First, a back-and-forth.
Then, chaos.
But in the end, Scottie Scheffler. Again. Things returned to normal.
It’d been a scene, though, on the 18th hole at TPC River Highlands, after Scheffer had worked his way into a one-shot advantage during Sunday’s Travelers Championship final round. On the closing hole, Scheffler hit just off the green’s right side with his second shot, before Tom Kim, his closest pursuer, dropped to 10 feet. But then play stopped. A small group of protesters stormed the green.
They released a power-looking substance. They were stopped and led off by security. Watching were Scheffler, Kim and playing partner Akshay Bhatia, who later said he was scared for his life. Play was paused. The grounds crew cleaned up debris, though some stains remained. They played on.
And Scheffler missed. And Kim made. Playoff.
There, back on 18 — where a new hole was dug after the interruption — Scheffler shined, as he has all year long. He hit his second shot to 12 feet, while Kim dumped his into a greenside bunker, and on a par, the win was Scheffler’s. It’s his sixth victory before July 1, a feat not accomplished since Arnold Palmer last did so in 1962. In March, Scheffler won the Arnold Palmer and the Players. In April, Scheffler won the Masters and the RBC Heritage. This month, he won the Memorial. There was an incident at last month’s PGA Championship, and a blip at last week’s U.S. Open. But now he’s a winner again, following a five-under 65 in regulation play and a 22-under total he shared with Kim.
One by one by one, quite a few in all, his foes fell short.
Sungjae Im? Nope. A bogey on 10 did him in. Patrick Cantlay? He bogeyed 16. Bhatia? He bogeyed 1, 9 and 16. Xander Schauffele? He shot just even-par. Cameron Young? He was wayward with his tee shot on 12 and he double-bogeyed. Tony Finau? He was wayward with his tee shot on 16 and double-bogeyed. Tom Hoge? He blitzed TPC River Highlands for a 62, but he had started the final round too far back.
Meanwhile, one by one by one, quite a few in all, Scheffler’s drives fell in the fairway.
And his irons fell next to flags.
And his golf balls fell into golf holes.
To be fair, things were close, and Kim, the third-round leader, showed game in shooting a 66, but Scheffler was relentless. He birdied the par-5 6th after hitting his third shot to 6 feet. He birdied the par-4 7th on a 15-foot putt. He birdied the par-5 13th after hitting his second shot to 11 feet. He birdied the par-4 14th after hitting his second shot to 3 feet, and that put him in at least a share of the lead the rest of the way. He also birdied the par-4 15th.
On the par-4 18th, things tightened. Things became frightening.
But in the end, Scottie Scheffler.
Again.
Things returned to normal.
The takeaway
What’s next? Seven wins? Ten? A dozen? The Open Championship? All are in play for Scheffler.
The leaderboard breakdown
— Tom Kim starts the final round with a one-shot lead over Akshay Bhatia and Scottie Scheffler, a two-stroke lead over Xander Schauffele and Sungjae Im, and a three-shot lead over Collin Morikawa. Kim is at 18-under, Bhatia and Scheffler are at 17-under, Schauffele and Im are at 16-under, and Morikawa is at 15-under.
— Schauffele birdies the 578-yard, par-5 6th after getting home in two, and he moves into a share of the lead. Schauffele and Kim are at 18-under, Im, Bhatia, Scheffler and Cameron Young are at 17-under, and Morikawa, Patrick Cantlay, Tony Finau and Shane Lowry are at 16-under.
— In about a minute span, the birdies fly. Young, after a birdie on the 368-yard, par-4 9th, and Scheffler, after a birdie on the 6th, briefly move into a share of the lead, before Kim also birdies the 6th to reclaim it alone. The leaderboard now reads this way: Kim is at 19-under, Scheffler, Schauffele, Young and Bhatia are at 18-under, and Cantlay, Finau and Im are at 17-under.
— The 202-yard, par-3 8th is dramatic for the final group. Scheffler birdies on a 15-footer. Bhatia birdies on a 26-footer. Kim then three-putts from 3 feet, and he falls out of the lead. Bhatia and Scheffler are at 19-under, Young and Kim are at 18-under, and Cantlay, Finau, Schauffele and Im are at 17-under.
— Young double-bogeys the 398-yard, par-4 12th after hitting his tee shot out of bounds, and he falls. The leaderboard reads this way: Bhatia and Scheffler are at 19-under, Finau and Kim are at 18-under, and Cantlay and Im are at 17-under.
— Bhatia bogeys the 368-yard, par-4 9th after missing the green with his second shot, and he falls out of the lead. Scheffler now stands alone. The leaderboard reads this way: Scheffler is at 19-under, Finau, Kim and Bhatia are at 18-under, and Cantlay, Im and Tom Hoge are at 17-under.
— Finau birdies the 12th on a 23-footer, and he jumps into a share of the lead. Finau and Scheffler are at 19-under, Kim and Bhatia are at 18-under, and Hoge and Cantlay are at 17-under.
— Kim, on a 9-footer, and Bhatia, on a 2-footer, birdie the 450-yard, par-4 10th, and there are now four players in the lead. Finau, Kim, Bhatia and Scheffler are at 19-under, Cantlay is at 18-under, and Hoge and Brian Harman are at 17-under.
— Cantlay birdies the 405-yard, par-4 14th after hitting his second shot to 4 feet, and he jumps into a share of the lead. Cantlay, Finau, Kim, Bhatia and Scheffler are at 19-under, Hoge is at 18-under, and Harman is at 17-under.
— Finau birdies the 293-yard, par-4 15th to take the solo lead — then hits his tee shot into the water on the 158-yard, par-3 16th. A couple minutes later, Scheffler and Kim birdie the 531-yard, par-5 13th, and the leaderboard reads this way: Finau, Kim and Scheffler are at 20-under, Hoge and Bhatia are at 19-under, and Cantlay is at 18-under.
— Hoge birdies the 440-yard, par-4 18th after hitting his second shot to 4 feet, and he moves into a share of the lead. Hoge, Finau, Kim and Scheffler are at 20-under, Bhatia is at 19-under, and Cantlay is at 18-under.
— Finau double-bogeys the 16th. The leaderboard reads like this: Scheffler, Kim and Hoge are at 20-under, Bhatia is at 19-under, and Cantlay, Finau and Im are at 18-under.
— Scheffler birdies the 14th after hitting his second shot to 3 feet, and he leads by one. Scheffler is at 21-under, Kim and Hoge are at 20-under, and Bhatia is at 19-under.
— Scheffler and Kim birdie the 15th, and the leaderboard stays the same. It reads like this: Scheffler is at 22-under, Kim is at 21-under, and Hoge is at 20-under.
— On 18, Scheffler comes up just short of the green with his second shot, while Kim, after a club twirl, drops an iron to 10 feet. Then things get chaotic. First, a group of protesters storm the green, leaving debris. Then, Scheffler comes up just short on a 26-footer for birdie. Then Kim drops the putt for birdie. They will go to a playoff, starting on the 18th hole, which will have a new hole location after the disruption.
— On the first hole of the playoff, Scheffler hits to 12 feet on his second shot, and Kim hits into the greenside bunker. Scheffler pars, and he wins.
The final word
“It’s pretty special. It’s been a great season. I’ve been fortunate to come away with some wins, and it’s been a lot of fun. Tom played his heart out today. He’s a great player, great champion. It was fun battling him today.” — Scottie Scheffler on CBS
