NASSAU, Bahamas — Scottie Scheffler returned from a two-month break, and nothing changed for the planet’s top golfer.
He won the Hero World Challenge by six shots Sunday, closing with a 9-under-par 63 to tie the tournament record at Albany Golf Club while repeating as its champion.
Scheffler, the first player since Tiger Woods in 2009 to spend an entire calendar year at No. 1 in the Official World Golf Ranking, won for the ninth time in his past 21 starts, a tally that includes a second Masters title, a gold medal at the Paris Olympics and the PGA Tour’s FedEx Cup.
The 28-year-old Texan started the final round one shot behind Justin Thomas, took the lead on the par-5 third hole, stayed in front with a 50-foot birdie putt on No. 4 and never looked back.
South Korea’s Tom Kim tried to stay close until he missed a 19-inch par putt on the par-5 11th. He birdied the final hole for a 68 and became the runner-up when Thomas, whose faint hopes ended with a bogey on the 16th, drove into the water on the 18th for another bogey. He shot a 71 and finished third.