McKINNEY, Texas — Scottie Scheffler cradled his year-old son Bennett — the rationale he missed his beloved hometown CJ Cup Byron Nelson in 2024 — and struggled to maintain his feelings in test for a TV interview, simply as he did a couple of minutes later in the course of the victory speech.
The highest-ranked participant had time to organize for the second due to the large lead he took into Sunday’s ultimate spherical, and he even added slightly drama by chasing the PGA Tour’s 72-hole scoring file.
Scheffler matched that mark of 253 set by Justin Thomas on the 2017 Sony Open and equaled six years later by Ludvig Aberg on the RSM Traditional, closing with a 63 to complete at 31-under par.
The runaway victory got here 11 years after his PGA Tour debut on the Nelson as a highschool senior, and 22 years after a photograph was taken of then-6-year-old Scheffler with the match namesake.
Scheffler couldn’t assist however take into consideration that day in 2014, when his now-wife, Meredith, was his girlfriend — not but the mom of their first baby — and sister Callie, now a mom of two, was his caddie.
“My family was all able to be here, and it was just really, really special memories, and I think at times it all comes crashing down to me at once,” Scheffler stated. “We have a lot of great memories as kids coming to watch this tournament. I just dreamed to be able to play in it, and it’s more of a dream to be able to win it.”
Scheffler was in place to interrupt the tour scoring file earlier than a flubbed chip that led to bogey on the par-3 seventeenth gap and a par from a greenside bunker on the par-5 closing gap. His 8-foot putt for birdie and the file slid by the left facet of the opening.
Hideki Matsuyama has the bottom rating in relation to par this season, 35 underneath on the par-73 Plantation Course at Kapalua.
Scheffler tied the 54-hole Nelson file with an eight-shot lead, and no person acquired nearer than six in the course of the ultimate spherical. Erik van Rooyen of South Africa matched Scheffler’s 8-under 63 to complete at 23 underneath, three pictures forward of Sam Stevens and 4 forward of one other hometown favourite, Jordan Spieth.
“We spoke last night, and I told you it was going to be a steep mountain to climb, and it was,” van Rooyen stated. “Scottie was practically flawless, which is kind of what you expect from the world No. 1. Really proud with the golf I played.”
Scheffler and Spieth completed with the 2 lowest rounds of the match. Scheffler opened with a 10-under 61 on Thursday on the defenseless par-71 TPC Craig Ranch in a suburban neighborhood about 30 miles north of Dallas.
Spieth shot 62 within the ultimate spherical, understanding his good friend and fellow Texas alum was about to turn into the primary of the pair to win the occasion they each cherish.
Spieth was the primary to make his tour debut on the Nelson, 4 years earlier than Scheffler. On prime of that, Spieth contended as a 16-year-old in 2010, main many to imagine that absolutely he would have gained it by now.
Scheffler stole these bragging rights.
“I think I’ll take it easy on him,” Scheffler stated with a chuckle.
Spieth performed with Scheffler the primary two days and was 12 pictures behind him going into the weekend, so he understands how issues have modified. They began the match with 13 PGA Tour wins apiece. Now Spieth trails for the primary time.
“It wasn’t that long ago I was definitely better than him, and now I’m definitely not right now,” stated Spieth, a three-time main champion. “I hate admitting that about anybody, but I just watched it those first two rounds, and, like, I’ve got to get better. It’s very inspiring.”
It was the primary victory this yr for Scheffler after he gained a complete of 10 instances earlier than Might within the earlier three years mixed, together with two Masters victories.
Scheffler’s earlier greatest Nelson end was a tie for fifth in his most up-to-date look two years in the past. Now he’s the primary wire-to-wire Nelson winner since Tom Watson 45 years in the past.
“I’m not jealous of him winning this event over any other,” Spieth stated. “I’m jealous of anyone that wins any week. When Scottie wins, I’m happy. It doesn’t matter where it is. If I’m not going to win, I like when he wins.”
Scheffler shattered the earlier Nelson scoring file of 259 set by Steven Bowditch in 2015. That match was performed on the TPC 4 Seasons. Usually a par 70, that course had a par-69 format the ultimate three days when heavy rain compelled officers to transform a par 4 right into a par 3. Bowditch completed 18 underneath.
The margin of victory was the second-largest on the Nelson behind Sam Snead’s 10-shot win in 1957, when it was often called the Dallas Open Invitational.
“This is a golf course where you can kind of make a run, and I knew that I couldn’t just coast to the finish line today,” Scheffler stated. “I knew I had to put together a good round.”
Due to heavy rain Wednesday and Friday, gamers had been allowed to raise, clear and substitute their golf balls within the fairway for the primary three rounds, however not within the ultimate spherical. Aberg had so-called most well-liked lies in the course of the first rounds on the 2023 RSM Traditional.
