Scottie Scheffler has become the first golfer to defend the Players Championship as he took out the title by one shot over Xander Schauffele, Brian Harman and Wyndham Clark.
Scheffler overcame neck issues and a five-shot deficit to claim his second-straight win on the PGA Tour after his dominant victory at Bay Hill last week.
The World No.1 shot a classy, bogey-free 64 – including an eagle and six birdies – to take the clubhouse lead at 20 under, with the chasing pack hot on his heels.
It went right down to the wire, with Schauffele, Harman and Clark all just one shot behind going into the 18th hole.
Harman had the first chance to tie Scheffler but missed his putt left, carding a two-under 68 for his final round to finish in a tie for second.
Third-round leader Schauffele couldn’t get his approach close enough and missed his 60-footer, ending his tournament with a 70.
Clark, who led by four shots after the second round, came the closest to sending the tournament to a playoff, but came up agonizingly short with his putt lipping out in brutal fashion – ultimately making Scheffler the first back-to-back champion at TPC Sawgrass.
“It’s really special,” Scheffler said after his win. “I don’t know how to put it into words but it’s great to be back here again this year.”
THE PLAYERS CHAMPIONSHIP LEADERBOARD
- -20 SCHEFFLER (64)
- -19 HARMAN (68), SCHAUFFELE (70), CLARK (69)
- -16 FITZPATRICK (69)
- -15 KIM (64), MATSUYAMA (67)
- -14 ABERG (67)
- -13 THEEGALA (71), MCNEALY (72)
THE PLAYERS CHAMPIONSHIP QUICK LINKS
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- How Can I Play TPC Sawgrass?
Updates from:
Hello and welcome to our live coverage of the final day of the Players Championship at TPC Sawgrass. Xander Schauffele will have a one-shot lead over Wyndham Clark, with the final pairing teeing off at 1.40pm local time. Follow along for all the updates as a champion will be crowned.
FOUR GROUPS LEFT TO TEE OFF
The top eight players are still yet to tee off at TPC Sawgrass. Conditions are looking close to perfect once again. Here are the final four groups:
ET (GMT)
13.10pm (17.10pm): Scottie Scheffler, Nate Lashley
13.20pm (17.20pm): Matt Fitzpatrick, Sahith Theegala
13.30pm (17.30pm): Brian Harman, Maverick McNealy
13.40pm (17.40pm): Xander Schauffele, Wyndham Clark
SCHEFFLER AND LASHLEY TEE OFF ON THE 1ST
Both players miss the fairway on the first. Scheffler is still wearing tape on the back of his neck as he continues to battle a neck injury. His swing is definitely slightly out of sorts.
BIG MOVERS
A few players have already finished their final rounds. Both Harris English and Shane Lowry have posted rounds of six-under 66s, with both moving up 35 places for now into a tie for 16th at -9.
Sam Ryder has had a hot start to his round, sinking five birdies from his first eight holes to climb up to T6 on -12. Rory McIlroy is even through his first four, birdieing the 2nd but bogeying the 4th.
ABERG STARTS WELL
Ludvig Aberg has back-to-back birdies on 2 and 3, and is quickly up to -11. He's had a solid tournament so far but will be rueing a 73 on his second round to go with two 67s this week.
That’s back-to-back birdies for Ludvig Åberg 💪 pic.twitter.com/ZN9X6igm5GMarch 17, 2024
SCHEFFLER, LASHLEY OPEN WITH PARS
Easy pars for both Scheffler and Lashley to start. Scheffler was perhaps a bit unlucky on his approach as it spun off the green leaving 43 feet - but a straightforward par to kick off his round.
Back on the 1st tee, both Matt Fitzpatrick and Sahith Theegala miss the fairways with their first shots of the day.
BIRDIES FOR THEEGALA AND FITZPATRICK
Theegala moves up to within four shots of the lead with a birdie on the 1st hole. After missing the fairway right, he nailed his approach to within 12 feet and rolled it in nicely. He moves to -13.
Shortly after, Fitzpatrick also knocks in a birdie after a gorgeous recovery shot from the pine straw to five feet. He's up to -14, three behind Schauffele.
Brian Harman, who shot the lowest round of the tournament yesterday with an eight-under 64, is underway on the 1st with a nice tee shot down the middle. His playing partner Maverick McNealy loses his way right but he is safely in the rough.
SCHAUFFELE, CLARK TEE OFF
Xander Schauffele sends a 3-wood down the left side of the fairway, while Wyndham Clark follows with a perfect tee shot down the centre. And with that, the full field of the fourth and final round of the Players is fully underway.
