NASSAU, Bahamas (AP) — Scottie Scheffler won the Hero World Challenge on Sunday with a 9-under 63 to tie the tournament record at Albany Golf Club and win by six shots.
Scheffler, the first player since Tiger Woods in 2009 to spend an entire calendar year at No. 1 in the world, won for the ninth time in 21 starts, a tally that included a second Masters title, an Olympic gold medal and the FedEx Cup.
He started the final round one shot behind Justin Thomas, took the lead on the par-5 third hole, stayed in front with a 50-foot birdie putt on No. 4 and never looked back. Tom Kim tried to stay close until he missed a 19-inch par putt on the par-5 11th. He birdied the final hole for a 68 and was runner-up when Thomas bogeyed the last hole for a 71.
Scheffler finished at 25-under 263 to tie the tournament record at Albany first set by Bubba Watson in 2015, and his six-shot victory was the largest in the nine years Tiger Woods’ holiday tournament has been held in the Bahamas.
SUN CITY, South Africa (AP) — American Johannes Veerman claimed his second title on the European tour by closing with a 3-under 69 for a one-shot victory over Aldrich Potgieter in the Nedbank Golf Challenge.
Potgieter could have won with a birdie on the 18th hole. But he missed the green to the right, chipped to 10 feet and missed the putt to finish one behind. He closed with a 75 and tied for second with Matthew Jordan (72) and Romain Langasque (71).
Veerman, a 32-year-old Californian who is No. 209 in the world ranking, started the final round five shots behind. His other European tour win was he Czech Masters in 2021.
RIYADH, Saudi Arabia (AP) — Joaquin Niemann made birdie on the second playoff hole to beat Cameron Smith and Caleb Surrat in the Saudi International, an Asian Tour event that ended Saturday.
Niemann, who closed with a 4-under 67, finished the year with three wins, two of them early in the LIV Golf League season. It was his second win this year in Saudi Arabia.
Smith rallied with a 62 and got into the playoff when Niemann and Surrat (66) each bogeyed the 18th hole.
Niemann wound up atop the ranking in the International Series on the Asian Tour, ahead of Peter Uihlein and Ben Campbell.
Cory Crawford closes with a 4-under 68 for a one-shot victory over Tyler McCumber in the Victoria PGA Championship on the PGA Tour of Australasia. Anthony Quayle, who assessed himself seven shots of penalties for misunderstanding the preferred lies rule in the opening round, shot 69 to finish in third place, two shots behind. ... Peter Baker finished birdie-birdie for a 68 and then beat Simon Griffiths on the third playoff hole to win the MCB Tour Championship on the European Legends Tour.
AP golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golf
Scottie Scheffler, of the United States, poses with the championship trophy after the final round of the Hero World Challenge PGA Tour at the Albany Golf Club in New Providence, Bahamas, Sunday, Dec. 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Fernando Llano)
Scottie Scheffler, left, of the United States, and Tiger Woods, right, pose with the championship trophy after the final round of the Hero World Challenge PGA Tour at the Albany Golf Club in New Providence, Bahamas, Sunday, Dec. 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Fernando Llano)
