Cameron Young fires a stunning 64 to tie for the lead, while Scottie Scheffler and Sepp Straka slip down the leaderboard.
Tag: Scottie Scheffler
Tiger Woods’ invitational event on the PGA Tour, the Hero World Challenge, once again brings together 20 of the world’s top golfers. On day one at Albany Golf Course in the Bahamas, Austria’s Sepp Straka impressed with a bogey-free round of six under par to join a five-way tie at the top. Alongside Straka, Scottie Scheffler, J.J. Spaun, Akshay Bhatia, and Wyndham Clark also share the lead after the opening round.
PGA Tour: Scheffler Drops Solo Lead on Final Hole
Scottie Scheffler looked poised to take the solo lead late on Thursday after a near-flawless round. The American started strong with birdies on holes 2 and 3, followed by another on 6. He narrowly missed an eagle on 7 but still carded his fourth birdie. At four under heading to the back nine, Scheffler added birdies on holes 13, 14, and 15 to tie J.J. Spaun for the lead. Spaun, who teed off earlier, bogeyed the 18th, giving Scheffler a chance to take the outright lead. However, he too faltered at the challenging final hole, settling for a bogey and a share of the lead heading into Friday.
Sepp Straka’s Bogey-Free Round Puts Him on Top
Sepp Straka made a strong return in his first individual event since the Tour Championship in August. The Austrian showed no signs of rust, starting with a birdie on the opening hole. He added another on the par-5 third, narrowly missing an eagle chip. A quiet front nine left him at two under, but Straka caught fire on the back nine. He stuck his tee shot close on 12 for an easy birdie, followed by another on 14. With birdies on 17 and 18—holes that challenged many—Straka surged into the five-way tie for the lead heading into round two.
Scottie Scheffler wins his third major victory at the 2025 PGA Championship. The world No. 1 remained as calm and composed as he is known to be, even when Jon Rahm squeezed into the shared lead. But while Rahm missed crucial chances, Scheffler was unfazed and brought the title home.
Scottie Scheffler wins the 2025 PGA Championship
Scheffler opened all doors for his competitors. Drive after drive went too far left and missed the fairways. His lead, which was three strokes at the start of the final round, shrank. But Jon Rahm was the only one of his competitors who was able to take advantage of this. While Noren, Poston and Riley made mistakes themselves, Rahm holed three times for birdie in four holes and played himself into the shared lead.
But the Spaniard missed important opportunities on the second nine. He missed the birdie putt on 12 and 13, and at the same time Scheffler took the lead again with a birdie on the 10th. But Scheffler was unable to pull away, missing a birdie chance on the 11th hole. Rahm took a risk on the 15th to take advantage with a powerful eagle putt, but the putt went wide of the hole, leaving him a long back putt for birdie, which he was unable to convert.
In the end, Schefffler had the stronger nerves and played the back nine in his controlled manner. He holed out to win a shot on the 14th hole, despite landing in the bunker after his tee shot, earned himself a perfect birdie chance on the par-5 15th hole and a five-shot lead as Jon Rahm’s game collapsed on the green mile. After a bogey on the 16th, Rahm’s tee shot on the 17th, the toughest hole of the day, ended up in the water. The double bogey took him out of the race completely and Scheffler was able to make his own way through the Green Mile without any worries.
He also mastered the last three challenging holes with aplomb. When his tee shot on the 18th went off to the right, Scheffler was able to calmly allow himself an intermediate shot back onto the fairway, land on the green with the third and win easily despite a bogey.
Scottie Scheffler is FIRED UP after winning the PGA Championship. pic.twitter.com/wNFxHMNZaC — Golf on CBS ⛳ (@GolfonCBS) May 18, 2025
Scheffler wins by five strokes ahead of Harris English, Davis Riley and Bryson DeChambeau. It is DeChambeau’s fifth top-six finish in the last six major tournaments. “It didn’t seem to go my way all week and I’m pretty disappointed. But this gives me fire in my belly and will make me fight even harder to win the US Open again this year.” There he will defend his title from 2024.
Jon Rahm is only tied eighth after a second double bogey on 18.
