NASSAU, Bahamas — Scottie Scheffler returns from a two-month layoff and nothing has changed. He won the Hero World Challenge on Sunday with a 9-under 63, tying the Albany Golf Club tournament record and winning by six strokes.
Scheffler, the first player since Tiger Woods in 2009 to remain No. 1 in the world for a full year, won for the ninth time in 21 starts, including a second Masters title, an Olympic gold medal and a FedEx cup champion.
He started the final round one shot behind Justin Thomas, took the lead on the par-5 third, holed a 50-foot birdie putt on the fourth to stay ahead and never looked back.
Tom Kim tried to stay close until he missed a 19-inch par putt on the par-5 11th. He birdied the final hole for a 68 and was runner-up after Thomas, who had a faint hope of bogeying the 18th, drove into the water and made another bogey. He shot 71 and finished third.
Scheffler finished at 25-under 263, tying the tournament record set by Bubba Watson in 2015 in Albany and capping his six-shot win over Tiger Woods )’s biggest win in nine years at the holiday tournament in the Bahamas.
Jordan Spieth, who started the year at Isleworth in 2014, holds the tournament records for 72-hole scoring (262) and goal differential (10).
“Very satisfied,” Scheffler said. “I did a lot of good things on the course today. It felt good to take a break and come back and play some real solid golf.”
Already a top player in golf, Scheffler brings a new “claw” grip to the Hero World Challenge to get even better. He used his grip to putt from about 15 feet, and he ranked third in the key putting statistic in the 20-man field.
“He really didn’t do anything wrong,” tournament host Woods said in the NBC booth during the final round.
What reminds Woods of his great record — and Woods has many of them — is how few mistakes Scheffler makes in a round or tournament. Albany is another example. He had only two bogeys in 72 holes.
Thomas, whose last win was the 2022 PGA Championship at South Mountain, is off to a strong start. He also missed shots early on the par-3s, missing twice, including one on the par-5 ninth, that kept him from making the birdies he needed to catch Scheffler.
Scheffler led by three shots with three holes remaining when he made a rare mistake off the tee, finding sand on the right side of the fairway. He made clean contact on the sand for birdie from 12 feet, while Thomas hit it long and over the green, resulting in bogey.
Scheffler will also team up with Rory McIlroy in a televised match against LIV golf star Bryson DeChambeau on Dec. 17 at Shadow Creek in Las Vegas (Bryson DeChambeau) and Brooks Koepka.
Scheffler received $1 million for winning the unofficial tournament. It’s the lowest salary he’s received for a win this year outside of the Olympics — the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee pays the gold medalist $37,500.
He joins Victor Hovland as Albany’s only back-to-back champions. Woods won back-to-back and five times in total when the tournament was held at Sherwood Country Club.
Kim lives in Dallas and played with Scheffler until his wife gave birth to their first child.
“I think the biggest thing I see is he’s always trying to get better,” King said. “Despite having nine wins this year, he’s always found little ways to do it, and I think that’s really cool to see and you can take a lot from that.”
In the past 40 years, Scheffler’s global winning rate has been as high as 43%, second only to Woods in 2006 (9 wins in 19 games) and Woods in 2002 (10 wins in 22 games).
“I’ve never really played golf for legacy. It’s not something I think about every day. I play golf because I love the game,” Scheffler said. “I like to get the best out of myself on the golf course. That’s why I’m always trying to improve and try to do the little things to make the golf course better.
“I don’t think about records, I don’t think about accomplishments, wins, losses, I just try to maximize my potential and come out here and compete and have a good attitude.”
What to do next?
“Keep working hard in the offseason and get ready for next season,” Scheffler said.
