Scottie Scheffler by no means misplaced the lead and by no means gave anybody a lot of an opportunity down the stretch Sunday in one other relentless efficiency, closing with a 2-under 70 for a four-shot victory to affix Tiger Woods as the one repeat winners of the Memorial.
Slowed by hand surgical procedure at the beginning of the 12 months from a freak accident, Scheffler seems to be in full stride with one main already within the bag and one other across the nook on the U.S. Open.
“It is at all times a tough week,” mentioned Scheffler, who completed at 10-under 278. “We battled actually arduous on the weekend. Total it was an incredible week.”
On one of many harder PGA Tour exams of the 12 months, Scheffler made one bogey over the ultimate 40 holes at Muirfield Village.
“Nicely, you probably did it once more,” event host Jack Nicklaus advised him whereas strolling off the inexperienced.
Ben Griffin tried to make it attention-grabbing on the finish with a 12-foot eagle on the par-5 fifteenth and a 25-foot birdie putt on the par-3 sixteenth to shut inside two photographs with two to play. Scheffler, nevertheless, does not make errors. Griffin made double bogey on the seventeenth.
Griffin made a 4-foot par on the 18th for a 73 to complete alone in second, value $2.2 million, greater than what he earned when he gained at Colonial final week.
Sepp Straka (70) completed one other shot again.
“You already know Scottie’s in all probability going to play a superb spherical of golf,” Straka mentioned. “The man’s relentless. He loves competitors, and he doesn’t like giving up photographs. However it’s a kind of programs the place it might probably at all times occur, so you bought to be ready for it. I felt like I gave myself a variety of possibilities to sort of make a push.”
Scheffler has now gained 3 times in his final 4 begins — the exception was Colonial, a tie for fourth the week after profitable the PGA Championship — and expanded his margin at No. 1 on the earth to ranges not seen since Woods in his peak years.
Woods is a five-time winner at Memorial who gained three straight from 1999 by 2001. Nobody had repeated at Muirfield Village since then till Scheffler.
His performances these days look much more like Nicklaus the best way he wears down the sphere by hardly ever getting out of place.
Rickie Fowler had his first prime 10 of the 12 months at simply the proper time.
He made par on the 18th to tie for seventh, incomes him a spot within the British Open. Fowler tied with Brandt Snedeker at 1-under 287, however will get the one Open exemption obtainable based mostly on a better world rating — Fowler at No. 124, Snedeker at No. 430.
“That’s one I’ve needed on the schedule,” mentioned Fowler, who faces a 36-hole qualifier for the U.S. Open on Monday.
Each acquired sponsor exemptions to the Memorial, a signature occasion on the PGA Tour.
For Scheffler, it was his fifth victory in a $20 million signature occasion within the final two years. This one regarded inevitable, however solely after a fast growth early on the again 9.
Scheffler ended 31 holes with out a bogey at powerful Muirfield Village on the tenth gap, dropping his result in one shot. Griffin had 4 ft for birdie on the par-5 eleventh. Scheffler made his 15-foot birdie putt and Griffin missed.
Griffin bogeyed the subsequent two holes, and identical to that, Scheffler was 4 photographs forward. That is the way it was on the PGA Championship — tight one minute, a blowout the subsequent, and the sweetest stroll towards the 18th inexperienced with victory safe.
This one resulted in a handshake with Nicklaus, who had mentioned earlier within the week of Scheffler, “He performs loads like I did.”
Nicklaus mentioned he was all about fairways and greens, having loads of possibilities and making sufficient of them to publish a rating. That is the Scheffler approach, too, even when it did not at all times look that approach at the beginning of the ultimate spherical.
With mud on the golf ball within the first fairway, an excessive amount of spin on quick irons on the subsequent few holes, Scheffler did not have a birdie putt till the fifth gap. He saved par seven occasions within the ultimate spherical, together with the ultimate gap.
Reporting by The Related Press.
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