Eight carts that were positioned around TPC Sawgrass’ practice putting green looped into formation behind Scottie Scheffler as he moved. As his last opponents took on the renowned closing hole of the course in the hopes of forcing a playoff with the tournament’s defending champion with a final-round long shot birdie, he was heading to the range to stay loose.
Security has already hurried to make room for play, having previously loosened the ropes that bar spectators from entering the course. Holding a wedge, Scheffler peered up to hear moans coming from the distance. They were a sign that one threat was eliminated. He continued heading to the far end of the range, searching in vain for a peaceful spot to watch THE PLAYERS Championship come to a finish and be ready for a possible playoff.
But a group of fifteen people, including a few television crew members, swarmed around him, and two more fans pressed in behind the steel barrier that stood chest-high, securing the practice area. Scheffler glanced at his phone once, then took a ball out of the bag and used his wedge to make a shot. He struck a few balls, aptly finishing with a flush, and then another distant response informed Scheffler that he had the title. Turning to the fans, he and caddy Ted Scott looked for approval. A passerby swept his fingers over his throat.
As NBC’s Smylie Kaufman waited to interview the winner for the broadcast, Scheffler bent over and placed his hands on his knees.
“For four days, I fought hard. It was actually that simple.” Scheffler said.
When he appeared to have overcome his putting difficulties and won the Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard by five shots a week ago, Scheffler appeared untouchable; nevertheless, his performance at THE PLAYERS elevated that impression to a new plane.
Despite spending a large portion of the week limited by a neck ailment, he managed to win one of the largest prizes in golf on one of the most difficult courses. He was not able to swing as quickly and his ability to rotate freely through the ball was restricted.
He had no choice but to use his hands, which are infamous for being the body part least capable of handling a club travelling at over 100 mph. This victory demonstrated Scheffler’s fortitude, agility, and inventiveness despite his body not performing to its full capacity.
Scheffler produced a performance that has never been seen in THE PLAYERS’ fifty-year history, despite the injury. In addition to finishing first among many of the world’s finest players, Scheffler set tournament records on Sunday by shooting 64 to overturn a five-shot deficit. He tied the biggest comeback in the fourth round at TPC Sawgrass and the lowest final round by a PLAYERS winner. He was able to accomplish it and win the tournament for the first time in fifty years.
Even hitting chip shots hurt from the sudden neck injury that occurred early in his second round. He phoned a PGA TOUR rules officer on his third hole on Friday morning to inquire about getting medical attention while playing. It hurt so bad to hit a 90-yard wedge on that hole, he wasn’t sure he could play on.
“I wasn’t sure if I would be able to swing,” he remarked. Physiotherapist Marnus Marais gave him on-course massages and adjustments prior to his tee shots on the 14th, 15th, and 16th holes, as well as right after he finished his second round.
“The fact that he could even get it around was almost astounding. It merely demonstrates Scottie Scheffler’s toughness, resilience, or any other fancy term of choice.” Scott Tedd said.
Scheffler lost more than 20 yards in average driving distance in the first and second rounds, and he had to use more club on his approaches due to his inability to swing at maximum speed. Scheffler stated that he was prepared to “slap it around” in the subsequent rounds. Every time he retrieved the club, another wave of pain washed over him.
Even so, Scheffler, who was hurt, was TPC Sawgrass’s finest ball-striker. He was first in the field in Driving Accuracy, SG: Off-the-Tee, and Strokes Gained: Tee-to-Green. He also placed seventh in SG: Approach-the-Green and among the top 10 in Regulation (T3).
“His frustration was mounting. He was unable to make the shots he desired to make. That only serves to highlight how resilient he is. He was immobile. He was in pain. He was hurting.” Scott said.
Longtime swing coach for Scheffler, Randy Smith, was absent from the victory as he had left TPC Sawgrass earlier in the week. The persistence Scheffler has shown since he was seven years old, was evident to him.
