Scottie Scheffler joins Tiger Woods as only repeat winners at Memorial

DUBLIN, Ohio (AP) — Scottie Scheffler is winning with such alarming regularity that describing his dominance is not a comfortable topic. So when he won the Memorial on Sunday for the second straight year, he at least had tournament host Jack Nicklaus at his side.

Nicklaus is a great authority when it comes to Scheffler because the Golden Bear sees so much of himself in the world's No. 1 player.

“Once I got myself into position to win, then you've got to be smart about how you finish it,” Nicklaus said after watching Scheffler turn a tussle into a four-shot victory. “And that's the way he's playing. He reminds me so much of the way I like to play.”

That's how it transpired again at tough Muirfield Village, just the way it played out when Scheffler won the PGA Championship two weeks ago.

He's always there. He rarely makes a mistake. Blink and the lead is up to four shots.

Scheffler never lost the lead and never gave anyone much of a chance down the stretch in another relentless performance. He closed with a 2-under 70 in conditions that felt like a dress rehearsal for the U.S. Open. He was the only player to break par all four days.

Scheffler, who won for the ninth straight time with a 54-hole lead, joined Tiger Woods as the only repeat winners of the Memorial. Woods won three in a row (1999-2001) among his five titles at Muirfield Village.

This wasn't his best golf. Scheffler did have a birdie putt until the fifth hole and only hit four of the first 10 greens in regulation. Coming off a bogey from the rough on the 10th hole — his only bogey in the last 40 holes — his lead was one shot over Ben Griffin.

Scheffler had a birdie putt from just inside 15 feet on the par-5 11th. Griffin chipped to 4 feet for a birdie chance. Scheffler made, Griffin missed. Scheffler his the middle of the green on the next two holes. Griffin missed them and made bogey.

The lead was four shots.

“Only one bogey around this place is pretty good,” Scheffler said. “I hit a lot of fairways. I definitely wasn't in the rough very much. I think I hit it in the rough off of 10, but outside of that, I don't think I was really in the rough at all. Around this place, that's going to be key.”

He made it all sound so simple, even if it never feels that way.

“It's always a hard week,” said Scheffler, who finished at 10-under 278. “We battled really hard on the weekend. Overall it was a great week.”

Griffin tried to make it interesting at the end with a 12-foot eagle on the par-5 15th (after Scheffler narrowly missed his 15-foot eagle try) and a 25-foot birdie putt on the par-3 16th (Scheffler's birdie putt was one turn from falling).

That pulled him to within two shots with two to play. Scheffler, however, doesn't make mistakes. Fairway and green on 17th, fairway and green on the 18th.

Griffin made double bogey on the 17th.

“I’m definitely proving further more that I belong at the top in this game,” Griffin said. “I won twice the last five weeks and those feelings are fun on Sunday nights when you’re signing a bunch of flags. I was prepared to do that today and ultimately just didn’t execute how I wanted to to get it done.”

Griffin made a 4-foot par on the 18th for a 73 to finish alone in second, worth $2.2 million, more than what he earned when he won at Colonial last week.

Sepp Straka (70) finished another shot back.

“You know Scottie’s probably going to play a good round of golf. The guy’s relentless. He loves competition, and he doesn’t like giving up shots,” Straka said. “But it’s one of those courses where it can always happen, so you got to be prepared for it. I felt like I gave myself a lot of chances to kind of make a push.”

Rickie Fowler had his first top 10 of the year at just the right time.

He made par on the 18th to tie for seventh, earning him a spot in the British Open. Fowler tied with Brandt Snedeker at 1-under 287, but gets the one Open exemption available based on a higher world ranking — Fowler at No. 124, Snedeker at No. 430.

“That’s one I’ve wanted on the schedule,” said Fowler, who faces a 36-hole qualifier for the U.S. Open on Monday.

Scheffler has won three times in his last four starts — the exception was Colonial, a tie for fourth the week after winning the PGA Championship — and expanded his margin at No. 1 in the world to levels not seen since Woods in his peak years.

For Scheffler, it was his fifth victory in a $20 million signature event in the last two years.

With mud on the golf ball in the first fairway, too much spin on short irons on the next few holes, Scheffler didn't have a birdie putt until the fifth hole. He saved par seven times in the final round, including the final hole.

His last three victories have been by eight shots (Byron Nelson), five shots (PGA Championship) and four shots (Memorial).

“Scottie, he didn’t play — for him — spectacular golf,” Nicklaus said. “He played what he should do. He played good, solid, smart golf. Three 70s and a 68, that’s pretty good golf under the conditions that were out there. That’s what the best player in the world does.”

AP golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golf

Scottie Scheffler, right, holds the trophy as he poses for a photo with his wife Meredith, second from right, and son Bennett, center, and Jack, left, and Barbara Nicklaus, second from left, after winning the Memorial golf tournament Sunday, June 1, 2025, in Dublin, Ohio. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)

Scottie Scheffler pumps his fist after his putt on the 18th green as he wins the Memorial golf tournament Sunday, June 1, 2025, in Dublin, Ohio. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)

Scottie Scheffler, left, and Jack Nicklaus, right, pose with the trophy after Scheffler won the Memorial golf tournament Sunday, June 1, 2025, in Dublin, Ohio. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)

Sepp Straka reacts after his chip shot onto the fourth green during the final round of the Memorial golf tournament Sunday, June 1, 2025, in Dublin, Ohio. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)

Rickie Fowler hits from the rough on the second hole during the final round of the Memorial golf tournament Sunday, June 1, 2025, in Dublin, Ohio. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)

Ben Griffin hits from the fifth tee during the final round of the Memorial golf tournament Sunday, June 1, 2025, in Dublin, Ohio. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)

Scottie Scheffler hits from the fifth tee during the final round of the Memorial golf tournament Sunday, June 1, 2025, in Dublin, Ohio. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)

Scottie Scheffler chips onto the fourth green during the final round of the Memorial golf tournament Sunday, June 1, 2025, in Dublin, Ohio. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)

RABAT, Morocco (AP) — Tanzania and Tunisia secured the last two available spots in the Africa Cup of Nations last 16 on Tuesday, completing the lineup before half of the groups had concluded their final games.

