For Scotty Scheffler (27, USA), Scottsdale has become the ‘promised land’. He once again reached the top in the Golf Liberation Zone, where he relieved the pain of his first victory on the PGA Tour, and took all of the championship prize money of 3.6 million dollars (approximately 4.67 billion won) and the world No. 1 title.
On the 13th (Korean time), in the final 4th round of the PGA Tour WM Phoenix Open held at TPC Scottsdale (par 71) in Scottsdale, Arizona, USA, Schaeffler tied 1 eagle and 4 birdies without bogey and hit 6 under par 65. .
With a final total of 19 under par 265 strokes, Schaeffler, who defeated second place Nick Taylor (17 under par 267 strokes, Canada) by two strokes and lifted the championship cup, defended the title and earned his fifth career victory 10 months after the Masters in April last year. With this victory, he regained the world number one position he gave to Rory McIlroy (Northern Ireland) in October of last year.
Scottsdale became the promised land for Schaeffler. It was also in Scottsdale that he won his first championship after his 71st challenge, who had no toxic relationship with winning, including two runner-ups even after becoming the Rookie of the Year in the 2019-2020 season. Last year, he won the trophy after a third round of overtime at this tournament, and he created a sensation by sweeping 4 wins in 6 tournaments, including the Masters, a major tournament.
Schaeffler, who entered the final round with a sole lead by 2 strokes, reduced 3 strokes with 3 birdies in the first half only, but allowed Taylor, who caught 5 birdies to the 10th hole (par 4), to tie for the lead. It was the 13th hole (par 5) that Scheffler hit again. After hitting a tee shot 366 yards, he succeeded in making a 2-on, dropping an eagle putt from a distance of 6.4m to rise to the lead by one shot.
In the 16th hole (par 3)먹튀검증, called the ‘Colosseum’, a huge stand that can accommodate 16,000 people was built around the hole, showing off the appearance of a defending champion. The approach shot I tried right in front of the stand was a bit strong, and the distance to the pin was 4.6m, which was formidable. As a result, he was two strokes ahead of Taylor, who missed the par putt. Schaeffler, who virtually confirmed the championship by catching a birdie on the 17th hole (par 4) following the momentum, said, “I am really proud of myself today. We didn’t have the best moments, but we played a great game.” The Phoenix Open is a ‘fan’s major’ that attracts 600,000 to 700,000 spectators every year. Schaeffler once again confirmed that he is a ‘stage constitution’ by succeeding in two consecutive victories with clutch putts in the loudest hole in a golf tournament with the largest crowds.
Can Schaeffler, inspired by Scottsdale, repeat the run without brakes he showed last year? Schaeffler will challenge to win two consecutive championships and a sixth championship in his career at the Genesis Invitational (total prize money of 20 million dollars) to be held at Riviera CC (par 71) in Pacific Palisades, California, from the 16th. Interest is also focused on meeting Tiger Woods (USA), the ‘golf emperor’ who is returning to the tour stage after 7 months.
Taylor, who reduced one stroke with a birdie on the 18th hole (par 4), had to be satisfied with second place alone even after playing a good game of 6 under par. Yon Rahm (Spain), who started in a tie for second place with Taylor by two strokes, finished the tournament in third place with a 14-under par, only reducing three strokes. McIlroy stayed tied for 32nd at 4-under par, giving up the world number one spot to Schaeffler.
Lim Seong-jae (25) hit 2 under par with 4 birdies and 2 bogeys, and tied for 6th place with Jordan Spieth (USA) and others with a final total of 11 under par. Although it did not raise the ranking from the previous day, it recorded the third top 10 on the PGA Tour in the 2022-2023 season following the Shriners Children’s Open (7th) last October and the Farmers Insurance Open (tied 4th) last month.