Scottie Scheffler had come close to winning several times this year, but at the St Jude Championship, he did not let glory slip away. In the final round on Sunday in Memphis, Tennessee, Scheffler carded a 66 (4-under par) to break away and win by eight strokes, solidifying his lead in the FedEx Cup playoffs.
“I felt like a week like this was coming,” Scheffler said. “All year I kept saying I was playing well, really close to winning. It’s nice to answer different questions this weekend.”
This was Scheffler’s first title since January, despite being the world’s No. 1 golfer. “I’ve had some close runner-up finishes this year,” he said. “I felt like I kept saying I was playing pretty good, just little things weren’t going my way.”
Scheffler finished the tournament at 263 (17 under par), eight shots ahead of runner-up Si Woo Kim of South Korea at TPC Southwind, which hosted the opening event of the three-tournament FedEx Cup playoffs. Kim shot a 68 in the final round.
This was the tournament’s second-largest margin of victory in 30 years and the largest winning margin ever at TPC Southwind.
“I felt like I was in a good rhythm,” Scheffler noted. “I didn’t hit many fairways this week, but I was sharp with my irons and putted very well on the greens. That’s a good trade-off if you want to succeed here.”
No challenger put significant pressure on Sunday as Scheffler’s lead grew from two strokes to five by the middle of the round. He closed with birdies on holes 11, 13, and 16.
With this win, Scheffler earned his 21st career PGA Tour title and a $3.6 million prize. The next stop in the playoffs is the BMW Championship in St. Louis, Missouri, next week, where Scheffler is the defending champion.
