Scheffler Makes History with Tour Title
Scottie Scheffler capped his meteoric rise to the top of the professional golf world — and finished off one of the greatest PGA Tour seasons in recent history — by winning the Tour Championship event on Sunday in Atlanta.
The former Highland Park standout and top-ranked player in the world earned a $25 million bonus for capturing the FedEx Cup playoff title, which he accomplished with a four-stroke victory over runner-up Collin Morikawa at East Lake Golf Course.
With his seventh Tour win of the year, Scheffler became the first player to reach that plateau since Tiger Woods in 2007, validating claims that his current dominance is starting to resemble Woods in his heyday.
His resume for this year includes his second Masters championship in April as well as a gold medal in his Olympic debut representing Team USA in Paris. He became the first golfer to successfully defend his crown at the Players Championship in March.
Scheffler’s consistency also was remarkable, with 16 finishes inside the top 10 among his 19 starts (Tour events only). He spent the final 25 weeks of the season atop the FedEx Cup standings, which is a record — and it also gave him a head start entering the finale.
“It’s been a great year. I’m proud of the results,” Scheffler said. “It’s something I try not to focus too much on, but at the end of the day, being able to win tournaments is a great feeling, and it’s what we work toward, and to be able to have as many wins as I have this year is really special.”
Next up, Scheffler plans to rest at home before preparing to lead the U.S. squad in international competition at the Presidents Cup in late September in Montreal.
Let’s not forget perhaps his most rewarding personal accomplishment of the year, when his wife, Meredith, gave birth to their son, Bennett, in May. His family was on hand for the winner’s ceremony on Sunday, helping to culminate a season for the ages.