Schauffele is searching for his first win in 20 months, last winning at the 2022 Genesis Scottish Open. Clark is looking for his second victory of the year, after winning at Pebble Beach last month.
FITZPATRICK GOES BACK-TO-BACK
Fitzpatrick moves up to -15 after his second birdie of the day. He managed to sink a 15-footer on the par-5 2nd to put himself right in it.
Nate Lashley is also making a move, with two birdies from his first three holes. He's up to -13. Hideki Matsuyama could also be a factor today if he gets hot, and he's started well with two birdies from four at -12.
SCHAUFFELE AND CLARK START WITH PARS
Both Schauffele and Clark had decent chances at birdies but couldn't get it to go. Schauffele won't make too many mistakes today, having already put together two blemish-free rounds this week.
FITZY'S ONE-HANDED FINISH:
One-handed finish from the pine straw 😳 @MattFitz94 couldn't believe it either! pic.twitter.com/GQCt4DmLIQMarch 17, 2024
SCHEFFLER HOLES OUT ON 4!
An eagle for Scheffler on 4 after three pars to start. He had a wedge from 92 yards and controlled it perfectly, pulling off a nice zipping pitch that snuck into the hole for a 2. Just like that, he's put himself firmly in contention at -14 and only three back of the lead.
RYDER STARTS HIS BACK 9 WITH A BIRDIE
Ryder makes his sixth birdie of his round on the 10th. He's still bogey-free so far today and is now up to -13.
SCHAUFFELE AND CLARK BIRDIE NO 2
Schauffele couldn't get a long eagle attempt to fall but taps in an easy birdie on the first par-5 of the day to move to -18.
Clark missed a golden opportunity to join Schauffele on -18 after a brilliant approach from 247 yards to four feet. But he pulled his eagle putt and had to settle for a birdie.
SCHEFFLER'S EAGLE ON 4:
SCHEFFFFF! pic.twitter.com/A3iOOoqBNiMarch 17, 2024
RYDER CATCHING FIRE
Ryder now has seven birdies in 11 holes after sinking a 44-foot bomb. He's moved up 19 places to T5 at -14.
Also moving up is Scheffler, who follows his eagle on 4 with a birdie on 5 after rolling in a 17-foot putt. He joins Harman on -15, three back of the lead.
SCHAUFFELE DROPS A SHOT
Schauffele makes his first mistake of the day and can only bogey the 4th. After missing his tee shot into the right rough, he went right again with his approach and couldn't get it up and down from there.
Clark could've taken the lead but missed a very makeable putt from 10 feet.
FITZPATRICK, RYDER DROP BACK
Fitzpatrick has dropped two shots after starting birdie-birdie. He's now back to -13 after six holes.
Ryder, who had seven birdies in his first 11 holes, triple bogeyed the par-3 13th to undo all his good work. He managed to bounce back with a birdie on 14, but he's running out of holes to make up ground on the leaders.
HERE COMES SCOTTIE
Scheffler is now one shot behind the leaders after a birdie on the long par-3 8th. He hit a superb tee shot to about 16 feet and nailed the putt.
On the 5th, Schauffele made a big par save from 8 feet after a poor chip from just off the green. Clark also pars the 5th to stay on -17.
LASHLEY, THEEGALA, HARMAN CHASING AT -14
Lashley has four birdies and a bogey through eight to sit three behind the lead. Also in that tie for fourth is Theegala (two-under through seven) and Harman, who made his first bogey of the day on 6 after five-straight pars.
ECKROAT'S 'BIRDIE' DOESN'T COUNT:
Since the ball took longer than 10 seconds to drop, a stroke was added to Austin Eckroat's score and was counted as a par. pic.twitter.com/xwhGBzIy8zMarch 17, 2024
HARMAN MOVES TO WITHIN TWO
Harman is back to even par for his round after a nice birdie at 7. He stuck one close to about seven feet and made no mistake with the putter.
Si Woo Kim has back-to-back birdies on 14 and 15, and is putting together a nice round. He's six-under through 15 holes and is up to -13.
SCHEFFLER TIES THE LEAD
Scheffler has made the turn at five-under after a second-straight birdie on the 9th. If his neck is still an issue, he's certainly not showing it. He's tied at -17 with Schauffele and Clark. Can he become the first golfer to defend the Players Championship title?
SCHAUFFELE RECLAIMS THE LEAD
Schauffele is back on top at -18 after finally getting a birdie chance to drop on 7. He's missed a few very makeable putts today. Clark remains at -17 with a par.
HARMAN KEEPING PACE
That's back-to-back birdies for the Open champ. Like Scheffler before, Harman hit a beauty on the 243-yard par-3 8th to about eight feet and converts to move to -16.