On the lower ranks of the PGA Championship
Rory McIlroy maintains his tied 47th place in the final round. He closes the weekend and the PGA Championship with a round of 72. He had an inconsistent round on Sunday and was on the spot, not what we are used to seeing from him at Quail Hollow.
World number one Scottie Scheffler is hosting the traditional Champions Dinner in the run-up to the US Masters 2025 for the second time this year. After his victory in 2022, he already had the honour of designing the exclusive menu once. This time too, he is staying true to his Texan style, with small but personalised adjustments.
The dinner, which traditionally takes place on the Tuesday evening of Masters week in the clubhouse at Augusta National, is reserved for former Green Jacket winners. ‘It’s more or less the same as two years ago,’ explained Scheffler. ‘My favourite dishes haven’t changed too much, but there are a few nostalgic elements.’
Scheffler’s menu for the Champions Dinner of the The Masters 2025
The starters consist of ‘Scottie style’ cheeseburger sliders – a signature dish where the fries are placed directly on the burger. ‘I always put fries on my burger, that’s ‘Scottie style’ for me. My favourite burger joint has thin patties with cheese between the layers. I then take some of the melted cheese, throw in the fries and enjoy it. It’s just great.’ Alongside the burger, there are firework prawns with sweet Thai chilli and Sriracha mayo.
New on the menu: ‘Papa Scheff’s’ legendary meatballs
One new addition is the replacement of the tortilla soup with ‘Papa Scheff’s Meatball and Ravioli Bites’ – a tribute to his father. ‘Papa Chef is my father,’ explained Scheffler. ‘His meatballs were legendary when we were growing up. Every time he made them, we were all beside ourselves with excitement. I thought it would be a nice idea to put them on the menu this year, and the ravioli complements it perfectly.’
The first course remains hearty: Texan chilli with cheddar cheese, jalapeños and corn chips – inspired by his coach Randy, whose recipe serves as the basis. ‘My coach makes the best chilli. So they try to use his recipe as inspiration.’
Main course options include Texas ribeye steak or redfish, accompanied by savoury sides such as family-style mac and cheese, corn with jalapeño cream, Brussels sprouts with soy glaze and roasted sweet potatoes with chipotle lime. Guests can also look forward to tequila and bourbon – a real Texan finish.
For dessert there is a warm chocolate chip skillet cookie with vanilla ice cream.
The Masters Champions Dinner – The dinner of legends
The Champions Dinner goes back to Ben Hogan, who created it in 1952. Each defending champion puts together their own menu and often adds a personal touch. While Scottie Scheffler stays true to his Texan style, previous champions have brought culinary diversity to Augusta. Jon Rahm focused on Spanish cuisine in 2023 with tapas, tomahawk steak and basque cheesecake. The year before, Hideki Matsuyama served a Japanese-inspired menu with Wagyu beef, sushi and traditional specialities. In 2020, Tiger Woods combined a selection of sushi, steak fajitas and churros for dessert. Patrick Reed opted for Caesar salad, cowboy ribeye steak and mac & cheese in 2018, while Jordan Spieth brought Texan flavours to the table in 2016 with BBQ ribs, steak and warm apple pie.
For a long time, nothing has changed at the top of the world golf rankings: one name has been there for 95 weeks – Scottie Scheffler. Scheffler’s exceptional season in 2024 gave him a huge lead in the OWGR ranking. He was the undisputed leader and for a long time it looked as if no one could even come close to challenging him. But with his victory at the Players Championship 2025 and the title at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am in February of this year, Rory McIlroy is getting closer and closer – and it actually seems possible now that he could overtake Scheffler and take back the top spot.
World Golf Ranking: Rory McIlroy is gaining ground on Scottie Scheffler
Mathematically, McIlroy could become the world number one again in just one month: if he wins both the Masters and the RBC Heritage and Scheffler performs poorly at both tournaments, McIlroy could soon call himself the best player in the world again.
The Northern Irishman has already announced that he will play in the Houston Open (March 27-30) before the Masters. But even a victory there would not be enough to take the top spot in the world rankings with a Masters victory – there are not enough world ranking points for that. In addition, Rory McIlroy is increasing his lead in the Ryder Cup qualification list: he is well ahead of Tyrrell Hatton in second place among the first-qualified players.
