Scottie Scheffler closes in on $25 million FedEx Cup prize with late burst of birdies

Scottie Scheffler makes his putt on the 18th green during the third round of the Tour Championship golf tournament, Saturday, Aug. 31, 2024, in Atlanta. (AP)
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Updated 01 September 2024
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Scottie Scheffler closes in on $25 million FedEx Cup prize with late burst of birdies

  • Scottie Scheffler is one round away from capping off this astonishing season with a FedEx Cup title and its $25 million prize
  • Sahith Theegala might have been two shots closer except for calling a two-shot penalty on himself on the third hole for lightly touching the sand with his club out of a bunker

ATLANTA: The most PGA Tour victories in 15 years. A Masters green jacket and an Olympic gold medal. And now Scottie Scheffler is one round away from capping off this astonishing season with a FedEx Cup title and its $25 million prize.

Scheffler had four birdies over his last five holes Saturday for a 5-under 66 to extend his lead to five shots over Collin Morikawa in the Tour Championship at East Lake.

He also knows the work is not done.

Two years ago, Scheffler finished the third round of a rain-delayed Tour Championship on Sunday morning by building a six-shot lead. He fell apart that afternoon with a 73, and watched Rory McIlroy race past him to capture the PGA Tour’s big prize.

The task for Scheffler is simple.

“Keep doing what I’ve been doing, staying in the moment, staying patient out there,” Scheffler said. I’ve bogeyed the first hole two of the last three days, and both times when I bogeyed the first hole I didn’t make any bogeys after that. So that’s kind of good momentum for me.”

It was even better moment at the end, with Morikawa (67) staying on his heels. Morikawa birdied three of his last four holes, but still ended up falling one more shot behind than the four-shot deficit he faced at the start of the third round.

“Not exactly the moving day that I needed, but I knew this entire week I was going to need something special to come out on top and I’m going to need something very special,” Morikawa said. “But I believe in myself, and hopefully that comes out tomorrow.”

Scheffler, who started at 10-under par and with a two-shot lead — six shots ahead of Morikawa, the No. 7 seed — was at 26-under par.

No one else was closer than nine shots.

Sahith Theegala might have been two shots closer except for calling a two-shot penalty on himself on the third hole for lightly touching the sand with his club out of a bunker. Video was not entirely clear, but Theegala informed officials and his par turned into a double bogey.

“Pretty sure I breached the rules, so I’m paying the price for it, and I feel good about it,” Theegala said. “I’m not 100 percent sure. But I’d say I’m 98, 99 percent sure that some sand was moved.”

He responded with seven birdies on the back nine and shot 66, leaving him nine shots behind.

Morikawa got within two shots of the lead when he holed a birdie putt from just inside 10 feet on the par-5 sixth hole. But that was as close as he got.

On the next hole, Scheffler holed a 15-foot birdie putt while Morikawa came up short of the green, lagged a putt to just outside 3 feet and missed it, a two-shot swing that restored Scheffler’s lead to four.

They also played in the final group at the Masters, where Scheffler pulled away to win by four. Morikawa knows by now what to expect.

“Five shots is a lot, but two-shot swings happen. I think I’ve seen a couple over the past few days,” Morikawa said. “Look, I’ve just got to play my game. I’ve got to go low. I know that. I’ve got 18 holes left to the season. I keep talking about that, but I’m going to put everything I have into these next 24 hours.”

His raw score was 17-under 196, one shot better than Scheffler.

Scheffler didn’t hit as many fairways and greens as he did the opening two rounds, but he was ranked No. 2 in the key putting statistic on Saturday. And he has kept his distance over every challenger so far this week.

“I feel like I’ve done a lot of stuff well and played solid, so I’m looking forward to the challenge of trying to finish off the tournament tomorrow,” he said.

British Open and PGA champion Xander Schauffele never got on track. Starting the day five shots behind, he had two bogeys in the opening four holes and failed to birdie the three par 5s in his round of 71. He was 10 shots behind.

He has never hit more than seven fairways each of the three rounds, and it has cost him at a time when he needed to go low to stay in the game.

“I was just not playing well enough to shoot consecutive 7-under pars,” Schauffele said. “You’ve got to be hitting at least 12 fairways to give yourself some serious looks and then obviously do a lot of good after that, but it starts with your ball on the short stuff.”

For everyone else, it’s a race for cash.

The FedEx Cup winner gets $25 million, with second place worth $12.5 million and third place paying $7.5 million.
 


