Scottie Scheffler has won the Memorial Tournament for the second consecutive season. He defeated Ben Griffin by four strokes, making this the seventh time he has won an event by four or more strokes.
Griffin led the tournament after two rounds, and it looked like this might continue as he held onto a four-shot lead, his second consecutive victory in sight. But four bogeys in a row on holes 9-12 brought the rest of the competitors back into contention. Meanwhile, Scheffler shot a bogey-free round of 68, with all of his four birdies coming in the final 5 holes he played Saturday afternoon.
After the first nine holes of the final round, Scheffler held a two-shot lead over Griffin. Scheffler played 31 straight holes without a bogey before making one on the 10th hole. He then responded immediately with birdies on the 11th and 15th holes to give him a three-shot lead with three holes to play. Griffin made an eagle on the 15th hole to stay within striking distance and keep Scheffler’s lead to four strokes. He continued to put pressure on Scheffler by making another birdie on the 16th hole, cutting the lead down to two. Griffin then fell apart on the 17th hole, shooting a double bogey while Scheffler parred to clinch the win.
This is Scheffler’s third win in his last four starts and the 16th win of his career. The last 9 times he has held the 54-hole lead outright he has converted leads into wins. He joins Tiger Woods as the only other player to defend his title at Muirfield Village.
Next week, the PGA Tour makes its annual trip to Canada for the RBC Canadian Open, where Robert MacIntyre will look to defend his win at the Toronto golf course.
