SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — Scottie Scheffler is No. 1 again — on the leaderboard at TPC Scottsdale and in the Official World Golf Ranking.
Scheffler regained the top spot after repeating as champion of the WM Phoenix Open, closing with a 6-under-par 65 on Sunday to beat Nick Taylor by two strokes in breezy conditions on the firm and fast Stadium Course.
The 26-year-old Texan jumps from second to first in the world, taking the top spot from Rory McIlroy with his fifth PGA Tour victory. This is the second stint on top for Scheffler, who held the No. 1 ranking for 30 weeks from March to October during a successful 2022 that included winning the Masters.
McIlroy closed with a 70 to tie for 32nd at 4 under.
Scheffler made a 22-foot eagle putt on the par-5 13th hole Sunday to break a tie with Taylor, then took a two-shot lead on the par-3 16th with a 15-footer for par after hitting his tee shot far left on the stadium hole.
“I was just trying to hit a solid putt,” Scheffler said about the putt on 16. “In those situations that’s really all you can do. So when I’m standing over that ball, all I’m thinking about is the speed. I had my line.”
Scheffler birdied the short par-4 17th and closed with a par to finish at 19-under 265.
“I hit some wild shots off the tee that were pretty uncharacteristic for how I usually shape the ball,” Scheffler said. “I was just able to grind it out, make a lot of putts. I think I only had two bogeys this week, which is really, really good around this golf course.”
Taylor, who was seeking his third PGA Tour victory, also finished with a 65. The 34-year-old Canadian bogeyed the 16th, missing a seven-footer after Scheffler holed his par putt. Taylor’s tee shot on the 175-yard 16th just caught the left edge and rolled away from the green.
“I really felt that was a great swing off the tee there,” Taylor said. “That wind was just crazy strong. I played enough for it, just obviously not quite enough. I would love the chip back on there. I felt like that was one I could potentially hole. It was still a tricky chip.”
Jon Rahm, the former Arizona State star who opened the year with consecutive victories in Hawaii and California, was third at 14 under after a 68. He also was in position to take the No. 1 ranking with a victory.
“I’m not sure I could have done much better the last two days, honestly,” Rahm said. “I didn’t feel like I made bad swings, but I put myself in bad spots.”
Scheffler earned $3.6 million from the $20 million purse in the second of the PGA Tour’s new designated events, created in response to LIV Golf to bring the top tour players together more often.
“There were a lot of guys up there,” Scheffler said. “I knew it was going to take a great round. Nobody was going to give this golf tournament to me. I had to go out and earn it.”
Last year, Scheffler beat Patrick Cantlay in a playoff for his first PGA Tour title. He added victories in the Arnold Palmer Invitational, the World Golf Championships’ Match Play and the Masters on his way to becoming the tour’s player of the year.
“I love the environment here,” Scheffler said. “It’s a lot of fun to play. I think the firmness of the golf course really suits me. Having the ability to play a lot of different shots — hit it high, hit it low.”
The wind was a factor all week, with the large grandstands and spectator mounds making it difficult to judge.
“The wind this week brought a new challenge that we hadn’t had around this golf course since I’ve been playing this tournament,” Scheffler said. “So it was definitely a good challenge and was a fun week.”
Justin Thomas was fourth at 13 under after a 65. Jason Day (68) followed at 12 under, and Jordan Spieth (70) was another stroke back with Sam Burns (68), Tyrrell Hatton (69) and Sungjae Im (69).
Chattanooga native Keith Mitchell tied for 42nd at 2 under. The Baylor School graduate had his best round of the tournament, by four strokes, as he closed with a 67.
Strydom’s second victory
SINGAPORE — South Africa’s Ockie Strydom closed with a 9-under 63 to rally for a one-shot victory over Finland’s Sami Valimaki in the DP World Tour’s Singapore Classic.
Strydom had the low round of the day at Laguna National and finished at 19-under 269 for his second win on the European-based circuit. He won the Alfred Dunhill Championship in South Africa in December.
Valimaki, who started the final round two shots behind overnight leaders Alejandro del Rey and Jeung-hun Wang, closed with a 66.
Ames stays level to win
RABAT, Morocco — Canada’s Stephen Ames closed with par round of 73 in a tough final 18 holes in Morocco on Saturday to secure a five-shot victory in the Trophy Hassan II for his third career title on the PGA Tour Champions.
The 58-year-old Ames, who won four times from 2004 to 2009 on the PGA Tour, finished at 9-under 210.
Australia’s Mark Hensby briefly challenged Ames in the final round but wound up second after a 75. Hensby was one shot behind, but after missing a short birdie attempt on the 12th hole, he made double bogeys on the next two, which allowed Ames to coast in a round in which he made par on every hole.