Scheffler pulls away to win PGA Championship for 3rd major title

Updated 19 May 2025
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Scheffler pulls away to win PGA Championship for 3rd major title

  • Scheffler was flawless when he had to be on the back nine of Quail Hollow, Scheffler was flawless when he had to be on the back nine of Quail Hollow

CHARLOTTE, North Carolina: Scottie Scheffler worked harder than he imagined and got the result everyone expected Sunday in the PGA Championship: A most pleasant walk to the 18th green with another major title secure in the hands of golf’s No. 1 player.
Scheffler was flawless when he had to be on the back nine of Quail Hollow, leaving the blunders to Jon Rahm and everyone else trying to catch him on a final day that turned tense until Scheffler pulled away with a steady diet of fairways and greens.
He closed with a bogey he could afford for an even-par 71, giving him a five-shot victory and his third major title. Scheffler became the first player since Seve Ballesteros to win his first three majors by three shots or more.

Scottie Scheffler plays a shot from a bunker on the first hole during the final round of the PGA Championship at Quail Hollow Country Club on May 18, 2025 in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Getty Images via AFP)

A snoozer? Not even close. That much was clear when Scheffler raised his arms on the 18th green and then ferociously slammed his cap to the turf.
Scheffler was five shots ahead coming to the last hole when he won his first Masters green jacket in 2022. He was four shots clear of the field when he won at Augusta National last year. And he had a six-shot lead at Quail Hollow.
But this sure didn’t feel like a walk in the park.
He had a five-shot lead standing on the sixth tee. But with a shaky swing that led to two bogeys, and with Rahm making three birdies in a four-hole stretch around the turn — they were tied when Scheffler got to the 10th tee.
It looked like a duel to the finish, with Bryson DeChambeau doing all he could to get in the mix, until Scheffler looked every bit the best in golf. He didn’t miss a shot off the tee or from the fairway until his lead back to four shots.
 


Vegas clings to PGA lead as Kim, Scheffler charge

Updated 17 May 2025
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Vegas clings to PGA lead as Kim, Scheffler charge

  • Vegas closed with a double bogey to fire a one-under-par 70

CHARLOTTE: Jhonattan Vegas, chasing his first major title, clung to a two-stroke lead in Friday’s second round of the PGA Championship while top-ranked Scottie Scheffler and South Korean Kim Si-woo made late charges at Quail Hollow.
Vegas closed with a double bogey to fire a one-under-par 70 and stand on eight-under 134 after 36 holes with France’s Matthieu Pavon shooting 65 to share second with England’s Matt Fitzpatrick and Kim on 136.
“It was a great day,” Vegas said. “I can’t really get too down on myself for making double on 18. I feel like I managed my game really well. I was feeling it out there. It was nice to keep the momentum. The game was there and the feeling was good.
“I wasn’t happy to finish with that double on 18 but we have two more days to go.”
Kim aced the par-three sixth hole from 252 yards with a five-wood, hitting the longest hole-in-one in major history, and added six birdies against a lone bogey to equal Max Homa for the day’s low round of 64.
“It was exciting,” Kim said of the ace. “I hit it like exactly how I wanted. So it was cool and it was pretty memorable hole-in-one in major.”
Sharing fifth in the clubhouse were Americans Homa and Scheffler, who shot 68 to stand on 137 — three off the lead.
“A little below average for me,” Scheffler said. “I felt like I did a good job scoring. I was able to hit the right shots when I need to.”
Scheffler’s playing partners in the feature group — second-ranked Masters winner Rory McIlroy and third-ranked defending champion Xander Schauffele — grinded through the final hole just to make the cut on the number at one-over 143.
McIlroy, who completed a career Grand Slam with his Masters win, closed bogey-bogey to flirt with missing the weekend, lipping out from three feet for par at 17 and hitting off a hospitality tent roof into rough at 18 and two-putting for bogey from 36 feet to shoot 69.
Closing par putts at 17 and 18 from inside four feet gave Schauffele a 71.
Vegas, who fired a 64 on Thursday, never lost the lead despite pressure while Pavon and Homa each delivered their career-low major rounds.
“That was really very solid,” Pavon said. “Got a nice momentum with the putter early on. A few birdies on the front nine helped me to be more confident on the back nine. Overall it was a super satisfying day.”
Homa shot 30 on the same back nine where he fired 39 on Thursday.
“I knew the game was good,” Homa said. “Didn’t know I was going to shoot seven-under but I’ll take it.”
Fitzpatrick, the 2022 US Open champion, fired a 68 and will draw upon his major win to try and pad his trophy haul.
“The fact I’ve done it before, that’s always a big confidence boost,” he said. “You can lean on that. I’m just happy to be in this position.”
World number 70 Vegas was set to become the lowest-ranked player to lead a major outright after each of the first two rounds since American Gil Morgan at the 1992 US Open.
Vegas was battling after a sleepless night sitting on the lead.
“Not getting a great sleep and having to come back early put me not in the best mood all day,” Vegas said. “It felt like three hours, but I probably got a little bit more than that. I got some sleep but it wasn’t the best.”
American Jordan Spieth, needing a win the complete a career Grand Slam, missed the cut on 144.
Japan’s Hideki Matsuyama, whose 19 made major cuts were the longest active streak, and two-time major winner Justin Thomas were out on 145.


