DUBLIN, OHIO | With his grind-it out-victory Sunday in the Memorial Tournament at wind-blown Muirfield Village, Scottie Scheffler took another step into rare territory.
With five victories in 2024, Scheffler is the first player since Justin Thomas in 2017 to win five times in a season, a number equaled by Jordan Spieth, Jason Day and Tiger Woods (four times) since 2000.
Scheffler’s one-stroke victory over Collin Morikawa didn’t come easily. On a course that surrendered just one sub-70 round on Sunday, Scheffler cobbled together a final-round 74 that left him at 8-under-par 280 and one clear of Morikawa.
“I didn’t do a whole lot great today, but I did enough to get it done,” said Scheffler, who now has 11 PGA Tour victories.
Consider not just the quantity of Scheffler’s five victories this season but the quality:
He has won the Masters, the Players Championship and three more signature events in 13 starts. Scheffler also broke his own single-season earnings record with more than $24 million banked this year on the PGA Tour.
Against the best fields in the game, Scheffler has separated himself like few others have. He joined Woods as the only players to win the Masters, the Players and Memorial in the same year.
Here’s another way to look at it: Scheffler has won this year at the Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass, Augusta National, Bay Hill, Harbour Town and Muirfield Village, a collection of some of the great courses in the game.
While further entrenching Scheffler as the favorite at the U.S. Open at Pinehurst this week, his performance at Muirfield Village underscored Scheffler’s resiliency and earned him the champion’s handshake from tournament host Jack Nicklaus after a couple of near misses in the past.
“It’s pretty amazing. I feel like I’ve had some close calls in this tournament. This is a tough place to close out,” Scheffler said.
“I remember shaking Mr. Nicklaus’ hand here a few years ago and he told me I didn’t make the putts today but one day I’ll make the putts and be able to shake his hand, and he was right. That was pretty surreal, to shake his hand as a winner here.”
While the aftermath of his arrest at the PGA Championship continued to swirl even after the charges were dropped May 29, Scheffler handled a difficult course and windy conditions better than anyone else.
Scheffler wasn’t perfect and, in particular, Sunday’s final round was a grind. His four-stroke overnight lead quickly dwindled to one and with Morikawa pushing him, Scheffler relied on solid rather than spectacular to seal the victory.
A decisive swing came at the downwind and difficult par-3 16th where Scheffler arrived with a one-stroke lead. After both players missed the green, Morikawa hit a poor pitch shot and missed his 22-foot par putt. Scheffler, sensing the moment, center-cut a 15-foot par putt to give him a two-stroke lead with two holes to play.
It was barely enough. Scheffler bogeyed the par-4 17th to see his lead sliced to one going to the 18th hole.
After both players missed the 18th green long, Scheffler sealed the victory with a 4-foot downhill par putt for his first victory as a father.
On Saturday, Scheffler threw an unexpected wrinkle into the proceedings when, cruising along with a comfortable lead, he made a triple-bogey on the par-4 ninth hole when his tee shot caromed off a tree and out of bounds.
“I was just frustrated. It was like, I feel like I hadn't hit many shots at all today offline and I had a triple on my card, and I was all of a sudden 1 over par,” Scheffler said.
“So, I was definitely frustrated with the break, but overall I was like, I'm still swinging it really good, I didn't need to change anything, I just need to stay in the right frame of mind.”
“He's as solid as they come. He's the No. 1 player in the world for a reason. He's far and above the No. 1 player in the world.”
Adam Hadwin
Adam Hadwin had a front-row seat for the Scheffler show on Saturday.
“He's as solid as they come. He's the No. 1 player in the world for a reason. He's far and above the No. 1 player in the world,” Hadwin said.
Hadwin, who finished third, qualified for the 152nd Open Championship next month at Royal Troon via the Open Qualifying Series. Hadwin was the low finisher among players who had not already qualified for the Open, which will be played July 18-21.
• Barbara Nicklaus has been selected as the Memorial Tournament’s 2025 honoree. Known as the “first lady of golf,” she is the wife of tournament host Jack Nicklaus, who founded Muirfield Village Golf Club in Dublin, Ohio, in 1974. Together, Jack and Barbara Nicklaus launched the Nicklaus Children’s Health Care Foundation, which has raised more than $200 million toward improving health care for children and families worldwide. The Nicklauses have been married for 64 years and have five children, 24 grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren. READ MORE
Ron Green Jr.