Scottie Scheffler won the Tour Championship for the second time Sunday, closing with a 4-under 66 at East Lake in Atlanta to finish at 16-under par. The victory came one day after a hot-mic moment during the third round caught him venting his frustration over a missed putt.
After missing a putt at East Lake on Saturday, Scheffler was picked up by a microphone saying, "How does it go back that way? F---ing grain's over here." He had shot a bogey-free 66 that day and still trailed Viktor Hovland by three shots heading into Sunday's final round.
The final round looked different almost immediately. Scheffler nearly made an ace on the 211-yard par-3 second hole and tapped in for birdie. Meanwhile, Hovland made bogey on the first hole, and Ryan Gerard, who began Sunday one shot behind Hovland in the final pairing, made double bogey on the opening hole.
Within minutes, Scheffler had turned a three-shot deficit into a one-shot deficit.
He went on to birdie holes 2, 4, 8, 10, 13, and 16, with bogeys at 7 and 14. His birdie at No. 13 gave him the outright lead for the first time in the tournament. The bogey at No. 14 briefly brought him back into a tie with Hovland.
Chris Gotterup had a birdie putt that could have moved him within one shot of the leaders. He missed it, then nearly hit his tee shot into the water at the par-3 15th, made bogey after a poor chip, and made another bogey at 16. That effectively ended his chances.
The tournament came down to Scheffler and Hovland. Scheffler's birdie at No. 16 stretched his lead to two shots. Hovland had a chance to answer, but his birdie putt caught the lip and stayed out. The Norwegian dropped his putter in frustration. His last real opportunity disappeared at No. 17, when he thinned his approach over the green and made bogey.
Hovland parred the final hole to close with a 2-over 72 and finish solo second at 13-under, three shots behind Scheffler. Gerard finished solo third at 12-under.
Scheffler's Sunday 66 tied the low round of the day. No other player in the final three pairings shot better than 1-over. When his tap-in par dropped on the final hole, the tournament was effectively over even with four players still on the course.
