Scottie Scheffler wins his 20th PGA Tour event before turning 30.
Scottie Scheffler starts 2026 as expected: with a win. He claimed victory at The American Express on the PGA Tour by four strokes ahead of Jason Day, Ryan Gerard, Matt McCarty, and Andrew Putnam who tied for second, becoming the second fastest player to reach 20 PGA Tour wins. With a closing round of 66, Scheffler surged ahead while his competitors faltered.
PGA Tour: Scottie Scheffler Dominates The American Express
Scheffler made a birdie on half of the holes during the final round, and could have extended his lead further if he had not hit his ball into the water on the island green at 17, resulting in a double bogey. Nonetheless, no one could match his 66. Si Woo Kim, who led after three rounds, could not maintain the pace on Sunday and dropped back with a 72. Also, 18-year-old Blades Brown, who had played in the Korn Ferry Tour event final in the Bahamas just days earlier and was tied with Scheffler after three rounds, fell back with a 74 to finish T18.
Scheffler starts the new year as dominantly as ever. This marks his 16th consecutive top-ten finish, but he does not take victories for granted. “There is a reason we have to finish the tournament. You don’t get the trophy on the 16th hole. You have to play it out. Today I played in the last group against two very, very talented players. Si Woo has so much talent. He’s so good at golf. I saw Blades for the first time, but anyone who makes the final flight of a PGA Tour event at 18 is doing something right. This is a course where you have to go out and make birdies. So there were many challenges today, but I’m proud of how we played and put together a nice round,” Scheffler said.