NAPA, Calif. — What was appeared upon as a Ryder Cup coaching camp for the American staff was a typical week for Scottie Scheffler.
Scheffler needed to remain sharp forward of the Sept. 26-28 matches at Bethpage Black. The world’s No. 1 participant appeared each little bit of that Sunday within the Procore Championship, closing with a 5-under 67 for a one-shot victory over Ben Griffin.
It was Scheffler’s sixth PGA Tour title of the 12 months. He joined Tiger Woods, Jack Nicklaus and Arnold Palmer as the one gamers since 1960 to win not less than six occasions in consecutive seasons.
“This was every week wherein I used to be enjoying a brand new golf course, a golf course that was fairly difficult to play for the primary time,” Scheffler mentioned. “Did a very good job of sort of staying within the event the primary two days, after which the final two, I performed some actually good golf with the intention to be on this place.”
He made up an eight-shot deficit on Griffin on the weekend with rounds of 64 and 67, ending at 19-under 269. The victory pushed Scheffler’s season whole to only over $27.6 million.
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Silverado had its strongest area and largest gallery for the reason that event moved to Napa in 2014. And it acquired fairly a present below a blazing solar when Scheffler and Griffin went right down to the wire, till Griffin got here up one putt quick.
Griffin, a two-time winner this 12 months who will make his Ryder Cup debut at Bethpage Black, had a 60-foot eagle putt for the win on the par-5 18th gap. He left that lag about 5 toes quick, and the birdie putt to drive a playoff caught the left lip. He shot a 70.
“I felt like I simply wasn’t fairly as sharp from quick vary as I wanted to be,” mentioned Griffin, who has completed runner-up to Scheffler twice this 12 months. “However I am going to get to work this subsequent week and hopefully make each single one in every of them on the Ryder Cup.”
Scheffler was one of many gamers who earlier within the 12 months focused the Procore Championship as a great place for the Ryder Cup staff to play so they may keep away from the error of two years in the past when all however two of them had a month off earlier than the matches in Rome.
4 of the Ryder Cup gamers completed among the many prime 10, with U.S. Open champion J.J. Spaun (66) ending sixth and Cameron Younger (67) tying for ninth.
“We floated the concept of doing a scouting journey to Bethpage or coming right here and enjoying this occasion. We felt it could be just a little bit extra priceless to get all the fellows collectively right here this week to play event golf with the intention to keep in form,” Scheffler mentioned.
“For me, there’s only a distinction between working towards and enjoying at house, and getting below the gun in a event.”
However as soon as the event began, Scheffler was all about successful.
It was his nineteenth profession victory on the PGA Tour.
Now, he heads to match play within the Ryder Cup towards Europe, which has had the higher hand in these matches over the previous three many years.
Lanto Griffin had as a lot strain as anybody, coming into the autumn portion of the schedule at No. 142 within the FedEx Cup within the first 12 months of solely 100 gamers preserving full playing cards.
He delivered a 65 to wind up alone in third, his finest end in almost 4 years. That moved him as much as No. 100 within the standings with two months and not less than 5 tournaments to go.
“It is large,” Griffin mentioned. “Considered one of my objectives this week was to provide myself an opportunity.
“I sort of want Scottie wasn’t right here, however I am positive the followers loved it.”
Scheffler began two photographs behind and fell as many as 4 photographs again early when Ben Griffin birdied the opening three holes. However Griffin missed a 4-foot par putt on the fourth and went 10 holes with out making birdie.
Scheffler pecked away with 4 birdies by means of 10 holes. After a careless three-putt bogey from 15 toes on the eleventh, he answered with two birdies on the par 5s to take the lead when Griffin struggled to get something going.
Auburn junior Jackson Koivun, the No. 1 newbie on the earth who performed within the last group, was two photographs behind with seven holes to play when he took a delicate bogey on the par-5 twelfth then bogeyed the thirteenth when he went lengthy of the inexperienced.
Koivun closed with a 71 and tied for fourth with Emiliano Grillo (66). It was Koivun’s fourth consecutive end at eleventh of higher on the PGA Tour, and he has the chance to compete within the Sanderson Farms Championship in three weeks, except the 20-year-old has different plans at college.