KIM MOVES TO -15
Si Woo Kim eagles 16 and is eight-under par for his day. That's seven birdies, an eagle and a bogey through 16. He's only three back of the lead now but is running out of holes.
HARMAN BIRDIES AGAIN
Harman is well and truly in the hunt as he joins Scheffler and Clark on -17, one behind Schauffele. He has his third-straight birdie to end his first nine with a two-under 24.
SCHAUFFELE, CLARK BIRDIES
On the 9th, Schauffele got a good break with his lie in the deep rough and capitalised with a nice chip to leave a tap-in birdie to move to -19.
Clark answers right back with a birdie of his own to stay one behind.
RYDER MAKES HISTORY
Sam Ryder has claimed the Players Championship record for most birdies recorded in a single week. He posted a three-under 69 for his final round to sit in a tie for 15th at -10. Plenty of birdies this week, but unfortunately for the American, also a lot of dropped shots.
History for @SamRyderSU!He passes Fuzzy Zoeller (26) for most birdies recorded in a single week @THEPLAYERS. pic.twitter.com/y9GZ2kJ4LFMarch 17, 2024
SCHEFFLER ROLLING IT NICELY
The World No.1 is six-under for his round after another birdie on 11, joining Clark on -18. He's looking a lot more confident on the greens and has gone from five back to start the day to one behind the lead - and all while battling a neck injury.
FOUR-MAN RACE
This will likely be down to a four-man race between Schauffele (-19), Scheffler (-18), Clark (-18) and Harman (-17).
The next best at the moment is Kim, who is in the clubhouse at -15 after a strong eight-under 64. At -14, Aberg (through 14) and Matsuyama (through 12) will need something special to catch up.
SCHEFFLER DRIVES THE GREEN
Scheffler has produced his best drive of the day, hitting the green in one on the 324-yard par-4 12th. He will have a 21-foot putt for eagle and the outright lead. He's so much fun to watch when he's playing like this.
SCHEFFLER TIES THE LEAD, CLARK DROPS TO -17
Scheffler gave his eagle putt a good go, hammering it about four-feet past the hole. No issue though, he cleans it up and joins Schauffele at -19.
Clark's first blemish of the day comes at the 10th. It was a bad miss on his approach and he couldn't get it up and down from the rough.
SCHEFFLER CAN'T BELIEVE IT
Poor putt from Scheffler on the par-3 13th after a brilliant tee shot to about four or so feet. He reacts in disbelief, but it looked like he completely pulled it with a hesitant, jabby stroke. So a missed opportunity there to take the outright lead.
CLARK BACK TO -18
Clark bounces back nicely with a birdie on 12 to move back to within one of the lead. Schauffele can't capitalise on the par-5 and stays at -19.
MATSUYAMA RISING
Matsuyama is putting together a nice final round. He's bogey-free with five birdies after 14 holes. Probably too late to threaten the leaders but he continues his recent form nicely.
On the 12th, Harman missed a good birdie chance to stay one behind the lead at -18.
CLARK'S BIRDIE ON 11:
Pine straw ➡️ bunker ➡️ birdie @Wyndham_Clark is one back of the lead @THEPLAYERS. pic.twitter.com/7OmwEL30kFMarch 17, 2024
SCHAUFFELE TO -20
Schauffele smashes a drive through the green on 12, leaving a tricky chip from the rough. But he does well to get close and converts the five-footer for birdie. He's back with the solo lead.
A good battle here - should be a fun finish.
MCILROY FINISHES ON -9
An inconsistent week for McIlroy. He finds the water on 18 and finishes his tournament with a bogey to card an even-par 72. His scores this week (65, 73, 69, 72) tells the story of his up-and-down performance - plenty of birdies but also too many mistakes.
THREE PARS IN A ROW FOR SCOTTIE
Scheffler has cooled down a bit and now has three straight pars, with three holes to go. He missed another birdie chance from about 14 feet on the 15th.
HOW XANDER RECLAIMED THE LEAD:
A birdie to grab the solo lead.@XSchauffele leads by 1 with 6 to play @THEPLAYERS. pic.twitter.com/MxWANtj76hMarch 17, 2024
SCHEFFLER BIRDIES 16
Scheffler has tied Schauffele at the top once again. He is eight-under through 16, and can tie the course record with birdies on 17 and 18. He could also soon be in the lead, with Schauffele in the deep rough after his second shot on 14.
SCHEFFLER LEADS AS SCHAUFFELE BOGEYS
Schauffele drops a shot on 14 after leaving himself a 24-foot par putt. Clark also bogeys 14 to fall back to -17.
Scheffler is safely on the green on the 17th - but has a long, tricky two-putt for par to come.
