BAHAMAS, Bahamas— When it comes to putting, Scottie Scheffler has come a long way. He made it look easy on Sunday with that and the rest of his top-ranked game. He won the Hero World Challenge by three shots with a final score of 4 under 68.
Scheffler finished second in the Bahamas the last two years. He didn’t make a mistake at Albany and didn’t let anyone get closer than two shots on the back nine, as he won his fifth tournament of the year around the world.
Even though it’s not an official event, the 20 men who compete get world ranking points, and Scheffler’s win made him even stronger at No. 1.
Tiger Woods didn’t have a terrible week. He played in the event for the first time since surgery to fuse his right ankle a few weeks after the Masters in April.
For the third time in the last two years, Woods made it to the end of 72 rounds. After getting better from the bad car accident in Los Angeles in February 2021 that hurt his right leg badly, he played in six events.
Woods said, “Like I told you guys on Tuesday, I’m interested in what this is going to look like.” “I haven’t done it in a while, and I haven’t done it with my ankle the way it is now. I was excited every day to get through it and start putting together rounds again.” It was fun to feel that way again since I haven’t done that in a long time.
In the end, Woods had a 72 and came in 18th.
Sepp Straka finished second with a score of 64 after making three birdies in the last few holes. With a score of 67, Justin Thomas finished third by himself. Since September, it was his third straight place in the top five.
When it came to shots to the green and off the tee, Scheffler was the PGA Tour leader in almost every important measure. But when it came to putting, he fell behind. He got help from Phil Kenyon, a well-known putting coach, and is already seeing benefits.
Scheffler said, “I played well and kept my distance.” “My only goal was to make good shots and get as many chances as possible to get birdies.”
That was the last time Scheffler played golf. This was his first 72-hole game since the Tour Championship at the end of August. He told them that he was happy with the work they did together before the Ryder Cup.
Scheffler said, “It’s nice to see rapid progress.” “This week it paid off pretty well.”
When Scheffler chipped in close on the par-5 sixth, it was his first birdie. He then pitched up the hill on the par-4 seventh, which he could drive, to 2 feet.
Straka, Thomas, and Jordan Spieth all looked like they were about to make a run at times. Scheffler replied with birds just in time to keep them away. On the 17th, he missed a birdie putt that was just inside 3 feet. It was the only miss he had all week inside 5 feet.
This Christmas event almost never goes off without a hitch, and Sunday was no different. Collin Morikawa lost two shots before the round because he used information from a book on reading greens on Saturday’s fourth hole.
It turned out that his helper had used a level on the practice green and made some notes in the book. New rules say that these kinds of notes can only come from traditional means, not from outside sources. Morikawa found out 15 minutes before his round. He was angry because other officers and caddies had told him it was fine.
“It seems that if they tell you something is wrong in one tournament, it doesn’t matter in another, and I get that.” “We messed up,” Morikawa said. We thought it was okay to use a level on the practice green to see how putts break and write that down. It’s clear that it’s not.”
Morikawa (68) came in seventh.
Woods was never in the running after each round, which wasn’t the main goal. He knew there would be rust, and every day he felt like he lost a little. Not all of it, though. On the par-3 second hole, his pitch went back toward his feet, giving him a double bogey. On the par-5 eleventh hole, he hit another bad chip that gave him a bogey.
Woods was still sure that he could play in one event every month in 2024.
“Right now, if you ask me, I’m a little sore,” he said. “Once a month makes sense.” It gives me a few weeks to get better. I might be able to find a beat. That was the plan for next year. That doesn’t seem like it would change.
