Scottie Scheffler capped off a commanding victory at the Hero World Challenge, successfully defending his title with a six-shot win over South Korea’s Tom Kim after an electrifying final round at Albany Golf Club.
Scheffler, who started the day one shot behind overnight leader Justin Thomas, wasted no time in taking control. He birdied three of the first four holes, quickly moving ahead of Thomas and gaining a two-shot lead of his own.
From that point on, the World No. 1 never relinquished his momentum, posting the lowest score of the day with a remarkable nine-under-par 63 to seal the win.
“Very satisfying,” Scheffler said. “I did a lot of good stuff today on the course. It feels nice to take a break and come back and continue to play some really solid golf.”
Record winning year
With his sizzling round, Scheffler finished the tournament at 25-under par, securing his eighth victory of 2024.
“I think it has been a great year and a fun year,” Scheffler reflected, who has one of the most unique swings in the game. “I’ve been fortunate to get some wins out of some really good golf. This was another week where I played really solid and was able to see some nice results from that.
“I am very grateful for the season and the wins, but at the end of the day when we go home, I’m looking forward to doing things that are not golf.
“I like to live my life and enjoy my time at home. I’ve had a little bit of time to reflect, but I’m not really sure how to assess it. It’s just been pretty surreal, a lot of fun and I’m just really grateful.”
Runner-up Finishers
Kim, who posted a final score of 19-under par, claimed second place. Thomas, meanwhile, faltered on the last hole with a bogey to finish third at 18-under par.
“It’s just disappointing,” said Thomas, the two-time major winner. “I would have liked to put a little more heat, obviously, on Scottie going into the back nine.
“You know, I felt like I got a couple bad breaks there on the par threes, the wind completely died or switched on five.
“I can’t expect to have good things happen when I’m leading by one over Scottie and only shooting one under on Sunday.”
Akshay Bhatia finished fourth with a score of 14-under par, while U.S. Ryder Cup captain Keegan Bradley took fifth at 13-under. Ludvig Åberg, the highest-ranked European in the field, posted a 67 to finish at 12-under par.
