For the second year in a row, Scottie Scheffler has won the Hero World Challenge. This is his ninth title of 2024, after winning seven PGA Tour events and taking home an Olympic gold medal in men’s golf.
Entering Sunday’s final round, Scheffler was one shot behind 54-hole leader Justin Thomas, while Tom Kim sat in third place. Thomas and Scheffler both birdied the opening hole, but then Thomas made bogey on the second hole to drop to a tie for the lead with Scheffler. Scheffler then went on to birdie three more holes on the front nine to give him a one-shot lead over Kim at the turn.
The back nine is where Scheffler reminded everyone why he’s been World No. 1 for 81 consecutive weeks. He had five birdies, scoring a back-nine 31 that propelled him to a six-shot victory.
Coming into the week, Scheffler had raised some buzz with the decision to change to the claw putting grip. “I took a look at it this offseason and figured this is a good week to try stuff just because you can practice and practice and do all the stuff at home, but there’s just something different about being in competition,” Scheffler said about experimenting with the claw grip. “I really enjoyed the way it felt, I felt like I’m seeing some improvements in my stroke.”
Thomas, who finished third, was looking for his first professional win since the 2022 PGA Championship, and his first win as a father—Thomas and his wife Jillian welcomed their first child, Molly Grace, in November. This was his first appearance since finishing T2 at the ZOZO Championship in October, and just like Scheffler, Thomas was using this week to tinker with some equipment. He added a 46-inch driver to his bag this week rather than using the 45-inch driver he’d played with throughout the year. “I’m driving it great,” Thomas said of the new club. “I’ve had a lot of confidence with it.”
The last two men’s events of the 2024 golf season are happening next week. Down in Naples, Fla., LPGA and PGA Tour players will pair up for the Grant Thornton Invitational, while in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla., the final round of Q-School presented by Korn Ferry will take place. There, the top five finishers will earn their PGA Tour cards for 2025.
