World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler ends season with ninth title

BAHAMAS: The mound around the third hole at Albany GC was a good vantage point for the beginning of the final show at the Hero World Challenge. A golden doodle named Bear was lazing inside the ropes, watching Tiger’s tournament. Sahith Theegala and Akshay Bhatia made par saves, and Tom Kim birdied from 16ft to launch his challenge. It was also the hole where Scottie Scheffler overtook overnight leader Justin Thomas, only to never look back.
His fourth-round score was a course record 9-under 63, his winning total 25-under. And everyone was left in the Texan’s tall shadows as he completed a six-stroke victory. Making four birdies on the front, five on the back including a closing birdie to delight the clubhouse gallery, Scheffler sealed two consecutive victories at the Hero World Challenge with an all-round performance.
It had been an extraordinary season with the trophy at the Bahamian luxury resort bringing up a remarkable ninth victory, including a “special” Olympic gold. “I’ve had a little bit of time to reflect (on the season) but I’m not really sure how to assess it,” said the World No. 1. “It’s just been pretty surreal; it’s been a lot of fun. I’m really grateful.”
For the record, former No. 1 Justin Thomas’ two-and-a-half-year drought continued, with a third-place finish as he saw playing partner Scottie blaze a trail at the elite 20-man event. “Obviously, I can’t expect to have good things happen when I’m leading by 1 over Scottie and only shooting 1 under on Sunday,” said Thomas, who now gets to spend time with his three-week-old daughter Molly Grace.
Korean Kim couldn’t keep up, finishing second. Kim resides in Dallas and considers citymate Scheffler, with whom he shares a birthday on June 21, a good friend despite a tetchy showdown at the Presidents Cup in September. “He wins 95 percent of the time. He has made history. I can’t wait to go out there and give him a hug,” the 22-year-old acknowledged the best man.
Up ahead, Scottie showed what champions are made of —staying in the present, grinding when it’s tough, capitalising on his chances, and not overthinking. Just owning it, without fuss. “Staying even keel has always been something that’s beneficial for my game,” the 28-year-old said about his temperament. “I try not to get too high or too low out there.” He may lack the swagger of a Tiger Woods, but he is walking in the superstar's footsteps with an understated elegance.
“He really doesn’t do anything wrong,” to urnament host Woods said during the official broadcast. “Yes, he had a significant amount of birdies but he is not making any mistakes. No doubles, no loose bogeys here. Most of the tournaments, he goes without three-putts. He just cleans up on simple mistakes.” He made 27 birdies here with only two bogeys over 72 holes.
If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it but Scheffler is always thinking of evolving. He introduced a new ‘claw’ putting stance that generated more interest than the first-day’s play.
“I saw it on Wednesday and I thought, what is that thing? I think he has an amazing feel so he is going to do it either way,” said Tiger, who was himself known to tweak in his quest for technical perfection. “I think the biggest thing that I see is that he’s always trying to get better,” admired Kim. Joining Woods and Viktor Hovland as the only back-to-back winners of the $5million unofficial Tour event, Scheffler had eyes on the new season.