The top 10 of the world ranking otherwise remained stable after the Players Championship, with the exception of Tommy Fleetwood, who rose one place to 9th place, and Justin Thomas, who fell to 10th place.
Rory McIlroy wins one of the most prestigious titles on the PGA Tour—along with an unprecedented prize purse. A staggering $25 million was up for grabs at the Players Championship 2025 at TPC Sawgrass, making it the richest regular-season tournament on the circuit. McIlroy will walk away with an eye-watering $4.5 million, while the runner-up collects $2.725 million and the third-place finisher $1.725 million. Even a top-10 finish secures a payout of at least $681,250, and those finishing as far back as 40th place will still pocket a six-figure sum.
Prize money at the Players Championship has increased dramatically over the years. When Jack Nicklaus won the inaugural event in 1974, he pocketed just $50,000. Today, that amount wouldn’t rank inside the top 40.
As always, the tournament is contested on the iconic Players Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass. The layout is best known for its signature par-3 17th hole, where the island green has played a decisive role in countless finishes.
FedExCup Points and Career Incentives
Beyond the massive prize money, 750 FedExCup points are on offer for the winner, a boost in the season-long race to the Tour Championship. Before the tournament Sepp Straka sat atop the standings, but a strong performance in Sawgrass could dramatically shake up the leaderboard.
Victory at The Players also comes with long-term perks: a five-year PGA Tour exemption, a guaranteed spot in all four majors for the next three years, and an invitation to The Sentry, where the year’s tournament winners kick off the new season. The champion also claims 80 Official World Golf Ranking points, just 20 points shy of what the four major winners will receive this year.
| Finish | Player | Prize Money |
| 1 | Rory McIlroy | $4,500,000 |
| 2 | JJ Spaun | $2,725,000 |
| T3 | Tom Hoge | $1,325,000 |
| T3 | Akshay Bhatia | $1,325,000 |
| T3 | Lucas Glover | $1,325,000 |
| T6 | Danny Walker | $843,750 |
| T6 | Corey Conners | $843,750 |
| T6 | Bud Cauley | $843,750 |
| 9 | Robert MacIntyre | $731,250 |
| T10 | Collin Morikawa | $656,250 |
| T10 | Davis Thompson | $656,250 |
| T12 | Patrick Cantlay | $556,250 |
| T12 | Jake Knapp | $556,250 |
| T14 | Aaron Rai | $418,750 |
| T14 | Denny McCarthy | $418,750 |
| T14 | Tommy Fleetwood | $418,750 |
| T14 | Sam Ryder | $418,750 |
| T14 | Sepp Straka | $418,750 |
| T14 | Alex Smalley | $418,750 |
| T20 | Shane Lowry | $240,250 |
| T20 | Ryan Fox | $240,250 |
| T20 | Keegan Bradley | $240,250 |
| T20 | Joe Highsmith | $240,250 |
| T20 | Matt McCarty | $240,250 |
| T20 | Daniel Berger | $240,250 |
| T20 | Scottie Scheffler | $240,250 |
| T20 | Min Woo Lee | $240,250 |
| T20 | Max McGreevy | $240,250 |
| T20 | Stephan Jaeger | $240,250 |
| T30 | Russell Henley | $163,750 |
| T30 | Harris English | $163,750 |
| T30 | Will Zalatoris | $163,750 |
| T33 | Rico Hoey | $136,250 |
| T33 | Kurt Kitayama | $136,250 |
| T33 | Justin Thomas | $136,250 |
| T33 | Taylor Moore | $136,250 |
| T33 | J.T. Poston | $136,250 |
| T38 | Si Woo Kim | $111,250 |
| T38 | Justin Lower | $111,250 |
| T38 | Davis Riley | $111,250 |
| T38 | Taylor Pendrith | $111,250 |
| T42 | Hayden Springer | $81,688 |
| T42 | Matt Kuchar | $81,688 |
| T42 | Billy Horschel | $81,688 |
| T42 | Jesper Svensson | $81,688 |
| T42 | Mac Meissner | $81,688 |
