Atlanta, Ga – World No.1 Scottie Scheffler made five birdies and an eagle at the newly renovated East Lake Golf Club on Sunday, firing a final round 4-under 67 to capture victory by four strokes over Colin Morikawa to win the FedEx Cup – there by eliminating any chance Xander Schauffle had of grabbing the Player of the Year honor. Scheffler’s 7 wins in 2024 (and an Olympic Gold in Paris) is the finest season since Tiger Woods ’07 season. Scheffler finished at 30 under par (20 under par actual score) at the conclusion of play using the tour’s staggered scoring format.
It was Schefflers putting this season that put him over the top after only two wins the previous season. “I made a lot of putts this year when I really needed to,” he said. “I think of the putt to win Memorial, I think of some of the putts I made over the week at the Players and the putts I made on the back nine Sunday at the Olympics. I made some putts this year when I really needed to, and that’s why I’m sitting here with a lot of wins instead of a few.”
Scheffler entered the week in the pole position for the third consecutive year for the Fedex Cup finale, two strokes in front of Xander Schauffele. He held five-stroke lead heading into the final round after rounds of 65-66-66, but after birdie at No. 2 his lead ballooned to seven strokes. It was then that the only real drama of the event took place, the Texan began to leak oil, making three bogeys in a four-hole stretch beginning at the fifth and concluding with a shank out of a greenside bunker on the drivable par 4 eighth. But, as he so often does . . . the game’s best player bounced back with a flurry of great shots, starting with striped a 4 iron on the the 233 ninth to within 5 feet, from there he never looked back.
Veteran Adam Scott (who is the only player in the field to have played in every Fedex Cup Playoffs had some serious praise for what he witnessed this season, “I think it is on par with those great years of Tiger’s. I think it’s very hard today for anyone to separate themselves as much as Scottie has. I don’t think we’ve seen that in a long time. I think it’s harder to do it today”.
Sahith Theegala overcame a rules infraction (that he called on himself) from a bunker earlier in the week to finish solo third at 24 under par.
