Scottie Scheffler Loves The Opportunity, Xander Schauffele Hates It, And The Players Delivering What Is Needed

The final round of The Players was, without question, the most enjoyable Sunday in non-major championship golf we've had in quite some time. The shots being hit, the leaderboard, the drama, and the setting itself were about as good as it gets, which is exactly how every week at TPC Sawgrass is supposed to feel. We need to tip our cap to The Players more emphatically for many reasons we'll get into in this week's edition of Par Talk.

Speaking of the players (pun absolutely intended) it's Scottie Scheffler and then everyone else. That was the case even before he dominated Sawgrass with a torn-up neck to become the first player to ever defend their title at The Players.  Sunday served as yet another reminder that nobody loves big-time moments and grabbing fear by the throat than Scheffler does.

The exact opposite can be said for Xander Schauffele. He stared the golden man trophy right in the eyes on Sunday and said ‘no, I do not want you on my mantle.'

No Moment Is Too Big For Scottie Scheffler

Not only has Scottie Scheffler now won back-to-back Players Championships, he's won back-to-back Players Championships in opposite fashion.

If we go back to 2023, Scheffler flexed his muscle on Saturday with a third-round 65 to take a two-shot lead into the final round. In other words, things were comfortable for the Texan and he responded with a three-under 69 to coast to a five-shot victory. At that point in time, it felt impossible to think that Scheffler could become any more dominant of a ball striker, but fast-forward one year later to the exact same spot and he proved that he had yet another gear.

Scheffler began Sunday's final round five shots back with arguably the second-best player in the world in Wyndham Clark, last year's Open champion Brian Harman, and Xander Schauffele standing in his way on the leaderboard. Those are three very valiant foes, and on a demanding golf course, playing catch-up was a tall, tall order. There's also the fact that Scheffler was receiving mid-round treatment on his neck on Friday with his caddie Ted Scott saying he thought he was going to withdraw prior to the weekend due to the pain.

Scheffler needed to catch an early break in the round on Sunday, and he only had to wait four holes. With wedge in his hands from 92 yards out, he holed out for eagle on the short yet tough Par 4. He followed that up with an 18-foot birdie putt on the fifth hole, and it was off to the races from that point forward.

After five holes, the entire setting switched from being a challenge to an opportunity, and there isn't a player on the planet who takes advantage of opportunities better than Scheffler.

With Scheffler being a few groups ahead of the leaders knowing he had to post a number, every shot seemed like a make-or-break moment as he was running out of holes faster than everyone else bunched at the top of the leaderboard.

All he managed to do was lead the field in strokes gained: off the tee and strokes gained: total while knowing one poor swing was going to cost him a chance at history. 

The 12th and 13th holes served as the best example of Scheffler answering the call. After driving the Par 4 12th and two-putting for birdie, Scheffler stood on the demanding Par 3 13th having to go after a pin the majority of the field didn't even glance at on Sunday. He stepped up and hit it inside five feet, but missed the birdie putt, not even hitting the hole. 

There, it felt like the comeback story may be too good to be true, but he didn't let what felt like a catastrophic miss mess with his game plan. Shooting 1-under over this five holes proved to be just enough for a one-shot victory.

With the drama taking place behind him, capped off with one of the most ridiculous lip-outs in the sport's history courtesy of Wyndham Clark, it felt like Scheffler's greatness was overshadowed a bit. Nobody wanted the golf to end because the golf world has been yearning for a finish like that all of 2024, but what we saw out of Scheffler not only on Sunday but all four days was magic.

Scheffler, like every other modern-day player, has not even entered the Tiger Woods stratosphere of greatness yet, but Sunday's final round had Woods-at-his-peak vibes. We haven't seen a ball-striking performance like that in years, but it's becoming all too common to say that phrase week after week when it comes to Scottie.

Xander Schauffele Lacks That Killer Instinct

Xander Schauffele has won the Tour Championship, has six other PGA Tour wins to his name, is the No. 4 player in the world, and represented the U.S. on many occasions.

Despite his consistency, and a player who loves the first page of the leaderboard, he's lacked something over the years, and that something went missing yet again on Sunday at The Players.

Schauffele may have taken a one-shot lead into the final round, yet the entire day it felt like a matter of when, not if, it would disappear.

The 30-year-old made it through 10 holes on Sunday still standing as the man to beat, but just when it mattered most is exactly when he turned into a ghost.

The Par 5 11th was an opportunity for him to ever-so-slightly start closing the door, but staring 207 into the flag he came up 15 yards short and didn't manage to get up and down for birdie from the bunker. He answered back with a good birdie from behind the green on the 12th, but when the next four holes presented themselves to be a make-or-break moment, he folded almost instantly.

Unlike Scheffler who attacked the Par 3 13th, Schauffele played mega-conservative, which was a preview of what was to come. The two bad swings on the tees of 14 and 15 almost felt inevitable, but the most egregious moment came on the Par 5 16th.

After a perfect tee shot and knocking his approach to 23 feet for eagle, Schauffele was presented with the opportunity to be a killer or the Xander of old.

He went with the latter as he left his eagle putt two feet short of the hole. That moment proved he was perfectly fine to finish runner-up. It felt like he would have signed up for two pars on the final two holes just to get off the golf course.

While he's very much just now entering the prime years of his career, there may not be a better opportunity for Schauffele to win The Players. His short game had never been better and was given a one-shot cushion to start the day, yet still never felt like a factor when it mattered the absolute most.

The Players Does Everything It's Asked To Do

It's become far too easy, and even common practice really, to make fun of just about every aspect of the PGA Tour and professional golf as a whole. The Players is no exception, especially with their longtime gimmick of being the game's fifth major championship, but even more so this year with the absence of elite players who jumped ship for LIV Golf.

Having said that, if you're slandering that golf tournament after everything that unfolded on Sunday, you're just wired to be a pessimist. 

The 2024 Players may have been the perfect golf tournament.

You had the best leaderboard of the year by a wide margin, the No. 1 player in the world shooting a final round 64, the entire tournament coming down to the final putt, and one of the most memorable lip outs of all time courtesy of the only PGA Tour player who has come close to playing as well as Scheffler over the last six months. If there wasn't going to be a playoff to decide it, you couldn't have written up a more exciting finish than the one TPC Sawgrass delivered.

Not only did The Players deliver the goods for four days, it delivered heightened expectations and excitement for what's to come, which is that tournament in Augusta, Georgia in four weeks' time. 

The decision to bring the tournament back to the month of March was a no-brainer call. Not only does it not get lost in the fray, it serves as the perfect appetizer for major championship season right around the corner.

There is plenty to complain about when it comes to the current state of professional golf, but The Players was a great break from all that and an even better reminder of just how highly entertaining the sport can be.