Sunday Swing | Scheffler Dominates at THE PLAYERS Championship

Welcome back to the Sunday Swing presented by 2nd Swing Golf. This week in the world of professional golf, the spotlight is on the best in the world at THE PLAYERS Championship from TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida. 

THE PLAYERS - Tournament History

THE PLAYERS Championship is one of the most iconic events in the history of the PGA Tour as it produces drama and history year after year dating all the way back to 1974 where Jack Nicklaus won the inaugural event. Designed by arguably the most famous architect in golf history, Pete Dye’s TPC Sawgrass Stadium Course features water on all but one hole. It also is home to one of the most famous holes in the world, the island green par-3 17th hole. While it is small in stature, usually playing around 125 yards, the 17th hole causes more angst and heartbreak than perhaps any hole in professional golf.

THE PLAYERS routinely delivers the starpower, as a quick glance at the recent winners features four of the top players in the world. This year, the winner regained his status as the No. 1 ranked player in the world with the big win.

• 2023 - Scottie Scheffler (-17)
• 2022 - Cameron Smith (-13)
• 2021 - Justin Thomas (-14)
• 2019 - Rory McIlroy (-16)
• 2018 - Webb Simpson (-18) 

The Big Swing 

This week the Big Swing goes back to Scottie Scheffler, who won his sixth title in the past 12 months. Scheffler entered the week as one of the favorites alongside players like Jon Rahm and Rory McIlroy. Rahm opened with a 1-under par 71 but unfortunately after the first round, he came down with a stomach bug and was forced to withdraw from the championship. McIlroy opened with a shocking 4-over par 76, and was unable to rally on Friday and he missed the cut. Scheffler, on the other hand, opened strong with rounds of 68 and 69, setting himself up for another championship run. 

Also of note, Tom Hoge assembled perhaps the most unlikely top five finish anyone has ever seen. He opened with a six-over 78 on Thursday, putting him well back of the cut – so far back that he arranged flight plans for Friday. His second-round 68 gave him a fighting chance to make the cut, and when a couple of bounces went his way, he had made the cut on the number in a tie for 65th place (Top 65 and ties make the cut). He proceeded to shoot the course record on Saturday, a 10-under 62, en route to an incredible T3 finish. 

On Sunday, Scheffler was paired with Min Woo Lee, a fiery up-and-comer from Australia and the brother of Minjee Lee – one of the best players on the LPGA Tour. Lee carded 66 on Saturday to get into the final group with Scheffler and was just two shots back. In the final round, Lee started off hot with a birdie at the opening hole which cut Scottie’s lead in half. However, Lee made a costly mistake on the fourth hole when he hit his third shot in the water and ultimately would make a triple bogey – and his round unraveled after that. Meanwhile, Scheffler played steady golf before rattling off five straight birdies on holes 8-12 to open a commanding lead. England’s Tyrrell Hatton made a serious charge up the leaderboard late on Sunday thanks to a back-nine record seven-under 29, to finish runner-up, but it was still well back of Scheffler. Rounding out the top 5 was Hoge, Viktor Hovland, and Hideki Matsuyama.

Winner’s Bag - Scottie Scheffler 

Scottie Scheffler has completed several historical checkpoints in the last 13 months – his first PGA Tour win, his first major, world No. 1 ranking, and now a win at THE PLAYERS Championship. He was dominant in every aspect this week – but especially from tee-to-green, where he finished No. 1 in the field by a wide margin and only needed an average putting performance to win in dominant fashion. Off the tee, Scheffler uses the new TaylorMade Stealth 2 Plus (8 degrees). He also uses a Stealth 2 3-wood (15 degrees), which he used frequently for tee shots throughout the week. Scheffler’s irons feature a unique combination of Srixon ZU85s (3-4) and TaylorMade P7TWs (5-PW). His short game is powered by Titleist Vokey Design SM8 wedges (50 and 56 degrees), a Titleist Vokey Wedgeworks Prototype wedge (60 degrees), and a Scotty Cameron Special Select Timeless Tourtype GSS Prototype putter.