Owings Mills, MD. -The numbers compiled by Scottie Scheffler are comparing them to Tiger Woods. The world’s No. 1 player had a Tiger-like moment when he picked up the club on Sunday at the trophy on the line and the BMW Championship.
His 82-foot tip on the 17th – the hardest hole in the final round in the Cave Valley – landed about 60 feet shorter, rolling the rest of the way, increasing speed and losing slowing on the final turn. Birdie wrapped up another victory this year, his fifth PGA Tour title.
It reminded me of his sublime skills, a chip-in from behind the 16th green of the monument, Woods supplying magic to cover up Eagle’s chip-in at the Japan World Cup.
Schaeffler has already erased a four-shot deficit against hard racker Robert McIntyre on five holes. He was clung to the one-shot lead on the 17th. This is a difficult par 3 with the right pin on the back and water on the right.
Schaeffler was rough and safe on the left, with 12 players facing a missing shot above the green.
“I knew it would be really faster and I’ll put it there and do my best to give myself the Paa look,” he said. “When it came out, it made it clear how we wanted it and it started to break down and it started to look better.
“And yeah, it was definitely good to see it coming in.”
Schaeffler concluded with a two-shot victory with a 3-under 67, becoming the first player since Woods – once again with that name – won at least five times on the PGA Tour in 2006 and 2007 in a row.
McIntyre didn’t make birdies until the 16th hole, but remained in the game, mainly after losing his big lead when Schaeffler began to lose short putts.
Mattintyre pulled to one shot of the lead on the 17th, when Schaeffler cast his spell and had to settle for another runner-up finish, just as when JJ Span stopped a 65-foot birdie putt to keep the US open.
McIntyre was in the scoring room and praised him when he saw him spawn. He was side by side with Scheffler at the BMW Championship, staring at the incredible, but angry at his poor play, he quickly took him a big lead.
“When he pitched it at 17 and hit a perfect tee shot at 18, it’s pretty much a game just at that point. You’re playing second place at that point,” Macintyre said.
“He’s the better player of the day. I’m really upset right now,” he said. “Now I want to be honest with you and go and break my golf club.”
Macintyre made 18 birdies in the first 45 holes of the tournament, with only two in the final 27 holes. He closed at 73 and at that moment he got a very meaningless comfort prize. He fell in the top 10 for the first time in the world and went to number 8.
Schaeffler’s tip-in elicited the loudest cheers of the day. The most satisfying shot came on the 15th when his lead went down to one shot after three putts. McIntyre on the fairway reached 7 feet. Schaeffler was in a deep bunker and slammed an 8 iron into six feet.
McIntyre missed it. Schaeffler made it.
“It’s a really important shot in the tournament and I think it’s going to fly a bit under the radar,” he said.
The season is not over. Schaeffler leads 30 players who have advanced to the Tour Championship in East Lake with his chance to become his first repeat FedEx Cup champion since the series began in 2007.
All 30 Eastlake players can win a $10 million number one check. The field included Harry Hall, the only player to enter the top 30 on Sunday, but he was still nervous. Hole made a bogey on the par 5 on the 16th – the easiest hole on the course – and then went long and left on the 17th. He also took the choice for birdies and was safe on the 18th.
Ricky Fowler took the crisis to return to East Lake just to miss the green twice from the back nine fairway, winning a bogey on the 14th and a bogey on the 15th, knocking him out of the top 30.
Fowler finished with a five-foot putt – if he had missed it, Michael Kim would have been at the Tour Championships. Instead, the 30th spot went to Akshay Bhatia.
McIntyre wasted a huge opportunity too.
He showed a lot of grit playing in the final group with Schaeffler on Saturday. However, in the opening hall, Schaeffler delves into the middle of the drive and hits six feet for a birdie, but Mattinzer misses the fairway and a 6-foot putt. That was an early statement.
Macintyre missed another fairway second and made Bogey. He went from the fairway to the bunker and a short par 4 fifth to the bunker. It’s a two-shot swing when the Scots scored up and down for a par and Schaeffler made a birdie.
And Schaeffler led 6 feet in the wedge for birdie on No. 7.
It seemed to run wild at that point as Schaeffler didn’t seem to miss out on it – except when he had the opportunity to extend the lead. He missed an 8-foot birdie chance at 8 feet and 8-foot on the 10th. He lost a simple up and down on the 12th and putts three times from 18 feet on the 14th. With each chance, McIntyre continued his hunt.
And then on the 17th, one chip, a knockout punch came.
Finishing at 15 under 265, Schaeffler has won 18 career titles in the last three years and six months since his first PGA Tour title at Phoenix.