Scottie Scheffler (-22) has won the Travelers Championship, the last of the eight elevated tournaments on the PGA Tour calendar, of which the world Number One has taken four, half. He did it after signing a 67 in the last round and beating Tom Kim (-22) on the first hole of a tiebreaker that the young Korean managed to force in an epic way, with an excellent birdie on hole 72 of the tournament, before giving up on the same shore.
Scheffler therefore adds six victories in 2024, the year in which he has definitely marked a sidereal distance with the rest of the competitors, although he has ‘only’ been able to win one of the three Majors that have already been disputed. This Sunday, at the TPC River Highlands (Cromwell Connecticut), he has held the reins well, without excessive boasting on a course that was easy to do (today, however, the wind has blown more), but with a firm hand, pressing from tee to green when the truth hour was approaching and even if he forgave a little more than usual with the putter in his hands.
And it is that this extraordinary player, in the last eight holes of the final round, chained up to six more than reasonable birdie options, from distances ranging from one meter to five and a half meters away, and two more eagle, one of them, the one on hole 13, also very convertible, putting from just over three meters.
The rest of the candidates were falling like ripe fruit (Finau, Cantlay, Bhatia), all except a notable Tom Kim, who knew how to handle his advantage and finally capitulated with a bad second shot on the tiebreaker hole. The Korean’s resistance has been meritorious but the final result has done nothing but point out once again the best golf player on the field.
Let’s repeat the data that the PGA Tour has not stopped remembering in the last hours, because it is worth it: in case of victory, the Texan would be the first player to win six times before July 1 since Arnold Palmer did it in 1962, therefore 62 years ago. Well, there it is. Tiger never did it. Neither did Jack Nicklaus. They, of course, surpassed other records that still catch Scottie very far, but it is significant that at 28 years old he moves with such naturalness in competition with the best players in history, in some of their records, matching them and even surpassing them.
Scottie Scheffler is not invincible: in his last ten appearances the angel has only won six times and has finished second on two other occasions. Neither were Jack and Tiger ever, although they seemed to be at times. It may even be that we see him suffer on a golf course, like last week in Pinehurst. But in a sport full of uncertainties he is the biggest and only CERTAINTY in these times. Written like this, in capital letters. Today, with half a dozen trophies in the saddlebags, it is simply impossible not to be certain to see him fighting for the Claret Jug in just under a month. And for the gold medal in Paris. And for the Fedex Cup in Atlanta. And for whatever comes, wherever and however, as long as he shows up.
