The Memorial’s New King: Has Scottie Become Inevitable?
After a weekend in Columbus for the tournament known for Jack Nicklaus, many things can be taken away, but one thing is for certain. The number one player in the world, Scottie Scheffler, has become inevitable. After shooting two under par in the first two rounds, Scheffler would finish with just one bogey in his last 36 holes, including birdies on three of the last four holes in round three to take the lead going into today. After round three, even with rising star Ben Griffin only two shots back, Jordan Speith would say during his post-round media availability that he knew he didn’t have much of a chance if he didn’t shoot very low due to Scottie’s inability to shoot over par, according to the former Masters Champion. Birdies on 11 and 15 would seal it on Sunday, and while Griffin got it to two, a double bogey on 17 would seal Scheffler’s victory.
Speaking of Ben Griffin, he might have solidified his spot on the Ryder Cup team after contesting Scheffler and almost coming back on the world number one. After a win last week at the Charles Schwab and a second-place finish this week, Griffin has given signs that we saw from Ludvig Aberg last year as the next in line to contest for Majors. Rickie Fowler also had a big week, getting the last non-exemption spot for the U.S. Open with a finish at one under par. The course also resembled Oakmont, where the next Major is played in two weeks, due to the long grass and long jowls, including multiple par threes over 200 yards. The only one who didn’t fall under the pressure to Scottie the first 10 holes, however, was Sepp Straka, who started out hot, going two under through his first six holes before shooting even the rest of the day and finishing at a five-under third place.
The biggest takeaway of the whole tournament, though, was the emotions from Scottie Scheffler. Due to the tournament being dedicated this year to Nicklaus' wife, Scottie was asked about his wife, Meridith, to which an emotional Scheffler responded, saying how she was his number one fan and best friend. The tour will move to Canada next week for the RBC, where golf fans will see the return of Rory McIlroy as he tries to defend a tournament that he has won two of the last four years. Scottie will take the week off before going for his second Major of the year at Oakmont, trying to even up his stellar 2024 campaign. Scottie has now won five tournaments this year, including the PGA Championship, and just became the second person ever to win the Memorial in back-to-back years, joining Tiger Woods. Scottie has truly become inevitable with this win, as almost all the field shot over par in today’s final round besides Scottie.
