ATLANTA –
Scottie Scheffler capped golf’s biggest year in nearly two decades by winning golf’s biggest prize.
Briefly challenged at the Tour Championship on Sunday, Scheffler responded with three straight birdies to make victory look as inevitable as it has seemed all year. He closed with a 4-under 67 for a four-shot victory over Collin Morikawa to claim the FedEx Cup and its US$25 million prize.
That pushed his season earnings, including bonuses, to just over $62.3 million.
It was his best year since Tiger Woods won eight times in 2006, including six in a row and two majors, all while coping with the death of his father. Scheffler’s eight victories included the Masters, The Players Championship, an Olympic gold medal and the Tour Championship, which allowed him to finally claim the FedEx Cup.
His seven PGA Tour titles are the most since Woods in 2007.
“We look back at 2024 and it’s obviously one of the best individual years a player has had in a long time,” Rory McIlroy said.
It was the third year in a row that Scheffler came into East Lake as the top seed, meaning he opened the tournament at 10-under par with a two-shot lead. Two years ago, he lost a six-shot lead in the final round to McIlroy.
Scheffler led by at least five shots after each round. But there was a harrowing moment when storm clouds began to threaten. He made two straight bogeys, the second on a clear shank from a bunker on the par-4 eighth hole. Morikawa birdied and cut a seven-shot deficit he faced after two holes to just two shots with 10 holes to play.
And then it was over.
Scheffler hit his tee shot to within five feet on the par-3 ninth for birdie. He hit a wedge to three feet for birdie on the 10th and then reeled in a 15-foot putt for birdie on the par-3 eleven.
Just like that, his lead was back to five shots. And when he hit a 15-foot eagle putt on the 14th hole, it was all about getting to the finish line.
Scheffler called the FedEx Cup a season-long race that is “stupid” because it all came down to the final week at East Lake. There was no doubt that the FedEx Cup had a most fitting champion.
Scheffler finished in the top 10 only three times in his 19 starts. He had a pair of runner-up finishes and seven PGA Tour titles.
“He’s a guy to beat every week,” Justin Thomas said. “I don’t think people understand how hard it is to do that when you’re expected to win, when you’re the favorite to win, when you’re looking at every single thing you do — good and bad — the golf course and how hard is to get into your own little zone and your own little world and really just shut out the noise.”
Morikawa won US$12.5 million for second place. Sahith Theegala closed with a 64 to finish third and collect a bonus of US$7.5 million.
