Scottie Scheffler continued to build up a head of steam for his Masters defence when he cruised to a five-shot win in The Players Championship at TPC Sawgrass to regain the world number one ranking.
Scottie Scheffler took on the scary TPC Sawgrass as if he was playing alone. And by the time he got done with a masterful performance Sunday in The Players Championship, that’s about how it looked.
Scheffler ran off five straight birdies in the middle of his round, built a six-shot lead and left all the drama to everyone else on his way to a 3-under 69 to win the richest prize on the PGA Tour by five shots.
The victory was worth $4.5 million and sent Scheffler back to No. 1 in the world for the second time this year. He now has six victories in his last 27 starts on the PGA Tour, including the four wins he had last year culminated by his Masters title.
When he poured in a 20-foot par putt on the final hole, Scheffler had the largest margin of victory in The Players since Stephen Ames won by six in 2006.
Tyrrell Hatton birdied his last five holes for a 65, finishing when Scheffler was making the turn. Viktor Hovland (68) and Tom Hoge (70) were seven shots behind in a tie for third, each making nearly $1.5 million from the $25 million purse.
Scheffler, who finished at 17-under 271, became only the third player to win at the TPC Sawgrass with all four rounds in the 60s.
Min Woo Lee of Australia, making his Players Championship debut, briefly was tied for the lead but finished with a 76.
With the Masters less than a month away here are how the odds are shaping up:
Jon Rahm +700
Rory McIlroy +800
Scottie Scheffler +1000
Cameron Smith +1200
Jordan Spieth +1500
Justin Thomas +1600
Xander Schauffele +1800
Tony Finau +2000
Will Zalatoris +2000
Collin Morikawa +2200
My Goat Sports 