Scottie Scheffler became the first golfer to earn more than £50 million in a single season with his victory at the Tour Championship in Atlanta on Sunday.
The world number one suffered a blow that would make a weekend hacker blush. But after regaining his matchless composure and securing an easy win that earned him a record first prize of £19 million, the rewards would surely have made an investment banker blush.
Scheffler need not suffer as the 28-year-old enjoyed an incredible season that saw him top the rankings eight times, including at the Masters and the Olympics.
The Texan did indeed top the scoring charts again at the FedEx Cup climax, but that was only because the PGA Tour insisted on running the campaign finale. Scheffler himself called the format “dumb” before the dollar party began.
He started the first round of the East Lake tournament on 10 under and finished on 30 under. That was good enough for a notional four-stroke victory over fellow American Collin Morikawa. Except that the supposed runner-up started on four under, so needed the fewest strokes of the week. But you also have to consider that Sahith Theegala in third place swung his clubs even less often, but on Saturday took a two-stroke penalty that no one would have noticed. That ultimately cost him almost £2 million.
Who ever said golf was easy? And right now, amid negotiations between the PGA Tour and the Saudi Public Investment Fund that finances LIV, the elite end of professional male sport is ridiculous and completely disconnected from the real world.
‘I’ve lived almost a lifetime in this one year’
That’s not to say that Scheffler doesn’t deserve all the praise he receives. If the field had all started on an even keel, and not been subjected to the Tour’s almost laughable attempts to engineer a thrilling finish, Scheffler likely would have found the means to triumph anyway.
He showed his ability to overcome nerves when he made back-to-back bogeys on the front nine in this final round, including the shank of the bunker on the eighth. It didn’t matter, he simply birdied the next three in a row and the competition was back on when he cruised to a 67.
“I feel like I’ve lived almost a lifetime in this one year,” Scheffler said, no doubt thinking not only about his golf game but also about becoming a father in May and a few weeks later facing charges (later dropped) for assaulting a police officer on his way to the second round of the US PGA.
“It’s been crazy. I’m just proud of the work we’ve put in. It’s hard to put into words what this year has been like for me. It’s been pretty emotional. It’s been a bit of a wild year.”
Rory McIlroy hasn’t exactly had a quiet 2024 himself, but the world No.3 had to settle for a tie for ninth on 16-under — having started on four-under — which earned him £1.5 million. He will compete in the Irish Open next week, followed by the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth before appearing at the Dunhill Links in Fife early next month.
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