Recap, power rankings, highlights from Sawgrass

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. — Whereas Scottie Scheffler was operating away with a 5-stroke victory on the Gamers to select up his sixth PGA Tour victory in 13 months Sunday, there was nonetheless loads of drama on the leaderboard.

With simply two weeks left to crack the highest 50 of the Official World Golf Rating to earn an invite to the Masters, the primary main of the season, a handful of gamers had an opportunity to get comfortably above the road.

PGA Tour rookie Taylor Montgomery was 7 beneath to begin the ultimate spherical. He was 1 over by his first 5 holes, however then posted birdies on Nos. 7, 9, 11 and 14. He was tied for sixth and a probably good payday as nicely. Fifth place paid $1.025 million; tenth place was for $681,250.

Then issues fell aside for the previous UNLV star. After making a bogey on the par-4 fifteenth, Montgomery made a double-bogey 7 on the sixteenth. Then, on the enduring par-3 seventeenth, he hit two balls into the water and ended up with a quadruple-bogey 7.

Montgomery completed in a tie for forty fourth. He’s ranked 56th on this planet rankings and has some work to do over the subsequent couple of weeks.

Australia’s Min Woo Lee, who began the ultimate spherical 2 strokes behind Scheffler, made a triple-bogey 7 on the fourth gap and double-bogey 7 on the eleventh. He carded a 4-over 76 and completed in a tie for sixth at 8 beneath. Lee, who competes on the DP World Tour, needed to end fourth or higher to earn particular short-term membership on the PGA Tour.

Lee, the youthful brother of LPGA star Minjee Lee, moved as much as No. 45 on this planet and earned a spot within the WGC-Dell Applied sciences Match Play in two weeks. He is additionally in good condition for an invite to the Masters.

“Yeah, I am excited,” Lee mentioned. “Hopefully, I can play nicely within the subsequent few PGA Tour tournaments I play in and might play out right here.”

Island desires

It did not take lengthy for the seventeenth gap on the Stadium Course to give up an ace. Hayden Buckley, enjoying in {one of the} second teams out Thursday morning, recorded the eleventh ace on the enduring gap.

England’s Aaron Rai made one other one within the third spherical Saturday. It was the primary time for the reason that Gamers has been held at TPC Sawgrass that there have been two holes-in-one on the seventeenth in the identical match. Then former Duke participant Alex Smalley added a 3rd one, even with a tougher pin place on the center proper of the inexperienced.

Smalley sandwiched his ace between a double bogey on the sixteenth and a bogey on the 18th. It was the primary hole-in-one in his PGA Tour profession. His mother and father and sister have been close to the opening when he made it.

“I noticed them strolling down the cart path on 17,” Smalley mentioned. “They appeared fairly excited. Fairly cool. It was very neat.”

There have been 13 extra balls hit within the water Sunday, bringing the 72-hole complete to 58, which was yet another than final 12 months.

PGA Tour Energy Rankings

1. Scottie Scheffler
He received for the sixth time in 13 months on the Gamers, which got here with a $4.5 million paycheck. Scheffler and Tiger Woods are the one gamers to win the Masters and the Gamers earlier than turning 27. Scheffler would be the defending champion once more when he tees it up on the WGC-Dell Applied sciences Match Play in Austin, Texas, on March 22-25.

2. Jon Rahm
Rahm needed to withdraw from the Gamers earlier than the second spherical due to a abdomen sickness. It ended his string of 25 consecutive cuts made, the longest energetic streak on the PGA Tour.

3. Rory McIlroy
McIlroy’s recreation is not in nice form lower than a month from the Masters. He is not completely happy together with his new TaylorMade driver; he tied for 117th in driving accuracy this week, hitting simply 13 of 28 fairways. He additionally misplaced almost 2½ strokes to the sphere in placing.

4. Max Homa
Homa wasn’t in rivalry at TPC Sawgrass after taking pictures even par in every of the primary two rounds. However he was 8 beneath over the ultimate 36 holes to tie for sixth. It was his fifth top-10 in 9 tour begins this season.

5. Tony Finau
Finau posted one other top-25, his eighth in 9 begins this season, by going 7 beneath over the ultimate two rounds on the Gamers. He tied for nineteenth at 1 beneath.

6. Collin Morikawa
It appeared that Morikawa had found out the Stadium Course when he recorded a 7-under 65 within the first spherical. He wasn’t almost nearly as good over the ultimate 54 holes and tied for thirteenth at 7 beneath.

7. Viktor Hovland
Hovland hasn’t received on tour for the reason that World Broad Expertise Championship at Mayakoba in November 2021. However with three straight prime 20s in opposition to robust fields, together with a tie for third on the Gamers, his recreation appears to be coming round.

8. Patrick Cantlay
Cantlay won’t be enjoying just like the No. 4 participant on this planet, however he hasn’t been unhealthy currently. His previous three finishes have been solo third on the Genesis, a tie for fourth on the Arnold Palmer Invitational and a tie for nineteenth on the Gamers, the place he usually hasn’t performed very nicely.

