Scheffler Wins Second FedEx Cup and Passes Woods in Career Earnings
Scottie Scheffler overturned a three-shot deficit on the final day to win the Tour Championship at East Lake Golf Club, securing his second FedEx Cup title and moving past Tiger Woods as the PGA Tour's career earnings leader.
The world number one closed with a four-under 66 to finish at 16 under par, three clear of Viktor Hovland. The win was worth $10 million from a $40 million purse.
Hovland's Lead Disappears
Hovland began the final round one shot clear of the field and three ahead of Scheffler, but bogeyed the opening hole to surrender his advantage almost immediately.
Scheffler moved quickly. He hit a five-iron to within two inches of the cup at the 211-yard par-three second, then holed from 25 feet at the fourth to draw level with Hovland. He took the outright lead for the first time at the 13th and did not relinquish it.
Hovland, who struggled off the tee throughout the afternoon, signed for a two-over 72 and never broke par on the day. It was the first time in his career he had failed to convert an outright 54-hole lead. He collected $5 million for second place. Ryan Gerard finished third and earned $3.705 million after holing a testy par putt at the last.
Seven players tied for fourth, including Rory McIlroy, Min Woo Lee and Ludvig Åberg. Alex Fitzpatrick made the biggest financial move of the day, a closing 66 lifting him 12 places up the leaderboard.
Passing Woods
The $10 million cheque took Scheffler's career PGA Tour earnings to $130,390,661, moving him ahead of Woods, whose total stands at $120,999,166. Woods had held the top spot for 26 years.
Scheffler becomes only the third player to win multiple FedEx Cup titles, joining Woods and McIlroy. It was his 22nd PGA Tour victory and his third of the season.
That third win took some time to arrive. Scheffler won The American Express in January, then went 210 days without a victory, a stretch that included five runner-up finishes. He ended it with an eight-shot win at the FedEx St. Jude Championship earlier this month, meaning two of his three titles this season came in playoff events.
He also finished the year with a scoring average of 67.96, the lowest on the PGA Tour since 1983.
Player of the Year Settled
The result appears to end the debate over PGA Tour Player of the Year, which had reopened a week earlier when Wyndham Clark won the BMW Championship for his third victory of the season. McIlroy had suggested after that win that the award was back in play.
Scheffler had played the BMW Championship while dealing with hand, foot and mouth disease, finishing tied for 12th. He arrived at East Lake healthy and shot 66-66 over the weekend.
This was the second season under the Tour Championship's revised format, in which all 30 qualifiers begin at even par and the event is played as a straight 72-hole stroke-play tournament, with the lowest score taking the FedEx Cup. The field was reduced to 29 when J.J. Spaun withdrew during the opening round with a shoulder injury.
