World number one Scottie Scheffler capped his extraordinary season by clinching the PGA Tour's season-ending Tour Championship, securing the $25 million FedEx Cup title with a four-stroke victory at East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta on Sunday. Scheffler started the final round with a five-stroke lead over Collin Morikawa but saw his advantage shrink to just two after consecutive bogeys on the 7th and 8th holes. However, he bounced back to claim his seventh PGA Tour win this season. Scheffler is the first player since Tiger Woods in 2007 to win seven PGA Tour events in a year, and his remarkable season also included a Masters win and an Olympic gold medal. For the past two years, Scheffler had entered the Tour Championship as the number one ranked player but had failed to secure the FedEx Cup. This year, leading the standings for most of the season, he was thrilled to finally claim the title.
"I try not to dwell too much on the past or the future," Scheffler said. "But I think two years ago was pretty challenging, having a good lead going into the last round and not playing my best, then losing. Last year, I just had a pretty off week, which was quite disappointing. So to come in with a lead for the third time and be able to finish it off is definitely pretty sweet," he added. Scheffler began the week on 10 under-par under the staggered scoring system used for the season finale and finished the week on 30 under after closing with a 67. Morikawa would have beaten Scheffler by two strokes in a regular format and briefly put him under real pressure.
Scheffler shanked a bunker shot on the eighth, making his second straight bogey as Morikawa made a birdie to reduce the gap to two. However, Scheffler did not let the setbacks turn into a real momentum shift, making three straight birdies from the ninth and then an eagle on the par-5 15th, which effectively sealed the win. Scheffler credited his caddie, Ted Scott, for helping him recover and secure the victory. "Nine was a huge turnaround. Teddy gave me a nice pep talk there on the back of the 8 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 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 said. "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, who collected $12.5 million for his second place, was pleased with his effort but acknowledged Scheffler's exemplary performance in closing out the tournament. "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," he said. "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," he said. Sahith Theegala finished third for a $7.5 million reward, six shots off the lead, while Xander Schauffele, Russell Henley, and Australian Adam Scott ended tied for fourth on 19-under. Henley leaped into fourth with an eagle on the 18th hole where he chipped in from 36 yards.