9. Xander Schauffele
One other participant who hadn’t executed a variety of injury at TPC Sawgrass, Schauffele put collectively two good rounds on the weekend to complete in a tie for nineteenth at 6 beneath. It was effort after a few so-so begins.

10. Tom Kim
Kim tied for 51st on the Gamers, which wasn’t a lot of a shock in his first begin within the occasion. However he received the Shriners Kids’s Open in October and has three top-10s and 5 top-25s in 10 begins.

Hatton’s huge day

It isn’t fairly often that you’re going to see a smile on Tyrrell Hatton‘s face or hear him praise a golf course. However the Englishman had loads of causes to be completely happy after ending solo second behind Scheffler. He earned $2.725 million for his effort.

It was Hatton’s third profession runner-up end on tour. He tied the Gamers document (because it moved to TPC Sawgrass in 1982) with a back-nine rating of 29 on Sunday. He had seven birdies and no bogeys within the final 9 holes.

“I imply, contemplating the place I used to be at first of the again 9, I used to be most likely tied thirty fourth or one thing like that,” Hatton mentioned. “In case you had mentioned that you’d end second within the match or tied [for] second and you do not have to play the again 9, I feel you’ll take that.”

It was Hatton’s first top-10 in six begins within the Gamers. He had missed the lower thrice.

“Yeah, it is humorous, sounds horrible to say one thing optimistic, I assume, but it surely’s one in all my favourite golf programs,” Hatton mentioned. “Though I have not usually, aside from this week and final 12 months, I assume, I have not actually executed that nicely right here previously. There’s a few tee pictures that I most likely battle with greater than different lads which have a extra pure right-to-left or drawers of the ball.

“However I feel it is such a fairly golf course, visually on the attention, I imply apart from 8. We do not want 235 yard par-3s; that sort of ruins it a bit. I received to say one thing damaging, clearly. However, yeah, I do just like the golf course.”

One for the ages

Jerry Kelly, 56, certified for the Gamers area by successful the Senior Gamers Championship on PGA Tour Champions final season. A 3-time winner on the PGA Tour, Kelly made the lower on the quantity at 2 over after 36 holes.

Kelly grew to become the oldest participant to make the lower on the Gamers at 56 years, 3 months and 16 days. Arnold Palmer set the earlier mark of 55 years, 6 months and 19 days in 1985.

Was simply previous…now I am oldest🤡 https://t.co/Ly493Rhhzj

— Jerry Kelly (@jerrykelly13pga) March 12, 2023

Kelly carded a 3-under 69 within the third spherical and was even-par 72 within the final. He tied for 54th at 1 beneath after 72 holes. He collected $58,000, which was greater than Justin Thomas and McIlroy mixed to make.

Better of the weekend

Finest spherical
Tom Hoge set the Stadium Course document with a 10-under 62 on Saturday. 9 gamers, together with Greg Norman, Brooks Koepka and Dustin Johnson, held the earlier document of 9-under 63.

Finest end
England’s Aaron Rai grew to become the primary competitor on the Gamers to complete a spherical with a birdie on 16, ace on 17 and birdie on 18 on Saturday.

Finest drive
Homa took pin looking to a wholly new stage on No. 12 on Sunday.

Finest method
Justin Thomas did not have a terrific week, however this was second.

Finest chip
There wasn’t a lot Scheffler could not do at TPC Sawgrass.

Finest putt
Min Woo Lee made almost 300 ft of putts mixed within the first three rounds.

Worst gap
Aaron Sensible lived out a Tin Cup nightmare through the first spherical. He hit three tee pictures within the water and carded a ten on the par-4 18th gap.

Worst spherical
Max McGreevy carded a 3-under 69 within the first spherical — after which was 20 strokes worse within the second. His 17-over 89 tied for the worst spherical in Gamers historical past; Michael Campbell was additionally 17 over within the first spherical in 2003. McGreevy birdied the ninth gap, his final, to keep away from 90.

Recognize it

— Max McGreevy (@maxmcgreevy) March 10, 2023

Better of social media

A hero in multiple manner: Energetic Marine Matt Cutler saved Jordan Spieth‘s weekend when a tee shot bounced off his knee on the fly on the ninth gap Friday, which prevented his ball from going within the water. Spieth ended up chipping in for an eagle and comfortably made the lower.

“Sorry and thanks” 😆@JordanSpieth had a present for the fan who saved his weekend @THEPLAYERSChamp. pic.twitter.com/pEJJoiO30Y

— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) March 12, 2023

Priorities …

Who’s taking me to chase a 🦃 close to Tampa within the am? Solely must borrow camo, gun, tag and many others…

— Kevin Kisner (@K_Kisner) March 12, 2023

Give him an A for effort.

Aaron Sensible on 18 pic.twitter.com/84apJrStjv

— Amanda Rose (@AmandaGolf59) March 9, 2023

It was a house recreation for Trevor Lawrence.

Bought a pleasant invite to @THEPLAYERSChamp from @TiffanyAndCo and met the No. 16 on the 17. @Trevorlawrencee pic.twitter.com/edlWHC284D

— Kurt Busch (@KurtBusch) March 10, 2023