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Scottie Scheffler always seems comfortable on the golf course, but at his hometown TPC Craig Ranch for the CJ Cup Byron Nelson this week it was pure bliss.
Scheffler crushed the competition over the four-day event with a 31-under finish to win the event after posting another 8-under 63, the same result he put on the scorecard on Friday.
But he had a chance at the PGA Tour’s all-time scoring record on the 18th green on Sunday when he looked at a birdie putt to finish 32-under. Only Justin Thomas (2017) and Ludvig Åberg (2023) have had 31-under weeks in the past.
Scheffler, who had a 10-shot lead at one point in this tournament, barely missed the history-making putt and tapped in for par to collect the victory and a whopping $1,782,000 paycheck.
He did make some history, however, as his eight-shot win was the largest ever in the tournament.
Scheffler is the first Dallas-area high school grad to win the Byron Nelson since 2007, and he got off to a red-hot start when he posted a 10-under-61 in his opening round on Thursday. He followed it up with his 63 on Friday, and though he only shot 66 on Saturday, an eight-shot lead going into Sunday almost felt like a breeze as he stepped in for the final 18 holes.
Erik Van Rooyen (23-under), Sam Stevens (20-under) and another Dallas native, Jordan Spieth (19-under), finished behind Scheffler.
“This tournament means a lot to me,” Scheffler told the CBS broadcast after the victory. “It’s my first start as a pro, 11 years ago, I had my sister caddying for. … It feels like a lifetime of hard work and sacrifice for little moments like these. They’re pretty special.”
Scheffler was 17 years old when he debuted at the Byron Nelson in 2014.
This isn’t just a great win for the No. 1 golfer in the world, it also comes at the perfect moment with the season’s second major being his next scheduled event.
The PGA Championship at Quail Hollow in North Carolina will be the next time Scheffler plays on the PGA Tour, and he’s looking to win the event for the first time in his career. His best finish was 2023, when he finished tied for second.
Last year’s tournament was quite an adventure for Scheffler, too, as he was arrested at Valhalla Golf Club in Louisville, Kentucky, in a saga that shocked the sports world. Charges were eventually dropped, but Scheffler’s experience is one that will forever be remembered with this major.
The No. 1-ranked golfer in the world wants to focus on lifting trophies this time around, and he’s primed to do so after a fantastic showing at home this week.
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