Washington (AFP) – Scottie Scheffler chipped in for birdie from 82 feet on the 17th hole on Sunday to win the US PGA Tour’s BMW Championship by two strokes over Scotland’s Robert MacIntyre. World number one Scheffler, who began the day four strokes behind the Scotsman, fired a three-under par 67 to finish on 15-under 265 at Caves Valley in suburban Baltimore.
Scheffler, this year’s British Open and PGA Championship winner, became the first player since Tiger Woods in 2006-07 to win five or more times in back-to-back seasons. The two-time Masters champion also ensured his role as the favorite to become the first back-to-back winner of the FedEx Cup playoffs when he tees off at next week’s Tour Championship in Atlanta.
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Scheffler clung to a one-stroke lead after going over the green into the rough at the par-three 17th. He pitched out, the ball hitting the green and rolling 82 feet for birdie, the day’s most amazing shot restoring Scheffler’s two-stroke advantage. “Any time you hole a chip like that it’s pretty nice,” Scheffler said. “It looked good when it landed, it looked good when it was rolling and it was nice to see that one go in.”
Scheffler nearly went at the pin instead of playing it safe to the left side of the green opposite the hole. “I played smart off the tee. That was obviously the miss there,” Scheffler said. “Part of me wanted to go at the pin and then I kind of held it off. I knew par wasn’t going to be a bad score on that hole today.”
MacIntyre, runner-up to J.J. Spaun at June’s US Open, was going for a wire-to-wire win but came undone with back-to-back bogeys at the start and three in the first five holes. “I got off to an absolutely horrific start,” MacIntyre said. “It’s come out dead and then it’s got a massive mud ball just short of the green. I just felt great going out. I wasn’t even expecting to be over par, to be honest. I was really expecting to go out there, foot down, and perform the way I have the last couple days.”
Scheffler managed his 17th consecutive sub-par PGA round and credited intensity for his consistency. “I think it has a lot to do with the intensity I bring to each round,” Scheffler said. “I try not to take days off. I try not to take shots off. When it gets to this time of year it can be a little bit tiring. Today was a grind.”
– Six set for Ryder Cup –
Scheffler’s spot on the US team for next month’s Ryder Cup at Bethpage Black was also made official with the points race closing Sunday. He topped a points list that also saw berths confirmed for US Open winner J.J. Spaun, two-time major winner Xander Schauffele, Russell Henley, Harris English, and LIV Golf’s Bryson DeChambeau, a two-time US Open champion.
Scheffler sank a birdie putt from just inside seven feet on the first hole and answered a three-putt bogey at the third with birdies from 12 feet at the fifth and just inside six feet at the seventh to grab the solo lead. Bogeys at 12 and 14 trimmed his lead to a single stroke, but Scheffler answered with a six-foot birdie putt at 15. MacIntyre sank a three-foot birdie putt at the par-five 16th to pull within one, setting the stage for Scheffler’s stunner at 17.
The BMW was the second PGA playoff FedEx Cup event, with the top 30 in season points advancing to East Lake next week. England’s Harry Hall, who was sixth on 272, was the only one to jump into a spot, bumping out past US Open winner Lucas Glover.
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