Schaeffler's 2nd Win "5.9 Billion Jackpot"... "Now I'm Number 1"

‘The 5th Major’ The Players Championship Victory

Scottie Scheffler (USA) has risen to world No. 1.

On the 13th (Korean time), Scheffler finished the final round of the PGA Tour’s “fifth major,” The Players Championship (total prize money $25 million), held at TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida (par 72, 7,256 yards), with a 3-under-par round to secure a dominant 5-stroke victory (17-under 271). This marks his second win of the season and sixth career victory, just one month after winning the WM Phoenix Open last month. The winner’s prize money is $4.5 million (approximately 5.95 billion KRW). Scheffler, who was world No. 2, reclaimed the No. 1 spot. World No. 1 Jon Rahm (Spain) withdrew from the tournament, and No. 3 Rory McIlroy (Northern Ireland) missed the cut.

Scottie Scheffler cheers after making a chip-in birdie on the 8th hole of the final day at The Players Championship, known as the "fifth major."
[Ponte Vedra Beach, USA=AFP·Yonhap News]

Scheffler started with a 2-stroke lead and recorded five birdies and two bogeys. Although he began shakily with a bogey on the 3rd hole (par 3), he pulled away from his competitors with five consecutive birdies from holes 8 to 12. He made a bogey on the 14th hole (par 4), but it did not affect his victory. His long drives averaged 308 yards, and his greens in regulation rate was an impressive 72.22%.

Scheffler progressed through the Korn Ferry Tour (the second-tier tour) in 2019 and entered the PGA Tour in 2020, immediately earning Rookie of the Year honors. After his first win at the WM Phoenix Open in February 2022, he swept four titles in one year, including the Arnold Palmer Invitational and the Dell Technologies Match Play in March, and the Masters in April. At that time, he also rose to world No. 1 and grew into a leading figure on the PGA Tour. This year, he successfully defended his WM Phoenix Open title, once again standing at the top.

Tyrrell Hatton (England) surged with a 7-under-par round to jump to second place (12-under 276). Viktor Hovland (Norway) and Tom Hoge (USA) tied for third place (10-under 278). Minwoo Lee (Australia), the younger brother of LPGA member Minjee Lee, lost 4 strokes and dropped from second place to a tie for sixth (8-under 280).

From Korea, Sungjae Im recorded six birdies, four bogeys, and one double bogey, finishing tied for sixth. Siwoo Kim, the 2017 champion of this tournament, exchanged four birdies for four bogeys and finished tied for 27th (5-under 283). Byeonghun An finished tied for 35th (4-under 284), and Juhyung Kim tied for 51st (2-under 286).