Scheffler romps to Players Championship win, reclaims top ranking
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[March 13, 2023]
(Reuters) -Scottie Scheffler ran away with the Players
Championship title on Sunday and along with it took the number one
world ranking and the PGA Tour's richest purse of $4.5 million.
It was another clinical effort from the unflappable American, who
carded a final round three-under 69 on a gusty afternoon in Ponte
Vedra Beach, Florida for a commanding five-shot win over Briton
Tyrrell Hatton, who closed with a 65.
A winning total of a 17-under 271 brought Scheffler his sixth career
title and second in his last four starts as the Masters champion
signaled he is well prepared for next month's Green Jacket defence.
Scheffler becomes just the third player, along with Jack Nicklaus
and Tiger Woods, to hold both the Masters and Players Championship
titles at the same time.
"This tournament feels like a major championship to me and this
morning was tough," said Scheffler. "I knew the conditions were
going to get really hard late.
"I did a really good job of staying patient, not trying to force
things, and then I got hot kind of in the middle of the round and
tried to put things away as quickly as I could."
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Scheffler, who needed to finish in a tie for fifth or better to
reclaim the number one spot from Jon Rahm, started the day two clear
at the top of the leaderboard and got his round off to a slow start
by going one-over through seven.
But the 26-year-old stepped on the gas through the turn by carding
five consecutive birdies from the eighth to pull away from the
field, opening up a six-shot advantage on Hatton, who was bidding to
become the first Englishman to win golf's unofficial fifth major.
Scheffler took his second bogey of the day at the 14th but steered
clear of trouble the rest of the way home, including at the TPC
Sawgrass's infamous par-three 17th island green.
HATTON RALLIES
Like Scheffler, Hatton could not get much going on his first nine
and reached the turn at even par.
But the Englishman caught fire after that and carded seven birdies,
including five straight, to bring his round to a spectacular end.
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![](../images/031323PIX/sports31.jpg)
Mar 11, 2023; Ponte Vedra Beach,
Florida, USA; Scottie Scheffler putts on the 7th green during the
third round of THE PLAYERS Championship golf tournament. Mandatory
Credit: David Yeazell-USA TODAY Sports
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"Considering where I was at the start of the back
nine, I was probably tied 34th or something like that, so if you had
said that you would finish second in the tournament or tied second
and you don't have to play the back nine, I think you would take
that," said Hatton.
Norway's Viktor Hovland (68) and American Tom Hoge (70), who carded
the Players Championship record low round of 10-under 62 on
Saturday, finished in a tie for third, seven shots behind at
10-under 278.
Min Woo Lee, two back of Scheffler overnight, immediately went to
work rolling in a five-footer for birdie at the first to cut the
American's advantage to one.
Scheffler's first bogey at the third moved Lee into a share of the
lead but the Australian's stay at the top would be brief. He crashed
down the leaderboard after taking a triple bogey seven at the par
four fourth.
Lee's troubles began off the tee when he punched out of the rough to
set up what looked a routine third shot into the green.
But the ball span back into the water, leaving Lee to walk off with
seven and hand Scheffler a three-shot lead.
Lee was in big trouble again at the 11th, taking a double bogey on
the way to a four-over 76, finishing nine off the lead.
"To make a seven there, it was pretty gut wrenching after I started
really well," said Lee. "But Scottie played really well and it was
just a battle from then."
(Reporting by Steve Keating in Toronto; Editing by Ken Ferris and
Kenneth Maxwell)
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