Scottie Scheffler is a proud University of Texas Longhorn and it was appropriate that he got the big news on the set of ESPN’s College GameDay — the news that he is the 2022 PGA Tour Player Of The Year.
FedEx Cup winner Rory McIlroy made it clear after his victory at East Lake that Scottie was getting his vote for Player Of The Year. “Scottie Scheffler is the Player Of The Year,” McIlroy said after his win at the Tour Championship.
ESPN’s GameDay crew was in Austin for the Texas-Alabama game, where the Crimson Tide nipped the Longhorns with a late field goal, 20-19.
Scheffler was on the Texas sideline for the entire game.
It’s very special,” Scheffler said. “It was definitely a surprise this morning. It means a lot to me. Never really expected anything like that.”
Scheffler established a first in the history of the PGA Tour — he’s the first player to win Korn Ferry Tour Player Of The Year honors, PGA Tour Rookie Of The Year honors and PGA Tour Player Of The Year honors.
Shane Lowry Shoots 65, Wins Dramatic BMW PGA At Wentworth:
The heart of the European Ryder Cup team stepped to the forefront Sunday at Wentworth and in the end, it was Shane Lowry hoisting the trophy he coveted — the BMW PGA Championship.
“I’m just so happy that I can win this tournament. I love this tournament and I love this course,” said Lowry, who closed with a 67 on Sunday and his 17-under par total edged Rory McIlroy and Jon Rahm by a shot.
“I love coming here, the area, I just love everything about it. I’m so happy that I can come here and win the tournament this year,” said Lowry who went the entire 54-holes without a bogey on his card. The tournament was shortened to three rounds following the death of Queen Elizabeth II late Thursday.
Rahm was out ahead of Lowry and McIlroy and he had a spectacular finish with birdies at 16 and 17 then he holed a 20-footer for eagle at the closing hole for a 10-under par 62 and his 16-under total set the target score for Lowry and McIlroy. Lowry was in front of McIlroy and was tied with Rahm at 16-under heading to the home hole. An errant drive at the 17th cost him a shot at birdie there. But at 18 he hit a perfect drive then from 215-yards out, his his second to 19 feet. Two putts later he was finished with 65 and his 17-under total.
McIlroy will look back and know he had a golden opportunity to win. He was 15-under through 16 with the two par five finishing holes. At 17, he hit an amazing three-wood from the trees that left him a 26-yard pitch to the hole. His third left him just inside 14 feet and he failed to convert that birdie attempt.
At 18 Rory hit a perfect drive and from 242 out, his four-iron left him 24 feet for an eagle that would have tied Lowry. With Lowry watching in the scorer’s room, McIlroy’s putt got to the hole but hung on the lip, giving the title to Lowry.
Lowry was all smiles as he finally won the one event that has caught his eye for years. “I love coming here, the area, I just love everything about it. I’m so happy that I can come here and win the tournament this year. I feel like I’ve had a great year but it’s not a great year unless you win. And I feel like this is just the glaze on the cake for me.
“I’m so happy. Honestly words can’t (describe) how happy I am, how much this means to me and how much I love this Tour and how much I love this tournament. I’m the happiest man in the world right now. I said to my coach this morning, ‘I need to just allow myself to play golf’. I’m playing the best golf of my life. I need to allow myself to do that and I did that.”
Lowry, with that sixth DP World Tour win, moved into the top five in the Race To Dubai rankings and will move up in the world rankings this week from his 23rd position.
McIlroy maintained his overall lead in the points race while Rahm jumped all the way from 52nd to 15th.
