheffler, who won for the 9th time in 21 appearances (including 7 PGA TOUR victories), became the first player since Tiger Woods in 2009 to finish the whole calendar year at the top of the world rankings. This feat included a second Masters triumph, an Olympic gold medal, and the FedExCup.
He was one shot behind Justin Thomas at the beginning of the final round, but he took the lead on the par-5 third hole, held it with a 50-foot birdie putt on No. 4, and never looked back.
On the eleventh par-5, Tom Kim attempted to stay within striking distance but missed a 19-inch par putt. He was in second place after he birdied the final hole for a 68. When Thomas, whose slim hopes were dashed by a bogey on the 18th, drove into the water for another bogey on the 18th. He finished third with a score of 71.
Scheffler’s 6-shot victory was the biggest in the 9 years that Tiger Woods’ holiday event has been staged in the Bahamas, and he ended at 25-under 263 to tie the tournament record that was first set by Bubba Watson in 2015.
The tournament was conducted at Isleworth in 2014, and Jordan Spieth owns the records for the 72-hole score (262) and margin (10 strokes).
“Incredibly fulfilling. I accomplished a great deal on the course today. It’s pleasant to take a vacation, return, and play some excellent golf.” Scheffler said.
Scheffler, who was already the best in golf, entered the Hero World Challenge with a new “claw” putting grip in an attempt to improve. Against a 20-man field, he finished the week 3rd in the crucial putting statistic, using the grip on putts from around 15 feet and in.
During the final round, Tiger Woods, the tournament host, stated in the NBC booth “He really doesn’t do anything wrong.”
The fact that Scheffler rarely makes mistakes throughout a round or tournament reminded Woods of his own successful run, which was numerous for Woods. Another example was Albany. Over 72 holes, he only made two bogeys.
Thomas got off to a respectable start; his previous win was at Southern Hills in the 2022 PGA Championship. In an attempt to stay up with Scheffler, he also missed 2 early shots on the par-3s and twice had duffed chips, including on the 9th par-5 hole, which prevented him from scoring birdie.
Scheffler made a rare error off the tee, finding a sandy patch right of the fairway, at the time , he was 3 shots ahead with 3 holes remaining ; but he made clean contact out of the sand to 12 feet for birdie. Thomas shot barely long and over the green, resulting in bogey.
Scheffler won the unofficial event and received $1 million. Aside from the Olympics, that was his lowest payout of the year; gold medallists received $37,500 from the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee.
He became one of just two back-to-back winners in Albany, along with Viktor Hovland. At the Sherwood Country Club, where the tournament was held, Woods won consecutively and 5 times in all.
Before Scheffler’s wife had their first child, Kim, who resides in Dallas, played with Scheffler all the time. Kim was prepared.
“He scores even par, 1-over, and he comes out here and wins, even though it’s not where we live. He consistently does it. The main thing that strikes me is that he’s constantly working to improve. Even though he has won nine times this year, he never stops coming up with new ideas, which I think is incredibly amazing to watch and something you can learn a lot from.” Kim said.
With a 43% global winning percentage over the past 40 years, Scheffler is 3rd only to Woods in 2006 (9 wins in 19 starts) and Woods in 2002 (10 wins in 22 starts).
