Scottie Scheffler creates history as first back-to-back winner in The Players

American ties lowest closing round at TPC Sawgrass with 64 that included only 25 putts

Scottie Scheffler celebrates with the trophy after winning The Players Championship for the second year running at TPC Sawgrass. Picture: Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images.

What a storyline for the 50th anniversary of The Players Championship and how appropriate that it was delivered by the undisputed best player in the world at the moment.

Step forward Scottie Scheffler, who created history by becoming the first player to successfully defend the title in the PGA Tour’s flagship event at TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra Beach.

And, boy, did he do it in style. A closing 64, which included only 25 putts and tied the lowest last round by a winner here, gave Scheffler a 20-under-par total on the Pete Dye-designed Stadium Course at the Florida venue.

Open champion Brian Harman, US Open champion Wyndham Clark and Olympic champion Xander Schauffele all had chances to match Scheffler’s clubhouse target and force a three-hole play-off.

Harman missed on the left with his birdie putt from the front of the green at the last. Schauffele, the overnight leader, was unable to convert a great birdie chance at the 17th to move level with Scheffler before leaving himself too far away to make a 3 at the last.

That meant it came down to Clark and, boy, did he give it a go. He birdied both the 16th and 17th before finding himself faced with almost the identical putt as Harman at the last. He thought it was in. Everyone did. But, agonisingly, it horse-shoed out.

The trio were left to share second place, with Englishman Matt Fitzpatrick three shots further back after finishing with birdies on the spin, but it was Scheffler who was in the spotlight once again as he went bogey-free for the last 31 holes to land an eighth PGA Tour title triumph.

“Yeah, it's pretty special,” said the 27-year-old of re-writing the record books. “That's something you never really get the opportunity to do very often. It's tough enough to win one Players, so to have it back-to-back is extremely special, and yeah, really thankful.”

This win was achieved after he’d required treatment during Friday’s second round for a neck issue. “I'm a pretty competitive guy, and I didn't want to give up in the tournament,” he said “I did what I could to hang around until my neck got better. Today it felt really good.”

Clark admitted he couldn’t believe his putt on the 18th green hadn’t dropped. “I don't know how that putt doesn't go in,” he said. “It was kind of right centre with like a foot to go and I knew it was going to keep breaking. But it had speed and I thought it was going to good inside left and, even when it kind of lipped, I thought it would lip in. I'm pretty gutted it didn't go in.”

Schauffele couldn’t hide his disappointment. “These suck,” admitted the 2022 Genesis Scottish Open champion. “When I went to bed last night, it's not exactly how I envisioned walking off the 18th green. I'll lick my wounds and right back to it next week.”