Scottie Scheffler came up with a clutch eagle on the 13th hole Sunday then fought his way to the finish line at the Phoenix Open to repeat the triumph that started his incredible run to the Masters last season.
Scheffler never lost the lead that he began the final round with at TPC Scottsdale. He had world No. 3 Jon Rahm chasing him along with a very determined Canadian — Nick Taylor.
Scheffler’s break-away hole came at the par five 13th where he hit a great second from 200 yards out then ran in a 22-footer for eagle that gave him all the momentum he needed to close the deal. Rahm fell by the wayside when his second at the par five 15th found the water left of the green then Taylor fell three behind when he missed an eight-foot par putt at the rowdy 16th.
All afternoon, Scheffler was clutch with the putter and won this one again, this time without his “A” game.
“I hit some wild shots off the tee that were pretty uncharacteristic for how I usually shape the ball,” Scheffler said. “I was just able to grind it out, make a lot of putts. I think I only had two bogeys this week, which is really, really good around this golf course.”
It was two Goliaths and a single David in that final threesome. Taylor took care of one of the Goliaths (Rahm) but couldn’t overcome Scheffler’s key putts, including one from 15 feet for par at 16 that put the heat on Taylor. “I was just trying to hit a solid putt,” Scheffler said of that par putt. “In those situations that’s really all you can do. So, when I’m standing over that ball all I’m thinking about is the speed. I had my line.”
With another birdie at 17, Scheffler took a most comfortable three-shot lead to 18. He made par to win by two over Taylor, who closed with birdie to equal Scheffler’s 65.
Scheffler finished at 19-under and collected his fifth PGA Tour win and reclaimed the No. 1 spot in the world rankings from Rory McIlroy, who finished tied for 42nd at four-under.
“I love the environment here,” Scheffler said. “It’s a lot of fun to play. I think the firmness of the golf course really suits me. Having the ability to play a lot of different shots — hit it high, hit it low. The wind this week brought a new challenge that we hadn’t had around this golf course since I’ve been playing this tournament,” Scheffler added. “So, it was definitely a good challenge and was a fun week.”
It was also a huge payday for all the players at the top. Scheffler collected $3.6 million from this Designated Event’s $20 million purse. Rahm took home $1,380,000 while Taylor, twice a winner on Tour, won $2,180,000 for his solo second — nearly more than for both his previous wins combined. Justin Thomas finished solo fourth and banked $980,000 while resurgent Jason Day’s solo fifth won him $820,000.
As for Scheffler, he became the seventh player to win back-to-back in Phoenix and joined a list of celebrated names — Ben Hogan (1946-47), Jimmy Demaret (1949-50), Lloyd Mangrum (1952-53), Arnold Palmer (three straight from 1961-63), Johnny Miller (1974-75) and Hideki Matsuyama (2016-17).
Rhein Gibson Takes Astara Championship In Columbia:
Rhein Gibson won for the second time on the Korn Ferry Tour Sunday, taking the Astara Championship by four shots.
The Aussie closed with a bogey-free, seven-under par 64 — lowest round of the week at the Country Club de Bogota’s Lagos course.
Gibson closed with an eagle at 18 for good measure. He broke away from a crowded pack which, at one point, saw six players tied for the lead at 10-under par. The 37-year-old Gibson separated from the pack and reached 13-under par with a birdie at the par-four ninth followed by an eagle at the par-5 10th. Another birdie at the par-3 15th and theclosing eagle at 18 took him to 16-under par for the tournament and put him four strokes clear of runner-up Kevin Dougherty.
Gibson’s four-stroke win tied FedExCup champion Patrick Cantlay (2013) and Mark Anderson (2019) for the second-largest margin of victory in the 13-season history of the Astara Golf Championship.
Astara Championship Scoreboard:
