World No.1 Scottie Scheffler has returned to complete his final round of the RBC Heritage and resumed his dominance at Hilton Head with his fourth victory in five tournaments. Scheffler finished 19-under-par for the tournament on Monday, three clear of Sahith Theegala and four better than Wyndham Clark and Patrick Cantlay. “I talked about it at the beginning of the week; I didn’t show up here just to have some sort of ceremony and have people tell me congratulations,” Scheffler said of becoming the first player since 1985 to back up a Masters victory with a win at the RBC Heritage.
“I came here with a purpose. Got off to a slow start but after that played some really nice golf.” Scheffler owned the lead Sunday night when Tour officials paused the event due to darkness. Theegala and Cantlay were back on the course with Scheffler at 8am. “Yeah, it’s very impressive. He’s played great for a while now, a number of years, and it seems like he is playing the best golf of his life right now,” Cantlay acknowledged. Scheffler held a five-shot lead when play was suspended due to darkness on Sunday and working overtime didn’t impact his winning ways.
Scheffler is the first player since Tiger Woods in 2006 to win a PGA Tour tournament one week after winning a major. He has already tied a season-best win total of four and pushed his career victories to 10. Scheffler becomes the first to win 10 (or more) times on the PGA Tour in a three-season span since Dustin Johnson won 10 between 2015-16 and 2017-18 The win pads Scheffler’s world No 1 status and adds to an overflowing pocketbook. His total on-course winnings in the past 44 days, spanning five tournaments, is $US 16 million ($A25 million).
Scheffler credits a shift toward a constant positive mental mindset for his success -the part of golf that doesn’t get tiring. “It does not get boring. I think hitting a really well-struck golf shot close to the pin is like an addicting feeling,” Scheffler said.
“That’s what keeps everybody coming back. I love the feeling of a well-struck golf shot. I love this game. I love going out and practicing by myself. I love playing golf, gambling at home with people, just messing around. “The game of golf has been a huge part of my life now for a long time, and Lord-willing it’ll be part of my life for a long time going forward.”
Scheffler posted his 39th consecutive under-par round to begin the season but is not scheduled to play in this week’s Zurich Classic. Clark has finished second to Scheffler twice this year. He finished at 15-under for the tournament, jumping into a tie for third with a final-round 65. Jason Day ended up as leading Australian, after his final-round 66 left him at nine under, tied for 18th. Cam Davis ended up in joint-49th spot on three under.
