VEDRA BEACH BRIDGE | Threatened by Hideki Matsuyama and Tyrrell Hatton, Scottie Scheffler stepped on the gas in the middle of the final round of the PGA TOUR Players Championship. He never looked back again, heading for his sixth career title.
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The 26-year-old American, defending Masters champion, won the Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass on Sunday in Florida. Five consecutive birdies from eighth to 12th pennant propelled him to the front of the field to finish with a -17 cumulative record, five strokes ahead of Hatton.
The new world number one enters a select group since only Tiger Woods and Jack Nicklaus collect the green jacket of the Masters and the Players trophy in the same year.
Matsuyama threatened part of the afternoon, but was unable to finish the job. A double bogey on the par 4 of the 14th and a bogey on the final hole made him drop to -9 despite his seven birdies until the 13th pennant. Which forced him to sign a card of 68 (-4).
Hatton, he put on seven sparrows on the way back, including five in a row until the 18th. He came just short of the record set by Webb Simpson in 2018. He had lined up six.
“Scottie plays a really impressive game,” praised Hatton, who has chased him down a few times over the past year. He is constant. It’s incredible. »
Down to earth
In less than 400 days, Scheffler has put his stamp on six different titles.
“It’s a very special sequence. I have a lot of fun. I just try to beat the course”, explained the champion, preferring to remain down to earth.
“Since my youth, I have always stayed in my bubble at each stage, he added. I constantly sought to improve myself without looking too far ahead. »
Indeed, he has earned honors at each of his stages, notably obtaining the mentions of players of the year from the Korn Ferry circuit in 2019 and that of the PGA Tour last year.
Rolled to $280,000
Adam Hadwin was talkable after his final round of 71 (-1). And this, despite a short failed putt of 4 feet on the green of the 72nd hole which earned him a costly bogey.
He had thus just escaped more than $280,000, an almost guaranteed invitation to the Masters and a possible participation in the Dell Technologies World Hole Championship.
“You have to stay positive, reminded the Canadian who appeared 67th in the world rankings when he landed in Sawgrass last Monday. A top 20 at Players is excellent. We take it at any time to play at this caliber. I certainly must have done something right this week. »
Between the lines, however, Hadwin admitted that he struggled for the majority of the tournament. On an intimidating journey that leaves no room for interpretation, he often doubted. However, he said he hit the tees well.
“The lines of this route catch the eye. They guide the eyes to places where it can become dangerous. I often played conservatively to avoid blunders,” said the 35-year-old golfer, who was playing for the Players for the ninth time in his career.
Last year, he signed his best performance with a ninth position.
Svensson happy
In his first stint at Sawgrass, Adam Svensson learned the trade the hard way. Leader at the end of the second round, he tumbled in the standings.
On Sunday, regaining his momentum somewhat, he managed to join his compatriot Hadwin, at -7, in 13th place.
“I had to work hard reviewing the approximately 500 notes that I must have on my swing. My birdies in the 16th and 18th did me a lot of good. I finished on a positive note,” explained the man who completed the tournament with a card of 71 (-1).
“When I find myself in this position at the top of the table again, I will know more what to do and how to execute it to deliver better performances,” added the British Columbian. I am satisfied, because I managed to keep my calm. It was quite an experience. »
To Augusta
Svensson will head for Augusta today. He has to go study the course of the Augusta National in anticipation of the Masters Tournament.
This too will be his first visit. A true childhood dream.
“I’m tired and excited. I have always heard that it is a beautiful place steeped in history. I can’t wait to get back there to see it for myself. »
This first Grand Slam of the season will be played on April 6.
Sawgrass Express
Back to the future
If it were up to him, Rory McIlroy would put his old driver back in his bag. But he can’t under the regulations. That said, the third player in the world has experienced failures with his “big mallet” on the Stadium Course. He hit 13 of 28 lanes (46.4%) before dropping to +5 on Saturday. McIlroy was not so happy with the work tool he had been dragging around in his bag for a few weeks. Without throwing the manufacturer Taylor Made under the bus, he simply said that he would like to use his old number 1 blade.
“These heads are so picky that it’s very difficult to find exactly the same one that we like. It is certain that in all these problems, there is a part of the responsibility which belongs to the user. Honestly, maybe I tried to push the score too much to get the ball in the lanes. While waiting for the first major of the season in Augusta, McIlroy will try to tame his weapon of destruction.
A first in history in the 17th
Hayden Buckley, Aaron Rai and Alex Smalley marked this 49th Players tournament by achieving an unprecedented feat. They all scored a hole-in-one at the famous 17th hole of the Stadium Course. Never had there been more than one golfer to score an ace in an edition. In addition, by putting the 1 on his card on Sunday, Smalley took over from Fred Couples who had done the same during the final round of 1997.
Rose’s smile
Absent from the main tables for a few years, Justin Rose has regained his means and his smile for a few weeks. His victory at the AT&T Pro-Am at Pebble Beach in early February contributed greatly to his happiness. The 42-year-old golfer hadn’t won since January 2019, racking up 16 top 10s in his 71 outings. “It has not been easy in recent seasons. I worked as hard, if not more, than before. The results weren’t there. Which was strange. It was frustrating, but this win lifted the pressure valve. »