NASSAU, Bahamas — Scottie Scheffler is back from a two-month hiatus and nothing has changed. He won the Hero World Challenge on Sunday with a 9-under 63 to tie the tournament record at Albany Golf Club and win by six shots.
Scheffler, the first player since Tiger Woods in 2009 to spend an entire calendar year at No. 1 in the world, won his ninth in 21 starts, a tally that includes a second Masters title, an Olympic gold medal and a FedEx Cup. .
He started the final round one shot behind Justin Thomas, took the lead on the par-5 third hole, and stayed ahead with a 50-foot birdie putt on No. 4 and never looked back.
Tom Kim tried to stay close until he missed a 19-inch par putt on the 5th 11th. He carded a final-hole 68 and was running for second when Thomas, whose hopes ended with a bogey on the 18th, drove into the water on the 18th for another bogey. He shot 71 and finished third.
Scheffler finished at 25-under 263 to tie the Albany tournament record first set by Bubba Watson in 2015, and his six-shot victory was the biggest in the nine years Tiger Woods’ holiday tournament has been held in the Bahamas.
Jordan Spieth holds the tournament records for 72-hole score (262) and margin (ten shots) held in one year at Isleworth in 2014.
“It’s very satisfying,” Scheffler said. “I did a lot of good things today on the course. It’s nice to take a break and come back and continue to play some really solid golf.”
Already the best in golf, Scheffler has brought a new “claw” to the Hero World Challenge in an effort to become even better. He used grip on putts from about 15 feet and inside, and finished the week in third place in scoring against a 20-man field.
“He’s not doing anything wrong,” tournament announcer Woods said on NBC during the final round.
What reminded Woods about his great run — and there was a lot of it for Woods — was how few mistakes Scheffler made in the round or the tournament. Albany was another example. He made only two bogeys over 72 holes.
Thomas, whose last win was the 2022 PGA Championship at Southern Hills, started well enough. He also dropped two early shots on the par 3s and twice chipped in, one of which on the par-5 ninth prevented him from making birdie in an effort to match Scheffler.
Scheffler had a three-hole lead with three holes to play when he made a rare mistake off the tee, finding a sandy spot to the right of the fairway. He made clean contact in the sand to 12 feet for birdie, while Thomas went long and over the green, resulting in a bogey.
Scheffler is yet to join Rory McIlroy in a made-for-TV match at Shadow Creek in Las Vegas on Dec. 17 to face LIV Golf stars Bryson DeChambeau and Brooks Koepka.
Scheffler received $1 million for winning an illegal tournament. That was his smallest annual payout for a win outside the Olympics — the US Olympic and Paralympic Committee paid gold medalists $37,500.
He joined Viktor Hovland as the only back-to-back finishers at Albany. Woods won consecutively, and a total of five times, when the tournament was held at Sherwood Country Club.
Kim lives in Dallas and used to play with Scheffler all the time before Scheffler’s wife gave birth to their first child.
“I think the biggest thing I see is that he’s always trying to get better,” Kim said. “Despite winning nine times this year, he always finds little ways and I think it’s really nice to see and you can take a lot from that.”
Over the past 40 years, Scheffler’s 43% worldwide win rate is third behind Woods in 2006 (nine wins in 19 starts) and Woods in 2002 (10 wins in 22 starts ).
What’s next?
“Continue to get things right in the offseason and get ready for next season,” said Scheffler.
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