Tanzania's 1-1 draw with Tunisia in Group C wrecked Angola's hopes of squeezing through as one of the best third-place finishers with just two points from Group B. Angola’s goal difference was better than that of Comoros, the third-place finisher in Group A.

Feisal Salum’s equalizer for Tanzania sent the Taifa Stars through. While Tanzania and Angola both finished with two points and a goal difference of minus 1, the goal scored by Salum, who is commonly known as Fei Toto, took Tanzania's tally to three — one better than Angola's two goals.

All the other group stage survivors were decided already on Monday because of Angola and Comoros’ relatively low points total. It meant teams that already had more than two points and were already assured of at least third place in their groups could be certain of reaching the last 16.

The four best third-place teams from the six groups progress, along with the top two in each. Head-to-head results are the first determining factor if two teams finish with the same amount of points in a group.

Here's a look at which teams went through from the six groups:

Host nation Morocco progressed as the winner of Group A, followed by second-place Mali with just three points from three draws. Morocco next faces a third-place finisher from Groups C, D or E on Sunday. More importantly for the Atlas Lions, they will continue their run to the final in the almost 70,000-capacity Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium, which will also stage the final on Jan. 18. Mali awaits Tunisia for a showdown in Casablanca on Saturday.

Seven-time champion Egypt booked its place after two games and won Group B to advance with South Africa in second, ahead of Angola. Egypt stays in Agadir and next faces a third-place finisher from Groups A, C or D on Jan. 5. South Africa faces a likely tough game against the runner-up in Group F on Sunday.

Nigeria was already sure of topping Group C before its 3-1 win over Uganda on Tuesday. The Super Eagles will remain in Fez for their first knockout game against a third-place finisher from Groups A, B or F on Jan. 5. Tunisia faces Mali in the last 16, and Tanzania progressed as the fourth-best third-place finisher.

Senegal, Congo and Benin were already sure of progressing before their final group games late Tuesday. In the end, Senegal topped the group on goal difference after its 3-0 win over Benin, while Congo finished second after a 3-0 win over Botswana. Botswana had already lost to Senegal and Benin and was certain of finishing last.

Top spot ensured Senegal stays in Tangier for its first knockout game on Saturday against a third-place finisher from Groups B, E or F. But the 2021 champion will be without suspended captain Kalidou Koulibaly.

Congo next faces Algeria, and Benin – like the other surviving third-place finishers – will face one of the group winners.

Algeria is certain to win Group E before its final group games, and Burkina Faso and Sudan are certain to advance because they cannot finish below Equatorial Guinea, which lost both games against them. Algeria will play Congo, the second-place finisher from Group D, on Jan 6. in the same Rabat stadium where it has played all its games so far. On Wednesday, Sudan play Burkina Faso and Algeria plays Equatorial Guinea.

Defending champion Ivory Coast, five-time winner Cameroon, and Mozambique are assured of progress from Group F. Gabon, sure to finish last, was already eliminated before the last round of group games on Wednesday, when the order of the top three teams will be decided. Ivory Coast plays Gabon and Cameroon faces Mozambique.

AP at the Africa Cup: https://apnews.com/hub/africa-cup-of-nations

A DR Congo fans cheer prior to the Africa Cup of Nations group D soccer match between Botswana and DR Congo in Rabat, Morocco, Tuesday, Dec. 30, 2025. (AP Photo/Mosa'ab Elshamy)

A DR Congo fan cheers prior to the Africa Cup of Nations group D soccer match between Botswana and DR Congo in Rabat, Morocco, Tuesday, Dec. 30, 2025. (AP Photo/Mosa'ab Elshamy)

Morocco fans wait for the start of the Africa Cup of Nations group A soccer match between Zambia and Morocco in Rabat, Morocco, Monday, Dec. 29, 2025. (AP Photo/Themba Hadebe)

Tunisia's supporters wait for the start of the Africa Cup of Nations group C soccer match between Tanzania and Tunisia in Rabat, Morocco, Tuesday, Dec. 30, 2025. (AP Photo/Mosa'ab Elshamy)

A Moroccan fan waits for the start of the Africa Cup of Nations group A soccer match between Zambia and Morocco in Rabat, Morocco, Monday, Dec. 29, 2025. (AP Photo/Themba Hadebe)

A Moroccan fan waits for the start of the Africa Cup of Nations group A soccer match between Zambia and Morocco in Rabat, Morocco, Monday, Dec. 29, 2025. (AP Photo/Themba Hadebe)

Senegal fans support their national team during the Africa Cup of Nations group D soccer match between Senegal and DR Congo in Tangier, Morocco, Saturday, Dec. 27, 2025. (AP Photo/Themba Hadebe)