Scottie Scheffler Wins 6th PGA Tour Title in 13 Months and Joins Elite Club of Woods and Nicklaus

Scottie Scheffler has taken the golf world by storm, winning his sixth PGA Tour title in the last 13 months with a stunning five-shot victory at the 2023 Players Championship.^[0] His most recent win sees him become just the third golfer ever to hold the Players and Masters titles at the same time, joining Tiger Woods and Jack Nicklaus.^[1]

Scheffler started the final round at TPC Sawgrass with a two-shot lead over Min Woo Lee of Australia, but Lee quickly erased the deficit with a birdie on the first hole.^[2] However, Scheffler responded with an eagle chip-in on the second hole and went on a birdie run, eventually putting things away with a chip-in birdie on the eighth hole.^[3]

Scheffler's impressive chip-in birdie and eagle chip-in on the second hole are a testament to the hard work he has put in honing his short game. As a youngster, Scheffler sharpened his skills by challenging Tour players to chipping contests and other games on the back of the range at Royal Oaks in Dallas.^[2] His short-game acumen is now one of the best on Tour.

Tyrrell Hatton finished second on 12 under after birdieing his final five holes in a 65, while Viktor Hovland's 68 lifted him into joint third on 10 under with Tom Hoge.^[0] Japan's Hideki Matsuyama, the 2021 Masters champion, tried to make a late run with four birdies on the front and three straight on the back, but he had a double bogey on the 14th and his tee shot on the 18th had settled in pine straw, resulting in another bogey.^[4]

Leading the way in praise was Jordan Spieth, who had already informed the golfing world about Scheffler before he saw any success on the podiums.^[5] “When I feel like I get the better of him it’s a boost of confidence right now, because he’s arguably the best player in the world right now,” Spieth said.^[6]

Scheffler's swing coach, Randy Smith, attributed his success to experience.^[5] It is all about being in certain circumstances.

0. “Players Championship: Scottie Scheffler moves back to top of golf's world rankings with $4.5m win” Daily Mail, 12 Mar. 2023, https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/golf/article-11851831/Players-Championship-Scottie-Scheffler-moves-golfs-world-rankings-4-5m-win.html

1. “2023 Players Championship: Min Woo Lee, Tommy Fleetwood among seven golfers who can catch Scottie Scheffler” CBS Sports, 11 Mar. 2023, https://www.cbssports.com/golf/news/2023-players-championship-min-woo-lee-tommy-fleetwood-among-seven-golfers-who-can-catch-scottie-scheffler/

2. “In pursuit of legacy-defining title, Scottie Scheffler works OT with 54-hole Players lead” Golf Channel, 12 Mar. 2023, https://www.golfchannel.com/news/pursuit-legacy-defining-title-scottie-scheffler-works-ot-54-hole-players-lead

3. “Scottie Scheffler keeps chaos at arm's length in PLAYERS win” PGA TOUR, 13 Mar. 2023, https://www.pgatour.com/article/news/latest/2023/03/12/scottie-scheffler-keeps-chaos-at-arms-length-in-the-players-championship-win-world-no-1

4. “The inevitability of Scottie Scheffler on Players Championship Sunday” ESPN, 12 Mar. 2023, https://www.espn.com/golf/story/_/id/35844858/pga-tour-players-championship-2023-scottie-scheffler-inevitable

5. “Scottie Scheffler reclaims world No 1 spot with Players Championship win” The Guardian, 12 Mar. 2023, https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2023/mar/12/scottie-scheffler-reclaims-world-no-1-spot-with-players-championship-win

6. “Players 2023: Scottie Scheffler’s 6 victories in 13 months have some believing he’s just getting started” GolfDigest.com, 13 Mar. 2023, https://www.golfdigest.com/story/players-2023-scottie-scheffler-six-wins-thirteen-months-just-getting-started