ATLANTA (AP) — Scottie Scheffler had an unforgettable year, highlighted by two major achievements: winning a Masters green jacket and an Olympic gold medal. It’s also the first time he became a father, and he made headlines when he was arrested for the first time. This remarkable year concluded on a high note when he claimed the FedEx Cup on Sunday, marking the end of an incredible golf season that has not been seen in nearly 20 years.
“If you can put this into words, I applaud you,” said Scheffler, reflecting on his four-shot victory at the Tour Championship, which was his eighth win of the year. “I definitely can’t do it.”
His performance on the course told a powerful story.
Scheffler, who started the final round at East Lake with a seven-shot lead, faced some challenges. On the seventh hole, he nearly hit his tee shot out-of-bounds, resulting in a bogey. Then, he had a misstep from the bunker on the eighth hole, leading to another bogey. This dropped his lead to just two shots over Collin Morikawa.
Navigating the tricky par-3 ninth hole, which had seen very few birdies during the week, Scheffler hit a precise 4-iron shot to land just 5 feet from the pin. This moment sparked a streak of three consecutive birdies, allowing him to finish the round at 4-under 67 and secure the FedEx Cup trophy along with its $25 million prize — the largest payout in golf.
“I’m focused on just making good shots,” he stated. “This year, I’ve managed to do that quite well.”
With this victory, his total earnings for the season, including bonuses, reached nearly $62.3 million.
This year has been one of the best since Tiger Woods won eight times in 2006, a season that included two major titles, all while coping with the passing of his father. Scheffler’s eight victories this year included the Masters, The Players Championship, an Olympic gold medal, and the Tour Championship — his first FedEx Cup title.
His seven PGA Tour wins this year are the highest by any player since Woods in 2007.
“Looking back, 2024 is likely to be seen as one of the great individual years in golf history,” said Rory McIlroy.
Adam Scott, who finished fourth in the FedEx Cup, highlighted how Scheffler’s consistent performance could be compared to Woods’ dominant years. “It’s comparable to Tiger’s best years,” Scott noted. “In today’s game, it’s incredibly difficult to stand out as Scottie has.”
Scheffler made the final hours of the tournament less stressful for himself; four of his wins this year were by three shots or more. As he entered to sign his scorecard, he finally expressed his excitement with a cheerful “WOOO!!” and lifted two significant trophies: the silver FedEx Cup and his four-month-old son, Bennett.
Despite the thrill, it was a tough road to victory.
This was the third consecutive year Scheffler was the top seed at East Lake, starting the tournament with a two-shot lead at 10-under par. Two years prior, he lost a six-shot lead in the final round to Rory McIlroy.
He has been recognized as the PGA Tour Player of the Year for the last two seasons, yet left without the FedEx Cup trophy. “It’s a disappointing feeling to end the year like that,” he admitted.
This time, he was determined to finish on top, even as storm clouds loomed overhead. The most tense moment came on the eighth hole, where Morikawa’s birdie celebration contrasted with Scheffler’s bogey.
But it was only a temporary setback.
After sinking a birdie on the ninth hole, Scheffler made a precise shot with his wedge to 3 feet for another birdie on the tenth. He followed that with a 15-foot birdie on the par-3 eleventh hole.
“After that, he wasn’t going to start making bogeys,” Morikawa remarked. “He was going to do the opposite and hit great shots, and that focus is something you can’t teach.”
Just like that, Scheffler widened his lead back to five shots. With a remarkable eagle putt on the 14th hole, it was just a matter of time before he could celebrate.
Scheffler only fell out of the top ten in three of his 19 tournament starts this year. Alongside his seven PGA Tour titles, he had two runner-up finishes.
“He’s the man to beat every week,” said Justin Thomas. “People don’t understand how challenging that is — being the favorite and having every shot scrutinized, whether it’s good or bad — it’s tough to maintain your focus.”
Morikawa, who started the tournament in seventh place six shots back, finished with a 66 and had the best overall score of 22-under 262 at the Tour Championship. He earned $12.5 million for finishing second in the FedEx Cup race.
“It was tough to catch the best player in the world from six shots behind,” Morikawa said. “But I gave it my best.”
Sahith Theegala, who self-imposed a two-shot penalty for accidentally moving sand on a bunker shot on Saturday, finished with a score of 64 and took third place, earning a bonus of $7.5 million.
Just over five months ago, Scheffler faced criticism for his putting game and hadn’t claimed a PGA Tour victory for nearly a year (he won an unofficial event, the Hero World Challenge, in the Bahamas).
His season earnings of $29,228,356 accounted for about 9.2% of the total $317.4 million prize pool from all tournaments he played. In 2007, Woods earned $10,867,052, which was around 9.7% of $112.5 million in total prize money.
Woods won approximately 11.6% of the total prize money during his remarkable 2000 season, which is still considered one of the best in golf history.
The $25 million FedEx Cup bonus is unofficial, as is the additional $8 million Scheffler received for leading the regular season with the “Comcast Business Top 10” title.
The FedEx Cup trophy symbolizes the culmination of an extraordinary season.
“This year has been quite eventful,” Scheffler concluded, “but it’s also been really fun.”
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