Jhonattan Vegas grabs surprise lead at PGA Championship

Updated 16 May 2025
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Jhonattan Vegas grabs surprise lead at PGA Championship

  • The 40-year-old Vegas has won four times on the PGA Tour
  • World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler shot 2-under 69

CHARLOTTE: Venezuela’s Jhonattan Vegas surged into the lead late in the first round of the PGA Championship, shooting a 7-under-par 64 on Thursday at Quail Hollow Club.
Vegas, who started on No. 10, posted birdies on five of his final six holes. He capped it with a 27-foot putt on his last hole.
Cameron Davis of Australia and newcomer Ryan Gerard are two shots back.
The 40-year-old Vegas has won four times on the PGA Tour, including last July in the 3M Open. But he has missed cuts in nine of his last 13 majors.
Davis, who tied for fourth in the 2023 PGA Championship before missing the cut in last year’s tournament, racked up seven birdies. He held the lead until a bogey on his last hole.
Gerard, a Raleigh native who played collegiately for North Carolina, is appearing in a PGA Championship for the first time. He led by three strokes after an eagle on No. 15 before making consecutive bogeys to end his round in the early afternoon.
European Ryder Cup captain Luke Donald of England shot 4-under 67 and was a co-leader in the clubhouse for a stretch during the afternoon. Donald completed his bogey-free round before Alex Smalley, New Zealand’s Ryan Fox, Germany’s Stephan Jaeger and England’s Aaron Rai joined him with 67s.
Jaeger navigated the course with six birdies and two bogeys, including on the final hole that cost him the solo lead.
World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler shot 2-under 69, while defending champion Xander Schauffele finished at 1-over 72 and Northern Ireland’s Rory McIlroy, the recent Masters champion and four-time winner of the PGA Tour stop at Quail Hollow, recorded 3-over 74.
Scheffler started on the back nine and notched an eagle on No. 15. But on the next hole, the trio of Scheffler, Schauffele and McIlroy all took double-bogey 6s.
Scheffler finished with birdies on two of his last three holes.
Smalley, who lives about 90 minutes away in Greensboro and has additional in-state ties as a former Duke golfer, was added to the field Wednesday when Sahith Theegala withdrew because of a neck injury.
US Ryder Cup captain Keegan Bradley is among a cluster of golfers at 3 under.
J.T. Poston, also North Carolinian, finished at 3 under after a bogey on the final hole. Michael Thorbjornsen, Englishmen Matt Fitzpatrick and Tyrrell Hatton, Colombia’s Nico Echavarria, Japan’s Ryo Hizatsune, Denmark’s Rasmus Hojgaard, Sweden’s Alex Noren, Scotland’s Robert MacIntire and Puerto Rico’s Rafael Campos also completed rounds at 3 under.
With Donald and Bradley holding top-10 positions, it’s just the second time that two current Ryder Cup captains have ended a round in a major within the top 10 during a Ryder Cup year. It also happened in 1937.


Jordan Spieth’s chance at the career Grand Slam likely ends early with opening-round 76 at the PGA

Updated 16 May 2025
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Jordan Spieth’s chance at the career Grand Slam likely ends early with opening-round 76 at the PGA

  • The 31-year-old Spieth struggled in every facet of the game at demanding Quail Hollow

