Tranlate this title Scheffler opens playoffs as the clear winner in spanish

Scottie Scheffler rediscovered his best self and opened the FedExCup Playoffs with a resounding victory. At the TPC Southwind in Memphis, the world number one closed with a 66 (-4) in the final round and shot 263 (-17), eight points ahead of Si Woo Kim.

Scheffler, results

The Texan started Sunday with a two-shot lead, but suffered an unexpected setback on the third hole: a seemingly perfect bunker shot bounced off a sprinkler, crossed the green, and into the water, turning a sure birdie into a bogey. The lead was reduced to one. Two holes later, he placed an iron about ten feet from the hole for birdie, then holed out from about twenty feet away on the next hole. From there, it was a one-shot showdown: the initial lead turned into a breakaway. This is his 11th consecutive win as the leader after 54 holes and his 21st career victory on the PGA Tour (all since 2022). It comes after nearly seven months without a title, despite a remarkably consistent season that included five second-place finishes and five other top-four finishes. His only previous victory came earlier this year at the American Express. “I felt like a week like this was coming,” Scheffler said.

Scheffler has won $3.6 million in prize money and secured another $23 million in bonuses as the FedExCup No. 1 player through the next BMW Championship: no one can match him. Ten of his 21 titles have come by margins of four or more shots.

Sam Burns, one of his best friends, played in the final group and finished with a 73, tied for third with Alex Noren (69). “I don’t think it would have made a difference if I had played well,” Burns admitted. “It would have been impossible to beat him today anyway.” Dallas neighbor Si Woo Kim finished second with a 68 and reached his best world ranking of 13th. Sungjae Im tied for fifth and earned a spot in the top 50 entering the BMW Championship in St. Louis, keeping alive his chance of reaching the TOUR Championship, as he has every year since 2019. Keith Mitchell and Jordan Spieth, however, were out, the latter having bowed out after a bogey on the 15th.

For Scheffler, the TPC Southwind was the course he had played the most times (seven) without a win, and the FedEx St. Jude Championship was the only playoff tournament he still lacked. Now both boxes have been checked. After finishing second at the 3M Open, the two weeks away have allowed him to rediscover his true calling. With two wins and five runner-up finishes, Scheffler is back in contention for his fifth consecutive PGA Tour Player of the Year title. With two tournaments remaining, the world number one reminded everyone who still rules.