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Scheffler takes the spoils at East Lake as Lowry and McIlroy share ninth place

Published

3 weeks ago

September 2, 2024

World number one Scottie Scheffler added the crowning cherry to his incredible season by winning the PGA Tour’s season-ending Tour Championship and the $25-million FedEx Cup title with a four-stroke win at East Lake Golf Club.

Although he started the day with a five-stroke advantage and ended it with four, it wasn’t quite the walk in the park that the final scores suggest as Collin Morikawa cut the deficit to just two strokes at one point and the world number one was on wobbly legs after making back-to-back bogeys. But as all the great players do, he was able to recover and re-exert his dominance and he now becomes the first player to win seven PGA Tour events in a single year since Tiger Woods in 2007.

In each of the last two Tour Championship stagings, Scheffler started the week with a two-stroke advantage over his nearest challenger, only to find himself reeled in, overtaken, and ultimately relegated into the also-ran positions, but having finally gotten the monkey off his back he was relieved.

“I try not to think too much about the past or think too much about the future,” he said. “But I think two years ago was pretty tough, having a good lead going into the last round and not playing my best and then losing. And then last year I just had a pretty off week so was fairly disappointing. So to come in with a lead for the third time and be able to finish it off is definitely pretty sweet.”

Morikawa takes the full allocation of OWGR points as he took the fewest actual strokes to complete his four rounds, and when Scheffler shanked a bunker shot on the eighth and made bogey while Morikawa birdied, it looked as though the Californian could take the clean sweep and steal off with the $25 million as well when he holed for birdie and a two-shot swing that left just two in it, but Scheffler went on to birdie the next three holes and restore his five-stroke cushion.

Scheffler singled out his caddie Ted Scott for the role he played in calming him down, getting him back on track and securing the win.

“Nine was a huge turnaround. Teddy gave me a nice pep talk there on the back of the eighth green because I kind of looked at him like, ‘man, I don’t know about this, this isn’t looking so hot right now’,” he said.

“He kind of gave me a little pep talk and then I was able to hit a really nice iron shot in there and got things rolling.

“He really is a huge part of the team. I don’t know if I’d be able to do any of this without him on my bag.”

Morikawa, can console himself with $12.5-million for his runner-up finish and was naturally pleased with his performance over the week, but admitted that Scheffler’s calm demeanour under pressure was highly impressive.

“Nothing fazes him. Whether I was close in gaining some ground or he was gaining ground, it didn’t change how he walked or how he played or how he went through every shot.

“That’s something to learn. I think his mental game is a lot stronger than a lot of people know.

“It’s amazing what he’s been able to do for this entire season, and over this past three years now. It’s been really cool to watch him, and hopefully I can draw something from that.”

Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry finished tied for ninth at -16 and they each get a cheque for just over $1.6 million.