“All he wanted to do was exhaust you. He has a tendency to go a little bit farther than most players I’ve seen, which you could call a desire to win.” Smith said.
Scheffler’s most recent triumph brought up memories of his high school career, when he won a Texas state championship despite donning a walking boot. Additionally, Scheffler gave his all to the game of basketball at Highland Park, to the point where David Piehler, the Scots’ basketball coach, had to restrain Scheffler’s desire to lead by example in order to benefit the squad.
“Several times, I had to take him aside and tell him to move away if he saw a huge gentleman approaching on the lane. His well-being did not bother him. The main worry I had was that he might endanger his golf career.” Piehler said.
At TPC Sawgrass, this outcome appeared certain, yet Scheffler won in an unexpected way. Scheffler scored a first-round 67 at TPC Sawgrass, following up his five-shot victory at Bay Hill the week before. He appeared unstoppable on Friday after making his first hole-in-one. Then the week took a turn when he started having neck ache.
“It was quite challenging to see the line on my putt by looking up. I had trouble making putts because my brain would send pain sensations whenever I looked up at the hole. Pain makes it difficult to concentrate on your putt.
I reasoned that Marnus had done a decent job of sort of igniting me for Saturday, so long as I could make it through the round on Friday. As I mentioned earlier, I felt a little better, and as of Sunday and today, I felt generally rather well.” Scheffler said.
Scheffler pulled within five strokes of leader Xander Schauffele after closing his third round with three straight birdies. On Sunday, Scheffler birdied his opening three holes before holing the fourth one from 92 yards for an eagle. After making two more birdies on the following hole, he concluded his front nine. On the tenth hole, he missed a 12-foot putt for a birdie, but he made two more on the following two holes.
Playing with Schauffele in the last group on Sunday, Wyndham Clark said he chuckled when he saw Scheffler’s name at the top of a leaderboard for the first time on the back nine.
“Yes, of course,” I exclaimed. I mean, he’s the best player in the world. Clark, the current U.S. Open winner who triumphed at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am earlier this year, remarked.
With a birdie at the 12th hole, Scheffler and Schauffele were tied for the lead at 19-under par. On the 16th par-5, Scheffler made just one more birdie after emerging from a bunker, but it was sufficient because Wyndham Clark, Brian Harman, and Schauffele all lost their chances to square the game on the last few holes.
With 19 under par, the trio tied for second place, one stroke behind Scheffler.
“It’s just another week,” Schauffele remarked, alluding to his ongoing achievements.
In the last 25 months, Scheffler has won eight times, including two PLAYERS titles and the Masters. For the most part of that time, he has been ranked as the best golfer in the world and is the only player since Tiger Woods to win the golfer of the Year Award on the PGA TOUR in back-to-back seasons.
Since the beginning of the 2022 season, Scheffler has placed in the top 10 in almost two-thirds of his tournaments (34 of 55, 62%). His 17 top-10 finishes the year were the highest on the TOUR since Vijay Singh’s in 2005. In addition, he has just once finished outside the top 10 in his 7 starts in 2024 ; including these 2 victories in a row. In that time, Scheffler’s putting difficulties from the previous year appear to be the only difficulties he has faced on the course. However, he hired renowned putting coach Phil Kenyon in the autumn and last week at Bay Hill, he converted to a mallet putter. This week, he also improved his score on the green (+1.25), but the stats don’t matter in this victory.
“He used what he had to play, and he is aware that all he had to get by were his hands and his imagination.” Smith said.
When Scheffler first saw his wife, Meredith, at TPC Sawgrass following the official announcement of his triumph, those hands were on display for the last time. He rode in the passenger seat of a golf cart and held his arms straight up in the air. A scene that has become rather typical over the previous two years saw Meredith run towards her husband. Meredith is pregnant with the couple’s first child next month.
And there’s even more on the way for the Scheffler family to be happy about.
