World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler hung on to win the Players Championship by a single stroke over Xander Schauffele, Wyndham Clark, and Brian Harman on Sunday.
Scheffler pulled off the biggest final-round comeback in Players history after trailing by five following Round 3, and he became the first to win the tournament in consecutive years.
“It’s tough enough to win one Players,” Scheffler said after the victory, according to The Associated Press. “So to have it back-to-back is extremely special.”
Clark had a chance to force a playoff on the 72nd hole, but his birdie putt lipped out.
One ... shot ... short ... 💔
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) March 17, 2024
Heartbreak for Wyndham Clark on the 72nd hole @THEPLAYERS. pic.twitter.com/6d1Qa3elOa
“I don’t know how that putt doesn’t go in,” Clark said following the round. “Even when it kind of lipped, I thought it would lip in. I’m pretty gutted it didn’t go in.”
Scheffler also tied the tournament record for the lowest round score by a winner with a 64.
| Place | Player | Round 4 score | Total to par |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Scottie Scheffler | 64 | -20 |
| T2 | Brian Harman | 68 | -19 |
| T2 | Xander Schauffele | 70 | -19 |
| T2 | Wyndham Clark | 69 | -19 |
| 5 | Matt Fitzpattrick | 69 | -16 |
| T6 | Si Woo Kim | 64 | -15 |
| T6 | Hideki Matsuyama | 67 | -15 |
| 8 | Ludvig Aberg | 67 | -14 |
| T9 | Sahith Theegala | 71 | -13 |
| T9 | Maverick McNealy | 72 | -13 |
| T11 | Joel Dahmen | 68 | -12 |
| T11 | Taylor Montgomery | 70 | -12 |
| T13 | Corey Conners | 68 | -11 |
| T13 | Christian Bezuidenhout | 70 | -11 |
| T13 | Nate Lashley | 72 | -11 |
Scheffler came into the event sitting in top spot both in the World Golf Ranking and the FedEx Cup standings. He's the second FedEx Cup leader to win the Players, and the first since Tiger Woods in 2013.
The 27-year-old became the fourth World No. 1 to win the tournament, and the first since Jason Day in 2016.
Scheffler is also the first player to win on TOUR and then defend a title the following week since Woods did so in 2007 when he prevailed in the PGA Championship and then the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational. Scheffler claimed last week's Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill.
The 2022 Masters champion also tied Jon Rahm for the most wins since joining the TOUR at the start of the 2019-20 season.
