Source : ABC NEWS
Adam Scott has had to settle for yet another cool milestone as Scottie Scheffler surpassed Tiger Woods as the PGA Tour’s all-time leading prize money earner with his second season-long FedEx Cup crown.
Scheffler once again underlined his undisputed status as the world number one with a decisive three-shot triumph at the $US40 million ($56 million) Tour Championship in Atlanta.
The 2024 champion fired a closing four-under-par 66 to reel in third-round leader Viktor Hovland and join grand slam greats Rory McIlroy (2016, 2019, 2022) and Woods (2007, 2009) as only the third player to win the showpiece finale multiple times.
In pocketing the monster $US10 million winner’s cheque, Scheffler also surged past Woods ($US120,999,166) with a mind-blowing $US130,390,661 in career on-course earnings in only his seventh season on the PGA Tour.
After starting three shots behind Hovland and alongside Scott in joint third, Scheffler surged clear to finish at 16-under for the tournament.
Hovland, the 2023 winner, was the outright runner-up despite a Sunday slip-up, a 72 as the Norwegian fell short in his own bid to win a second FedEx Cup.
American Ryan Gerard was third at 12-under following his own faltering 72.
With a closing 68, Min Woo Lee wound up one shot ahead of Scott, finishing as Australia’s top finisher in an impressive seven-way tie for fourth on his Tour Championship debut.
Lee finished at 11-under with England’s Alex Fitzpatrick (66), Americans Jacob Bridgeman (68), Russell Henley (68) and Chris Gotterup (71), McIlroy (69) and Swede Ludvig Aberg (71).
At 46 years, one month and 14 days, Scott was striving to become the oldest FedEx Cup champion, with Vijay Singh more than a year younger when he won in 2008.
Alas, it was not the former world number one’s day.
Scott was in third spot for much of the afternoon, even pulling to within two shots of the lead early on the back nine.
But, unable to buy a birdie putt, Scott’s bold challenge ended with a bogey on the par-4 16th hole after he hooked his drive wildly off the tee and hit a sloppy drop shot on number 17.
He eventually signed for a 72 to finish at 10 under with England’s 2025 champ Tommy Fleetwood (67) and American world number three Cameron Young (70).
Still, Scott’s share of 11th, 20 years after winning the Tour Championship, earned the veteran a tidy $US660,000.
That was enough to push Australia’s 2013 Masters champion one up to seventh, above Justin Thomas, on the PGA Tour’s all-time money list with $US74,880,596 in prize money.
Only Scheffler, Woods, McIlroy, Phil Mickelson, Justin Rose and Dustin Johnson are now above Scott.
AAP