HARMAN MOVES TO -19
Harman is still in it as he nails a 14-foot birdie putt on the 15th, joining Schauffele on -19. He's four-under so far today.
Ahead on the 17th, Scheffler saves par after a nice 47-foot lag putt that almost sneaks in the cup. The defending champ has the difficult 18th to go.
PERFECT TEE SHOT FOR SCHEFFLER
Scheffler absolutely hammers a 3-wood straight down the middle of the 18th fairway. Sets up a good chance to attack the front pin and move further ahead.
Meanwhile, Schauffele is struggling on 15, finding the bunker on his tee shot and then the deep rough on his second.
SCHEFFLER HAS A BIRDIE CHANCE
Scheffler gets a nice reception as he walks up to the 18th green. He hit a great approach pin high, but it took a bad bounce away from the hole. Scheffler couldn't believe it. He still has about 16 feet to extend his lead by two.
SCHAUFFELE BOGEYS AGAIN
That's back-to-back bogeys for Schauffele and he falls two behind Scheffler at -18. Clark is running out of holes as he stays at -17 with a par.
SCHEFFLER SETS THE TARGET AT -20
What a week for Scheffler. He almost made another birdie on the 18th, his putt shaving the edge of the cup. He taps in for par to card a brilliant bogey-free 64 and sets the target at -20. That's four rounds in the 60s for the defending champ.
So close.Scottie Scheffler cards an 8-under 64 in his final round @THEPLAYERS.With the solo lead in the clubhouse, all he can do is wait. https://t.co/8bAIvKp0qh pic.twitter.com/tUzdoXa8Y9March 17, 2024
HARMAN PARS 16
Harman can only par the par-5 16th and will need at least one birdie from the difficult 17th and 18th holes to tie Scheffler.
On 17, Matt Fitzpatrick is finishing strong with his third birdie in a row to move up to -15. Too many bogeys on his card today but a solid week for the Englishman.
SCHAUFFELE BIRDIES 16
Schauffele comes up agonisingly short on his eagle putt, but it's still an easy birdie to move up to -19 alongside Harman.
Clark had a golden opportunity to join them on -19, but misses his 11-foot eagle putt to the right. He'll need something special now to catch Scheffler.
Harman can only par the 17th and must birdie 18th. Time for Schauffele and Clark to tackle the island green next.
CLARK AND SCHAUFFELE HIT BEAUTIES ON 17
After chunking his shot into the water on the same hole yesterday, Clark stepped up and hit one of the best we've seen on 17 today to about 4 feet.
Schauffele then almost produces a carbon copy of Clark's shot with an impressive strike to within six feet.
Could be game on here. Scheffler has apparently left the massage table and gone into the practice range.
CLARK'S DART ON 17:
CLUTCH! 🎯 @Wyndham_Clark with a dart into 17 with the tournament on the line. pic.twitter.com/2TRnoNSQDGMarch 17, 2024
CLARK BIRDIES, HUGE MISS FOR SCHAUFFELE
That's a poor miss for Schauffele on 17. Had seven feet but missed it left.
Clark makes no mistake from four or so feet. A huge first pump. Both need a birdie on 18 to have a chance.
Ahead on 18, Harman hits a clutch approach from the pine straw to give himself a putt for birdie to tie Scheffler.
HARMAN MISSES
One down, two to go for Scheffler. Harman can't convert his difficult birdie putt on 18 and that will end his chances of winning the title. He tidies up for a 68 and finishes one short.
Behind him, Clark is in a good spot on the fairway, while Schauffele has a clear shot but he's in the pine needles.
CLARK GIVES HIMSELF A CHANCE
Clark clutches up and hits his approach to 17 feet to give himself a chance at drawing level with Scheffler.
Schauffele can't quite control his shot from the pine needles and has a long putt from 61 feet. That might be it for him.
SCHAUFFELE MISSES
It would've been a miracle putt and it was not to be for Schauffele as it misses right. That ends his shot at the title. Clark is next.
SCHEFFLER WINS AS CLARK LIPS OUT!
Scottie Scheffler has just become the first golfer to defend the Players Championship as he wins by one stroke.
Brutal for Clark as he hit a great putt but it somehow lips out.
CLARK'S BRUTAL HORSESHOE MISS:
One ... shot ... short ... 💔 Heartbreak for Wyndham Clark on the 72nd hole @THEPLAYERS. pic.twitter.com/6d1Qa3elOaMarch 17, 2024
HOW SCOTTIE REACTED TO HIS WIN:
History is made as Scottie Scheffler becomes the first person to win back-to-back Players Championships 🏆 pic.twitter.com/u1vwLiQ45qMarch 17, 2024
