DUBLIN, Ohio — Scottie Scheffler experienced more stress than he wanted at the Memorial on Sunday, but he still got the win everyone was hoping for.
On an incredibly tough Muirfield Village course where only six players made par, Scheffler shot a 2-over 74 in the final round, his best score in nearly two years, to edge out Collin Morikawa for his fifth win of the year.
Scheffler started the final round four strokes behind and never relinquished the lead, but he never felt at ease, especially on the back nine, where he struggled to stay within par.
It happened on the 18th hole. He was leading Morikawa by one stroke when both players hit approach shots that bounced hard and high off the green and into the rough; both were chip shots from about 5 feet. Scheffler made the putt for the win, and the force of his fist-pumping celebration told of just how tough the day had been for him, and nearly everyone else.
Making the day even more special was shaking hands with tournament organizer Jack Nicklaus and holding his 1-month-old son, Bennett, at his first PGA Tour event.
“It’s tough to close out here,” Scheffler said. “It was a fun test of golf. I like it when it’s that hard. I didn’t play particularly well today, but I played good enough.”
just in time.
Playing in the final groups of both majors this year, Morikawa made a 30-foot birdie putt on the par-3 12th hole and stayed close to Scheffler the rest of the way. Morikawa shot 71 and was the only one of the final 13 to break par.
Adam Hadwin was with them but finished with three consecutive bogeys for a final score of 74, leaving him in sole third place.
Scheffler finished at 8-under 280 to win $4 million in the signature event and the $20 million prize money, bringing his total earnings for the year to more than $24 million and breaking the PGA Tour single-season earnings record he set last year (and it’s only June) in this era of rising prize money.
He also became the first player since Tom Watson in 1980 to win five PGA Tour events before the U.S. Open.
That’s next week at Pinehurst, where Scheffler enters the U.S. Open as the overwhelming favorite to win, his 11th consecutive top 10 finish.
Morikawa won $2.2 million, giving him a comfortable lead in his quest to place fourth on the U.S. team for this summer’s Olympics in Paris.
Hadwin was one stroke behind the leader before finishing with two bogeys over the first nine holes, and stayed in contention for the lead until he made two bogeys on the final hole for a 74. Still, his third-place finish earned him the second spot as a Canadian, ahead of Olympic qualifier Corey Connors.
The players who go to Paris will be determined by their world rankings after the US Open.
Scheffler had just one birdie, a 10-foot putt on the sixth hole, and missed two birdie opportunities inside 10 feet on the back nine to give himself some breathing room.
But it was on the par-3 16th hole that he made his biggest mistake.
Scheffler and Morikawa both missed the ball about 90 feet into the very slippery green. Scheffler hit it weakly with his putter and it landed 15 feet short. Morikawa chipped it from the collar and hit a mediocre chip about 20 feet short.
Morikawa missed his par putt, and Scheffler made it to take a two-stroke lead.
But Scheffler missed his final shot on the 17th hole and then held a one-stroke lead again on a tough 18th hole, finishing with a final putt.
Up next is what is arguably golf’s toughest test, but the players felt like they had just completed it at Muirfield Village.
“You can look at this two ways,” Hadwin said, “either it’s good preparation for next week or it just costs us money going into next week.”
For Scheffler, it was another win, his 11th of his career and 12th in the world championships. Scheffler has a history of finishing strong to win by large margins or come from behind. When it was close at the start, Scheffler pulled away. This time, he nearly lost his four-stroke lead.
It was his best score since his 74 at the 2022 British Open at St. Andrews, but it will go down as another big win against a strong field. He’s now won three signature events (the other two are at Bay Hill and Hilton Head) in addition to his second green jacket at The Players Championship and the Masters.