| T42 | Tom Kim | $81,688 |
| T42 | Chris Kirk | $81,688 |
| T42 | Ryan Gerard | $81,688 |
| T50 | Beau Hossler | $63,500 |
| T50 | Jacob Bridgeman | $63,500 |
| T52 | Byeong Hun An | $60,750 |
| T52 | Sahith Theegala | $60,750 |
| T54 | Matthieu Pavon | $58,250 |
| T54 | Carson Young | $58,250 |
| T54 | Charley Hoffman | $58,250 |
| T54 | Camilo Villegas | $58,250 |
| T54 | Joel Dahmen | $58,250 |
| 59 | Jordan Spieth | $56,750 |
| 60 | Jhonattan Vegas | $56,250 |
| T61 | Trey Mullinax | $54,500 |
| T61 | Cameron Young | $54,500 |
| T61 | Sungjae Im | $54,500 |
| T61 | Will Chandler | $54,500 |
| T61 | Chandler Phillips | $54,500 |
| T61 | Austin Eckroat | $54,500 |
| 67 | Emiliano Grillo | $52,750 |
| 68 | Isaiah Salinda | $52,250 |
| T69 | Sami Valimaki | $51,500 |
| T69 | C.T. Pan | $51,500 |
| 71 | Rickie Fowler | $50,750 |
| 72 | Xander Schauffele | $50,250 |
It’s a bitter pill to swallow for the world number one, Olympic champion and two-time major winner Scottie Scheffler: last weekend, he was beaten by a friend with a handicap of 10 during a private round of golf. The two played an exciting match for money – and in the end, Scheffler had to pay up.
Scottie Scheffler says he lost to a 10-handicap golf buddy last week. 😂 pic.twitter.com/NMzJxqFmxi
— Golf Digest (@GolfDigest) March 5, 2025
Scottie Scheffler defeated on 18th hole
Scottie Scheffler gave his friend strokes according to their difference in level of play. The decision was made spectacularly at hole 18: His opponent holed out of the bunker and secured the victory. “I got out of the way because I thought he could potentially shank it, and he ended up holing it,” Scheffler describes the decisive moment.
Despite the personal setback, Scheffler emphasizes that it is precisely experiences like this that make golf so appealing and fun: no matter what level the players are at, the handicap system ensures that every match remains exciting and can take unexpected turns: “One of the great things about golf is that I can out with a guy who’s going to play 90, and I can give him enough strokes to where we’ll have a good competition,” he says.
When asked how he dealt with the defeat, Scheffler openly admits: “I didn’t like losing.” But he took it in good humor, joking that he thanked his friend for the boost to his self-confidence before his upcoming start on the PGA Tour this week. Scheffler will tee off as one of the favorites in the Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard. The fourth PGA Tour Signature Event features a total prize purse of $20 million and the full PGA elite is participating.
The WM Phoenix Open is held at TPC Scottsdale (Stadium Course) in Scottsdale, Arizona, USA. This tournament is part of the PGA Tour and offers a total prize money of $9,200,000. The course has a par of 71, and the defending champion is Nick Taylor.
PGA Tour Tee Times
Justin Thomas begins his first round at 7:53 AM alongside Nick Dunlap (USA) and Luke Clanton (USA). For his second round, the trio tees off at 12:33 PM.
Jordan Spieth, another prominent name, starts his first round at 8:04 AM, playing with Hideki Matsuyama (JPN) and Nick Taylor (CAN). Their second round is scheduled for 12:44 PM.
Max Homa starts at 12:44 PM, playing alongside Scottie Scheffler (USA) and Joohyung Kim (KOR). They begin their second round at 8:04 AM.
Rickie Fowler takes his first tee at 12:55 PM, accompanied by Billy Horschel (USA) and Sahith Theegala (USA). Their second round initiation is at 8:15 AM.
