Scottie Scheffler’s Ryder Cup prep seems to be going perfectly.
Scheffler posted a 5-under 67 to jump ahead and claim the Procore Championship on Sunday, easily running through the unofficial U.S. Ryder Cup practice event ahead of the real thing later this month in New York.
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The top-ranked golfer picked up a one-shot win over Ryder Cup teammate Ben Griffin and the rest of the field at the Silverado Resort in Napa, California. That gave him his sixth win of the year, and extended a streak in which he’s not finished outside of the top 10 on Tour since mid-March. He’s now the fourth golfer to have back-to-back seasons on the PGA Tour with at least six wins since 1960, joining Tiger Woods, Arnold Palmer and Jack Nicklaus, via The Athletic’s Justin Ray.
“I think we’re all excited for the Ryder Cup to get here,” Scheffler said on NBC after the win. “This was a big step for us, getting all the guys together for this tournament to stay sharp and get ready. The thing I always focus on most going into tournaments is my preparation. When I step up on the first tee, I can tell myself I did everything I could to play well. I definitely feel that way going into the Ryder Cup, and I’m excited to get it started.”
Scheffler started Saturday in 14th on the leaderboard, but an 8-under 64 launched him right into contention on Moving Day. He did that even with a double bogey on the card, too. That brought him two shots back of Ben Griffin, who took off in the final group on Sunday with top-ranked amateur Jackson Koivun.
While Koivun fell back a bit — he finished in fourth at 16-under for the week, though it was his third straight top 10 finish on Tour — Scheffler quickly caught up with Griffin on Sunday. He made three birdies on his front nine, and then offset a bogey with two birdies in his first three holes after making the turn to get to 18-under on the week. Though Griffin opened with three straight birdies of his own, he stalled out after that. He bogeyed the 14th after lipping out a par putt, which then gave Scheffler the solo lead.
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That ended up causing a two-stroke swing, as Scheffler had a simple up-and-down birdie up ahead at the par-5 15th after he stuck his chip just a few feet from the cup. From there, Scheffler simply held on the rest of the way and expertly navigated a fairway bunker on the 18th to close out his round. Griffin had a long eagle look for the win at the last, but he ended up three-putting after he sent his birdie look left.
Scheffler has now won 19 times in his career. Griffin finished alone in second at 18-under, and Lanto Griffin finished in third at 17-under.
Normally, Scheffler wouldn’t be competing in the Procore Championship or any of the Tour’s fall slate. That’s largely designed for golfers working to maintain or improve their Tour status, and they don’t typically draw competitive fields. But U.S. captain Keegan Bradley put out the call to get his team in the field for an unofficial practice event ahead of the Ryder Cup in two weeks, and all but two members entered. Xander Schauffele stayed home in Florida after the recent birth of his son, and Bryson DeChambeau is still ineligible to compete in Tour events after leaving for LIV Golf.
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The strategy to actually compete is different from what the U.S. team did for the last Ryder Cup, where they struggled in Rome, and more in line with what the European team typically does.
“I think having to come here, having the opportunity to come here and play this tournament is really important,” Scheffler said before the tournament. “You can practice and prepare all you want at home, but there’s something different about playing tournament golf leading up [to the Ryder Cup].”
A win in Napa won’t guarantee good results at Bethpage Black for Scheffler by any means. He went 0-2-2 at the last Ryder Cup, and competition there will be significantly better than what he faced in California this week. But with his latest win now secured, Scheffler has once again made it clear that he’s still the best player in the sport.
His incredible run through golf continues.
