What a comeback on Sunday: World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler coolly overtook Viktor Hovland and clinched the PGA Tour Championship for the second time in history.
The four-time major winner, who had already won the season-ending Tour Championship in 2024, carded a round of 66, four under par. This put him at a formidable 16 under par at the end, securing an impressive three-shot lead at East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta.
He entered the final day three shots behind, after Saturday hadn't quite delivered the desired scores. But Scheffler relentlessly chipped away at Hovland's lead, then truly turned it on over the final holes, not only snatching the hefty $10 million check but also the 22nd title of his PGA Tour career.
"Today was one of those days where I was fortunate to get off to a good start in the morning and then sink a few birdies to seal the deal," Scheffler later summarized. "To keep fighting, day in and day out, that makes me proud. And to come from behind and win tournaments – that's just a really good feeling!"
For Hovland, who had actually been eyeing his second Tour Championship victory after his 2023 triumph, hopes melted away. His final round was a 72, two over par, and he finished at 13 under par.
Scheffler had launched his attack early in the day. On the par-3 2nd hole, he carded a brilliant birdie when his tee shot landed just an inch from the hole – a simple tap-in, more show than skill, but the starting gun had fired. Another birdie followed on the fourth hole when he coolly sank a 23-foot putt. A slight misstep on the seventh hole resulted in a bogey on his scorecard, but Scheffler immediately corrected this mistake with his third birdie of the day on the eighth hole. He was on a roll!
Birdies on the 10th and 13th propelled him to four under par, before a bogey on the 15th briefly halted his momentum. But he delivered the decisive blow on the 16th: a sensational second shot from the bunker landed so perfectly that he only had to sink an 11-foot birdie putt. Bam, there was the two-shot lead!
Hovland had a golden opportunity to gain a shot on the 15th, but his putt agonizingly lipped out. A gift for Scheffler, who thereby definitively took control. The Norwegian missed another birdie chance on the 16th; his putt excruciatingly curved past the hole. Two holes from the end, he was two shots back. After his third bogey of the day, the signs for Hovland were clear: a three-shot deficit made Scheffler virtually uncatchable.
A frustrating final day for Hovland, who on Saturday had been sinking putt after putt in the third round and had carded a superb round of 65 (five under par). But on Sunday, his luck abandoned him.