Daniel Berger joins his partners Thomas Detry (BEL) and Mac Meissner (USA) for the first round at 1:39 PM, and they continue the second round at 8:59 AM.
| Round | Time | Player 1 | Player 2 | Player 3 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 07:53 | Justin Thomas | Nick Dunlap | Luke Clanton |
| 1 | 08:04 | Jordan Spieth | Hideki Matsuyama | Nick Taylor |
| 1 | 12:44 | Max Homa | Scottie Scheffler | Joohyung Kim |
| 1 | 12:55 | Rickie Fowler | Billy Horschel | Sahith Theegala |
| 1 | 13:39 | Daniel Berger | Thomas Detry | Mac Meissner |
| 2 | 08:04 | Max Homa | Scottie Scheffler | Joohyung Kim |
| 2 | 08:15 | Rickie Fowler | Billy Horschel | Sahith Theegala |
| 2 | 08:59 | Daniel Berger | Thomas Detry | Mac Meissner |
| 2 | 12:33 | Justin Thomas | Nick Dunlap | Luke Clanton |
| 2 | 12:44 | Jordan Spieth | Hideki Matsuyama | Nick Taylor |
Scottie Scheffler has probably faced plenty of challenges on his way to the top of the world rankings and the PGA Tour. But this past Christmas, he was bested by an unexpected foe: homemade ravioli. An improvised kitchen tool, a shattered wine glass, and suddenly, the best golfer in the world found himself out of action.
Scottie Scheffler and the Festive Faux Pas
A holiday tradition that begins in the kitchen and ends in the operating room is certainly not an everyday occurrence for a world-class golfer. But that’s exactly what happened to Scottie Scheffler when he attempted to make homemade ravioli. Lacking a rolling pin, he opted for a wine glass instead. One wrong move, the glass shattered, and the World No. 1’s hand came down on the jagged stem. The result: a deep laceration, surgery, and Rory McIlroy’s dry remark: “I think he made enough money to hire a chef. Like, why are you cooking yourself?”
Last time Rory McIlroy offered advice to Scottie Scheffler, it was the mallet putter.
Today, he suggests a chef! 🧑🍳 pic.twitter.com/WSab0Oyod6 — GOLF.com (@GOLF_com) January 28, 2025
From the Operating Table Back to the PGA Tour
For Scheffler, the forced break didn’t just mean missing tournaments—most notably The Sentry and The American Express—but also an unusual predicament: no driving range sessions, no full-scale gym workouts. “It was frustrating to be sitting at home, not being able to play golf, but we got some good time at home just us three. It’s pretty rare for me to be at home throughout the day without really having much to do. I couldn’t really work out at first, there wasn’t really a whole lot I could do, so it was nice uninterrupted time for us at home. But it was definitely still frustrating watching golf on TV and not being able to play,” he admitted. While he managed to do some exercises with his left hand, actual golf swings were off the table for the time being. “I’ve heard nothing but horror stories since this happened about wine glasses, so be careful,”Scheffler said with a grin in his first public appearance after the injury.
Now, he is preparing for his comeback at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, one of the season’s prestigious Signature Events. And as for Rory McIlroy’s suggestion? Scottie Scheffler had the perfect response:
Scottie’s response:
He already has a chef, and she’s pretty cute. 😂 https://t.co/Vt6tvlmTI3 pic.twitter.com/NAvTBdvzhP — Golf Digest (@GolfDigest) January 29, 2025
Scottie Scheffler, who already missed the PGA Tour’s first tournament of the year with The Sentry, is also withdrawing from the American Express, he announced on Instagram on Monday.
PGA Tour: Scottie Scheffler withdraws from American Express
“After consulting with my medical team, I have made the decision to withdraw from the American Express tournament next week to give my injury more time to heal,” Scheffler said on Instagram.
Scheffler had injured himself on Christmas Day while cooking Christmas dinner on broken glass and had to have surgery on his right hand to remove small pieces of glass. Following the injury, Scheffler’s manager Blake Smith spoke of a recovery period of “three to four weeks”. While Scheffer withdrew from The Sentry, he was still targeting The American Express to start the year at that point.
Instead, the two-time Masters winner is taking some more time to heal and has the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, the second signature event of the year, as his next target. It takes place from January 30 to February 2. After an absolute 2024 season in which he earned the title of “Player of the Year” for the third time in a row, it remains to be seen whether Scheffler can continue his dominance on the tour.