Scottie Scheffler Wins Memorial, Achieves Fifth PGA Tour Title of the Year

Winning is common for Scottie Scheffler, but his victory at the Memorial on Sunday was anything but ordinary.

He had just one birdie. He finished with a 2-over 74, his best final-round result in two years, and the win was only secured when Scheffler courageously sunk a solid downhill putt from five feet to secure the break.

It went straight to the heart, winning by one stroke over Collin Morikawa and shaking hands with tournament host Jack Nicklaus. Their exchange said it all.

“You’re a survivor,” Niklaus told him.

“Thanks,” Scheffler said. “Yeah, you made this place brutal today.”

Scheffler endured more stress than he would have liked, winning his much-anticipated fifth victory of the season just one week into June, and is preparing for another tough test next week: the U.S. Open.

Muirfield Village was extremely demanding with super-firm greens and gusty winds swirling throughout the afternoon, with only six players under par and an average score just under 75.

Scheffler started with a four-stroke lead and never let it go. He never felt confident on the back nine holes, where par looked like a tall order, with Morikawa and Adam Hadwin chasing him all afternoon. He needed par on the 18th hole.

“This is a tough place to close out,” Scheffler said. “I didn`t do a whole lot great today, but I did enough.”

Scheffler was one stroke ahead of Morikawa, and both men hit approach shots that bounced hard and high off the green and landed in the rough; both chipped about five feet from the field. Scheffler sank the putt to win, and the strength of his clenched fists in celebration showed just how tough the day had been for him, and for virtually everyone else.

Making the day even more special was Nicklaus’ attendance at the memorial and his recent memory of holding his 1-month-old son, Bennett, at the newborn’s first PGA Tour event.

Scheffler thought about his missed 6-foot putt on the last hole in 2021, which eliminated any possibility of a postseason. Scheffler remembered Nicklaus telling him as he was leaving the green that one day he will hole the putt on number 18, “and I’ll be walking off to shake his hand.”

“It was pretty special thinking about that as I was walking over to shake his hand,” stated the man.

At the par-3 12th hole, Morikawa, who participated in the last group of both majors this year, made a 30-foot birdie putt and trailed Scheffler the entire way. Out of the last 13 groups, he was the only one to shoot below par with a 71.

Hadwin was closely behind them until he closed with three straight bogeys for a 74, good for third place all by himself.

Finishing at 8 under 280, Scheffler took home the $20 million purse and $4 million from this iconic event. With this, he now has almost $24 million for the year, shattering the record he established the previous year for the most earnings on the PGA Tour in this age of growing payouts.

He’s the first player since Justin Thomas in 2016–17 (also five) to have five wins in a season overall. In addition, he made history by being the first player to win five times on the PGA Tour prior to the U.S. Open since Tom Watson in 1980.

It’s Pinehurst No. 2 next week, and Scheffler will be the heavy favorite. It’s his 11th consecutive top 10.

Morikawa will pocket $2.2 million and has a big lead in his quest to secure fourth place on the U.S. team for this summer’s Paris Olympics.

Hadwin was one stroke behind the leader after two bogeys over the first nine holes. He stayed in contention until he closed with a two-bogey 74. Nevertheless, his third place is ahead of Corey Connors, who holds the Olympic runner-up for Canada.

World rankings after the U.S. Open will determine who goes to Paris.

Scheffler’s only birdie was a 10-foot putt on the sixth hole, and he missed two birdie opportunities within 10 feet on the back nine that could have given him the lead.

But it was on the par-3 16th hole that he hit his biggest hit.

Scheffler and Morikawa were both about 90 feet from the super smooth green. Scheffler putted but hit it weakly, missing it by 15 feet. Morikawa chipped from the collar, but also hit a mediocre chip, missing it by about 20 feet.

Morikawa missed his par putt, and Scheffler sank it to pull two strokes behind.

But Scheffler missed his final shot on the 17th hole, then played a difficult 18th hole to get back to one stroke behind, making his final putt to finish.

Up next was golf’s toughest test, and the players felt like they had just finished it at Muirfield Village.

“You could look at it one of two ways,” Hadwin said. “Either it`s good prep for next week or we just got our butts kicked before going into next week.”

This is Scheffler’s 11th career victory on the tour and his 12th worldwide. He has come from behind or won large thanks to a powerful finish. When things were tight at first, he withdrew. He almost lost a 4-shot lead this time.

His best closing round since a 74 at St. Andrews during the 2022 British Open was that one. However, the book records it as yet another significant victory over the most formidable grounds. Along with the Players Championship and his second green jacket at the Masters, he has now won three signature events (the others being Bay Hill and Hilton Head).

The only players to win the Memorial, Players, and Masters in the same year are Scheffler and Tiger Woods.