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Scheffler did not drop a shot in his final 31 holes
Scottie Scheffler overcame a neck injury and five-shot deficit in the final round to become the first player to defend the Players Championship.
The world number one, who had physio during round two, hit an eight-under-par 64 to win the 50th staging of the PGA Tour’s flagship tournament.
He won by one shot on 20 under from fellow Americans Brian Harman, Xander Schauffele and Wyndham Clark.
All three missed putts to force a play-off in a phenomenal finish at Sawgrass.
Harman was first to the 18th but he pushed a 17-foot birdie putt wide as he closed with a 68.
Schauffele, who led overnight and for much of the final round, failed with his 60-footer, while Clark’s 20-footer horseshoed around the hole.
Asked what it was like to become the first player to win successive Players titles, Scheffler said: “It’s pretty special.
“It’s something you don’t get the opportunity to do very often. It’s tough enough to win one.”
As much as the trio squandered their opportunities, Scheffler earned his historic victory with a simply stunning final round.
He had eradicated Schauffele’s lead by the ninth hole. A chip-in eagle two on the par-four fourth sparked the comeback and he followed that with three birdies in five holes to join Schauffele on 17 under.
But moments later Schauffele knocked in a birdie on seven to move one ahead.
That set the scene for a nerve-shredding back nine with Scheffler, Schauffele and Clark taking or sharing the lead at various points.
While Scheffler posted birdies on the 11th, 12th and 16th holes, Schauffele and Clark were dropping shots.
Clark, who led by four strokes at the halfway stage of the tournament following two rounds of 67, bogeyed the 10th and 14th to drop to 17 under, while Schauffele bogeyed the 14th and 15th as he slipped to 18 under.
Meanwhile, Open champion Harman was quietly creeping up the leaderboard, with four birdies in five holes around the turn taking him to 18 under.
He rolled in another on the 15th but was unable to pick up another shot on the famously tough closing three holes.
Schauffele and Clark birdied the par-five 16th to move to 19 and 18 under respectively and played sensational tee shots to inside eight feet on the notoriously difficult par-three 17th ‘island hole’.
Schauffele missed his birdie putt. Clark holed. Both needed to birdie the last to match Scheffler. Both failed.
“When I went to bed last night, it’s not exactly how I envisioned walking off the 18th green,” said Schauffele.
“This sucks but I’ll lick my wounds and right back to it next week.”
Olivia Martin is a dedicated sports journalist based in the UK. With a passion for various athletic disciplines, she covers everything from major league championships to local sports events, delivering up-to-the-minute updates and in-depth analysis.
