Scheffler wins 2nd FedEx Cup title, passes Tiger on money list

Tiger Woods. Rory McIlroy. Scheffler. That’s it. That’s the list. Scheffler joined golf royalty as the third player to win multiple FedEx Cup championships when he came from behind to capture the Tour Championship in the playoff finale Sunday at East Lake Golf Club. Scheffler outdueled Norway’s Viktor Hovland, who was also trying to join the multiple-Tour Championships club. Scheffler, the world’s No. 1 player and point standings leader, shot a 4-under-par 66 to finish 16-under 264, three shots ahead of Hovland. It was the second Tour Championship victory in three years for Scheffler, who won in 2024. Hovland, the 2023 champion, couldn’t hold a one-stroke lead heading into the final round. He shot 2-over 72 to finish alone in second at 13 under. McIlroy won the FedEx Cup three times (2016, 2019, 2022) and Woods twice (2007, 2009). Scheffler overtook Woods for the top spot on the PGA Tour’s career money list. With the $10 million first prize, Scheffler now stands at the top with $130,390,661. Woods held the top spot with $120,999,166. McIlroy could have also surpassed Woods with a solo fourth finish or better. “I felt like my thought process going into the postseason this year was I felt like maybe I’ve underperformed in some of the postseasons in the past,” Scheffler said. “I think of years like ‘22 and ‘23 where I had a lead at this tournament and wasn’t able to win the FedEx Cup or a playoff event those years. “To come in this year maybe not winning the tournaments that I could have won throughout the regular season, to come in and win two out of three playoff events is definitely a nice way to finish off the season.” Simply, Scheffler took the championship by matching the low round of the day. “Obviously pretty disappointed with how I played today, just with the position that I was at,” Hovland said. “I only would have needed 1 under par to force a playoff. If I just had my normal game, my normal ball-striking from the previous years, I think I take away this tournament.” Back and forth they battled, with Scheffler playing two groups ahead. Hovland, at 15 under, led Scheffler by three strokes going into the final round. Scheffler started strong by hitting his tee shot on the par-3 second to two inches. The birdie moved him one and two strokes behind Ryan Gerard and Hovland, respectively, before the leaders even teed off. Scheffler then birdied the fourth to tie for the lead with Hovland at 14 under, after the first-round leader bogeyed his opening hole. Gerard double-bogeyed the opening hole to fall behind. “The start was really challenging,” Scheffler said. “(Nos.) 1 and 2 playing into the wind, No. 1 is an extremely difficult starting hole, especially that pin location. For me to get out of there with a par, I felt like I got half a shot there. And then to birdie the second hole, I felt like a got another full shot there. I felt like I could move in pretty quickly if I got off to a good start today. And that was the case. “It’s more challenging not being in control of the tournament. To get off to a good start and then those guys getting off to a bit of a slow start really put me right in the tournament early.” Scheffler bogeyed the seventh but birdied the eighth to move back to 14 under and tied with Hovland. Hovland birdied the eighth to move back to 15 under and retake the solo lead. Scheffler birdied the 10th to force another tie, then made a 5-footer for birdie at the 13th to move to 16 under and take the solo lead for the first time. He gave the lead back with a bogey on the 14th after a drive in the rough. Hovland dropped back behind Scheffler with a bogey on the 13th, also following a drive in the rough. The lead was two after Scheffler birdied the 16th, from the fairway bunker, to return to 16 under. While Scheffler was playing the 18th, Hovland bogeyed the 17th to fall three shots back. He overshot the green from 103 yards with a lob wedge. Scheffler parred the 18th, but at that point had the comfortable lead with one hole to play. Hovland went on to par the 18th. No one else really challenged Scheffler and Hovland. Of the others in the final three pairings: Gerard shot 2-over 72 and finished third at 12 under. Adam Scott of Australia also shot 72 and finished 10 under, tied for 11th. Chris Gotterup and Sweden’s Ludvig Aberg each carded a 1-over 71 and finished tied for fourth at 11 under along with McIlroy (69). They were joined by Englishman Alex Fitzpatrick (66), Jacob Bridgeman (68), Australian Min Woo Lee (68) and Russell Henley (68). Scheffler moves closer to the Player of the Year award with his third win, including two in the playoffs, and 10 top-three finishes. How do you celebrate such a historic victory? With a cheeseburger and fries. And a beer. “I had a beer for the first time in a long time,” Scheffler said. “It just sounded good. Right when we got off the course, I got in there, these guys are trying to get me to do media and all this stuff. I was like, ‘How much time do we really have?’ They’re like, ‘We’ve got a couple minutes.’ ‘All right, let me go inside and get some air conditioning.’ “There was an open bar inside, and I’m like, ‘All right, I’m grabbing a beer.’ It tasted great.”