Keegan Bradley wanted the players qualified for the Ryder Cup at Bethpage to play the Procore Championship this week in California. The aim was to prepare, stay in competition, and bond by all sharing the same house. It was about sharpening the tools in a relaxed environment. Essentially, something like a pre-season friendly before the big battle.
But of course, Scottie Scheffler doesn’t understand friendlies. What better way to prepare than by winning? And that’s exactly what the World Number One has done. Win the tournament. It’s his sixth victory of the season, the thirteenth on the PGA Tour in two years, and his first as a professional in California. That’s 19 in total in 150 tournaments. Win, win, win, and win again. Insatiable.
Scheffler (-19) won by one stroke over Ben Griffin (-18), two over Lanto Griffin (-17), and three over Emiliano Grillo (-16) and amateur Jackson Koivun (-16). At the start of the final day at the Silverado Resort in Napa Valley, it seemed that this time Scheffler wouldn’t be able to pull it off. Mainly because Griffin, who had started with a two-stroke lead, began with three consecutive birdies. Bang, bang, bang. It’s amazing how this player has grown.
It was a kind of breakaway that Scheffler ‘decided’ not to jump on. Instead, he imposed his relentless pace. Birdies on 3, 5, and 7. By then, he was just one stroke behind Griffin, who had bogeyed on 4. From there, even though they weren’t playing together, it was a thrilling head-to-head between the two. Scheffler set the pace, but Griffin, a brave and tenacious player, didn’t back down. Woe to anyone who faces him in the Ryder singles…
Another birdie on 10 put Scheffler in the lead for the first time in the week. Just in time. At the start of the back nine. And he wasn’t the sole leader by a miracle, as his shot from the fairway lipped out for eagle. Immediately after, he made his only mistake of the day. A bogey with three putts from five metres, which he recovered with another birdie on 12. Suddenly, Griffin found it harder. He wasn’t sinking as many putts as in the first three days, although he didn’t quite shake off Scheffler.
On 14, the turning point of the tournament occurred. Scheffler and Griffin practically mirrored the hole. Both hit the fairway and made similar shots to the green. They overshot the flag. Scottie left himself a downhill putt of about 13 metres, while Griffin had seven. No matter how well they did, they knew that either they made it, or they’d leave a tricky return. Scheffler sank his nearly two-metre putt, and Griffin missed. For the first time all week, Scottie was the sole leader, and Griffin left the top spot. Nothing would change after that.
Both made birdie on 15, Scheffler with an extraordinary approach and Griffin with a magnificent putt. Everything would be decided on 18. The Number One played the hole worse. He missed the bunker, had to lay up, and ended up with a five (par) without complications. His third shot hit the flag but spun back to about five metres. Griffin, on the other hand, hit the fairway and also reached the green with a great second shot. However, his first putt came up a bit short, and he missed the one just under two metres to force a playoff.
Scheffler doesn’t forgive. He will arrive at the Ryder Cup with another victory under his belt, further strengthening his leadership position in the team and setting the path for what’s needed at Bethpage. Win, win, and win again. This time, on the 18th green, there were chants of “U-S-A,” although somewhat timid. California is not New York.
Beyond Scheffler’s victory and Griffin’s second place, in Ryder terms, the fifth place of JJ Spaun and the ninth of Cameron Young should be highlighted. Both finished with rounds of six and five under par, respectively. A good finish also from Sam Burns or Patrick Cantlay. The only team member who played over par this Sunday was Justin Thomas. Harris English made par.
And beyond the Ryder, the impressive performance of Koivun, the amateur who will continue for another year at university even though he already has the PGA Tour card, should be highlighted again. This fourth place is his third consecutive top 10 on the American circuit. A phenomenon. Similarly, Lanto Griffin has taken a giant step to retain his card, and Emiliano Grillo is getting closer to the first two Designated events of next year.
