HILTON HEAD ISLAND, S.C. — Masters champion Scottie Scheffler winning the RBC Heritage on Monday morning seemed inevitable. It felt that way at the start of the week, too.
Scheffler had a 5-shot lead with three holes to play in the rain-delayed tournament. He made a meaningless bogey on the final hole for a 3-under 68 and a 3-shot victory over Sahith Theegala at Harbour Town.
He won for the fourth time in his past five starts and became the first player since Bernhard Langer in 1985 to win the week after capturing the Masters green jacket.
Now he has a plaid jacket from the RBC Heritage, extending a dominant run not seen on the PGA Tour since the peak years of Tiger Woods.
Theegala made birdie on the 16th hole and saved par from the bunker on 17th before closing with another par for a 68. That let him finish alone in second, which was worth an additional $666,667.
“Even though I finished second, I felt like I was never really in it to win there. Scottie was just so far ahead,” Theegala said.
Patrick Cantlay two-putted for par from long range for a 68 to tie for third with U.S. Open champion Wyndham Clark, among the fortunate to have finished Sunday.
The final round was stopped for 2½ hours because of storms. By then, Scheffler had taken command as he so often does with sublime shot-making.
He won $3.6 million from the $20 million purse at this signature event, taking his season total to more than $18 million before the calendar even turns to May.
About 400 spectators waiting along the 18th fairway were allowed to fill a corner of the grandstands along the 18th hole as Scheffler approached. His bogey ended a streak of 68 consecutive holes at par or better, another sign of his stunning consistency.
Next up for Scheffler is a different kind of prize: His wife is pregnant with their first child, and the due date is next week. Still to come are the other three majors, starting with the PGA Championship, which will be May 16-19.
Source Agencies