CHARLOTTE, N.C.: Jordan Spieth came to Quail Hollow hoping to follow in Rory McIlroy’s footsteps and complete the career Grand Slam.
After Thursday’s opening round of the PGA Championship, he’d probably be happy just to make the cut.
The 31-year-old Spieth struggled in every facet of the game at demanding Quail Hollow — off the tee, with his approach shots, his chips and even his putting — and shot a 5-over 76, leaving him 12 shots behind leader Jhonattan Vegas and all but ending his hopes this year of capturing the one major that has eluded him since he turned pro 13 years ago.
Spieth could never find his swing and repeatedly misjudged distances to the flag, leaving him scrambling for par all afternoon.
He managed to hold it together early and was even par through eight holes.
Then the wheels came off.
He bogeyed six of of the final 10 holes — chunking a chip from the rough on No. 11 and failed to get up and down for par on No. 18 from the rough, missing a 12-footer to save par. Spieth walked briskly toward the practice range after signing his card and did not take questions.
Playing partner Ludvig Aberg could understand the frustration, but believes Spieth will bounce back.
“Listen, Jordan is an unbelievable player and person,” Aberg said. “I was telling my caddie today that he’s one of the best, nicest guys in the world. I wouldn’t be surprised if gets  someday. But I’m a big Jordan Spieth fan and I will be for a long time.”
It probably won’t be this year.
MGM Sportsbook now lists him at 1000-1 to win.
Spieth became the darling of golf at age 21 when he won the Masters and US Open in 2015. He captured the British Open two years later, bringing him to the doorstep of one of golf’s elite clubs.
But like McIlroy’s struggles to win the Masters until last month, Spieth hasn’t been able to capture the PGA.
He’s had a couple of chances.
He finished second in 2015 and tied for third in 2019. But over the past five years he has been in the middle of the pack — four times finishing between 29th and 43rd. Now he’s in danger of missing the cut for the first time since 2014.


Bryson DeChambeau: A little luck, a lot of skill needed to pull out major wins

Updated 14 May 2025
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Bryson DeChambeau: A little luck, a lot of skill needed to pull out major wins

  • Only McIlroy and Scottie Scheffler have shorter odds than DeChambeau at most major sportsbooks to win the PGA Championship this week at Quail Hollow
  • DeChambeau: I feel like I’ve always had the capacity to play well in major championships and contend consistently

CHARLOTTE, North Carolina: Phil Mickelson and Brooks Koepka are the LIV Golf members who’ve had the most major success in their careers, with six and five titles, respectively. But these days, the best bet from that league to win a major is Bryson DeChambeau.

DeChambeau returned to the winner’s circle and captured his second US Open last year when he outlasted Rory McIlroy down the stretch. Besides that, he’s been in contention more consistently than ever, with a tie for fifth at the Masters last month and a runner-up finish to Xander Schauffele at the 2024 PGA Championship.

Only McIlroy and Scottie Scheffler have shorter odds than DeChambeau at most major sportsbooks to win the PGA Championship this week at Quail Hollow.

“This is exciting times,” DeChambeau told reporters Tuesday. “I’m playing some good golf. Hopefully that continues this week. Figured a couple things out with my golf swing. Putting really well. Love the golf course this week.”

The 31-year-old has finished in the top six at four of the past five majors, the lone exception coming at the Open Championship last July.

“I feel like I’ve always had the capacity to play well in major championships and contend consistently,” DeChambeau said. “A lot of things have to go right in majors for you to play well. Your whole game has to be on.”

At Valhalla Golf Club in 2024, DeChambeau went toe to toe with Schauffele and posted a 64 on Sunday to get to 20 under. However, Schauffele did him one better with a birdie at the par-5 18th to win the major.

“A little bit of luck and one or two shots going your way, you making a putt from 7, 8 feet,” DeChambeau said. “There’s going to be numerous players that are playing well this week that are going to have a chance. ... A little bit of fortune but also paired with a lot of skill over 72 holes of golf.

“You have to combine all that together to have a chance to win. That’s what Xander did so well last year. I didn’t get the job done because of one or two shots. Just is what it is.”

DeChambeau, who has slimmed down since chasing longer drives by adding muscle mass in 2020 and 2021, also has a better handle on the mental side of the game these days.

Amid his victories and his close calls, he said he has worked on how he reacts to pressure to “set that back to straight and square” for next time.

“All those emotions that I have and all the misses that I have and all the things that I’m thinking about, I layer it on over the course of time,” he explained. “‘Is this gone or is it still there? How do I fix it if it’s not fixed?’ Then if it’s fixed, let’s move on to the next thing I need to tackle.”

DeChambeau was in the final group with McIlroy on Sunday at the Masters and grabbed the lead away from him after two holes. But DeChambeau faded in a final-round 75, and the Northern Irishman rallied to win his fifth major and complete the career Grand Slam.

Earlier this month, DeChambeau picked up his third individual LIV Golf win in South Korea by going 65-66-66, including a back-nine 30 on Sunday to emerge from the pack.

“It was very important for me to get the job done, and finishing off shooting 30 on the back nine gave me some confidence to know I can get it done under pressure,” DeChambeau said. “Struggling on the front nine was not the right way for me to feel going into that last round, but that back nine kind of shored things up for me and kept me pretty comfortable. Very positive.”