Orlando, Florida – Scotty Scheffler Not sure he won the Arnold Palmer Invitational award as much as he survived it.
During Sunday’s last four holes at Bay Hill, he had to get up from 149 yards in harsh coverage of the top of his boot, and from 67 yards over the water to a back-pin on the third easiest hole.
The two classic ones that followed were quite frightening, one of 45 feet and one of about 70 feet, on green vegetation barely enough to keep the ball from slipping, knowing that a storm could send the ball an extra 8 feet.
Schaeffler answered every challenge. He finished the match with a stealth-free back nine at Bay Hill and equal 72 for a one-shot win, his second on the PGA Tour in a month. Go to number 5 in the world.
“To be completely honest with you, I’m exhausted right now,” Scheffler said. “This course is a total defeat trying to play. I’m so glad I didn’t have to play any extra holes.”
Victor Hovland (74) He missed an 18-foot bird from the margin on the eighteenth day. Billy Horschel (75) missed a 30-foot jumper in the final set, both trying to force a playoff. They finished with one shot behind them, along with Terrell Huttonwho had 69 and finished an hour ago.
Schaeffler never won the US Open. Felt like one.
“To be honest, I’m feeling drunk” Rory McIlroy He said after the 76-76 weekend. “It’s like crazy golf. You don’t get rewarded for good shots. … the way the conditions are, it makes you feel like you’re not playing as well as you are.”
Only a few sparrows at 5/16 and a rider on the 18th prevented this from being the toughest final round at Bay Hill in four decades. The average score was still 75.48. Six players shot 80 or more and only four players broke a tie.
Gary Woodland Had as good a chance as anyone until he took two shots to get out of a tough lie in the bunker and made a double bogey in par-3 17, then finished with a bogey. He was behind him with two bullets.
“I’m glad I got off this golf course,” Woodland said. “Frustrated. I played much better than the result showed. I can take a lot of positives, but it’s stinging now.”
Schaeffler has now claimed two PGA Tour titles in his past three starts, having claimed his first win at the Phoenix Open. This one was loud, and he had to make the birds to stay in the mix. This was stressful and no less rewarding. “Away from her five peers, she’s trying to equalize on every other hole,” Scheffler said.
Stress was abundant for everyone. Scheffler was as hard as nails.
He was in deep trouble on the fifteenth, in pine straw and behind a tree, when he tried to hit a punch in the driveway. The ball was dropped out onto a thick bottom. You did a good job making that in front of the green and then making 20 feet for the bonus.
On the 5th and 16th of Bar 5, Schaeffler got his horrible break when he ended up driving in a lie so embarrassing in the collar that he couldn’t get it back into the driveway. After that, he had to lie down to avoid going into the water. Hit the peg to 6 feet and keep par.
The last two holes were no less important, not nearly as important.
“It’s not really a comfortable situation to hit the ball 50 feet up and try to hit the ball twice in front,” he said. “But I just trusted myself and played conservative in the last two slots. Pars was enough.”
Horschel fired 40 in the front nine and never caught up, although he did a series of parallel strikes to at least get a chance at the end. He had shared the lead with 54 holes Taylor Gotschwho came out at 43.
Real heartbreak went to Woodland, trying to win for the first time since the US Open at Pebble Beach. Consistently all day, he leaped to the lead with a 6-iron shot from a sandy lie, around the trees and onto the green on the 16th, making a 25-foot eagle strike.
But on the 17th, he took two shots to get out of a bunker in front of me and then missed a 5-foot shot, taking a double bogey. The left found a rough 18 and closed in with a bogey to finish the tie in fifth Chris Kirk.
Kirk was there with chance at the age of five with a birdie on the thirteenth. He placed three in 14th for the first two straight jumps and closed in three classes for 72.
Kirk’s consolation prize was getting one of three slots available at The Open in St Andrews this summer. Gooch saved his tough start with nine stealth-free defenses to finish in the top ten and earn his spot in The Open.
Players had to finish the race out of the top ten to reach St Andrews. Graeme McDowell He was poised for last place until double bogey and bogey on his last three holes for 76, dropping him two points out of the top ten.