World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler continues dominant season with 1-stroke victory at the Memorial
Scottie Scheffler achieved a remarkable victory at the Memorial Tournament at Muirfield Village Golf Club in Dublin, Ohio, securing a final-round 2-over-par 74 on Sunday. This victory is especially significant as Scheffler had already won at courses famously associated with golf legends Arnold Palmer and Bobby Jones earlier in the year. These accomplishments have etched…
Scottie Scheffler achieved a remarkable victory at the Memorial Tournament at Muirfield Village Golf Club in Dublin, Ohio, securing a final-round 2-over-par 74 on Sunday. This victory is especially significant as Scheffler had already won at courses famously associated with golf legends Arnold Palmer and Bobby Jones earlier in the year. These accomplishments have etched his name alongside the greats of golf, as Scheffler added a win at Jack Nicklaus’s tournament, often referred to as “Jack’s Place.” He is now one of the few golfers to have triumphed at the Arnold Palmer Invitational, the Masters, and the Memorial in a single season. The only other player to have done this is Tiger Woods, another golfing legend, who achieved the feat 25 years ago during his first of five Memorial victories.
Ahead of the PGA Championship last month, Tiger Woods commented on Scheffler’s impressive season, stating, “If he putts awful, then he finishes in the top 10. If he putts decent, he wins. He putts great, he runs away. He’s just that good a ball-striker and that good an all-around player.”
Starting the final round with a four-stroke lead, Scheffler maintained a one-stroke advantage by the 16th hole, where he sank a crucial 16-foot par putt to stretch his lead. Despite a challenging finish, he managed to hold off Collin Morikawa, who finished with a 71 and closely pursued him to the end. This victory marked Scheffler’s fifth win of the season, making him the first PGA Tour player to achieve five wins in a season since Justin Thomas seven years ago.
Scheffler’s path to victory was not without its challenges. He opened with rounds of 67 and 68, claiming the 36-hole lead. Despite a triple-bogey on Saturday and a three-putt bogey at the 18th, he managed to extend his lead by a stroke, finishing the day with a 71. The final round, played in tough, gusty conditions that felt like a preview of the U.S. Open, was particularly challenging. CBS’s Trevor Immelman commented on the difficulty, noting, “Muirfield Village is growling at the players today.”
Scheffler made two bogeys on the front nine and one birdie at the 6th hole. Adam Hadwin made an early move but stumbled late, finishing alone in third with a 74, earning the one available spot into the British Open for the top finisher not already qualified. Morikawa remained a strong contender, especially after sinking a 32-foot birdie putt at the par-3 12th, his longest putt since the first round of the PGA Championship. This putt brought him within one stroke of Scheffler.
Despite missing a birdie attempt at the 12th and making a short-range birdie putt at the 13th, Scheffler faced challenges on the back nine, including a near miss on the 15th hole. He celebrated a crucial par save at the 16th but then missed an 8-foot par putt that reduced his lead. Scheffler’s putting performance ranked 43rd in Strokes Gained for the final round and 23rd for the week in the 73-man field, validating Tiger Woods’s assessment of his game. Ultimately, Scheffler received the traditional winner’s handshake from Jack Nicklaus, a moment he had eagerly anticipated before the tournament.
“It would mean a lot to me to be able to shake his hand and win this golf tournament with all the history here and what Mr. Nicklaus has meant to the game,” Scheffler said.
