It came as no shock to anyone when Scottie Scheffler took control of the American Express early in Sunday’s final round at La Quinta.
He had nailed a long par putt on Saturday to make sure he would be in the final group, though he did not start the last round well, dropping a shot on the second hole.
But from there, he caught fire. He played the next 14 holes eight under par and even managed to find water on 17 without it costing him. Scheffler still finished four shots clear of the field.
That made it 20 PGA Tour wins for his career, sending an early warning to anyone thinking they could catch him this season.
Blades Brown shares what stood out to him about Scottie Scheffler’s play
Blades Brown may have been frustrated with how his final round went. The 18-year-old seemed to run out of steam after a strong start, ending up paired with Scheffler in the final group.
His chances slipped away after a double bogey on the fifth, but even as his own hopes faded, he got a first-hand look at how the top-ranked player in the world closes out a tournament.
Afterwards, speaking to The Smylie Show, Brown highlighted just how easy Scheffler made it all look from inside the ropes.
He said: “Scottie Scheffler’s the number one ranked golfer in the world right now, and it showed. That’s what they do, they just make the game so easy. I didn’t realise Scottie shot six under today and he hit one in the water on 17. He just makes it look so easy.
“I’d say the one thing though that I took away from today’s round was how underrated his short game is. That’s one thing I’m trying to work on with my game. I’d say his short game and then his wedges. He got up and down from weird lies – I remember at hole 13 or 14, it was the par three, he hits it way right and then I’m thinking okay, this will be a good shot to get inside five feet, and he lips it out and I’m like, this guy is unbelievable. So I’d say his short game and anything inside of 120 yards, that is what impressed me the most about Scottie Scheffler.”
Scheffler silences critics with dominant American Express win
There has been a sense that Scheffler’s game does not quite fit the kind of tournaments that turn into shootouts.
He tends to thrive when a course rewards consistent focus. And with Sunday’s round, there was always a chance someone could catch fire and post a low number to make things interesting late on.
But by the time they made the turn, Scheffler had already pulled clear of the field. It marked just his fifth PGA Tour victory with a winning score of 20 under or lower.
By his own high standards, Scheffler had not exactly excelled at The American Express in previous years.
Given how he closed out this win in California, it seems any talk of his grip on the game loosening has already been put to rest for now.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
