Scottie Scheffler gets the job done at Bay Hill to win Arnold Palmer Invitational
American up to No. 5 in world after ‘exhausting’ test over 72 holes
Scottie Scheffler isn’t sure he won the Arnold Palmer Invitational as much as he survived it.
Over the final four holes Sunday at Bay Hill, he had to get up-and-down from 149 yards in rough covering the tops of his shoes, and from 67 yards over the water to a back pin on the third-easiest hole.
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The two conventional pars that followed were just as scary, one from 45 feet and the other from about 70 feet, on greens with barely enough grass to keep the ball from sliding, knowing a gust could send the ball an extra eight feet.
Scheffler answered every challenge. He closed with a bogey-free back nine at Bay Hill and an even-par 72 for a one-shot victory, his second on the PGA Tour in a month. He moved to No. 5 in the world.
“To be completely honest with you, right now I’m exhausted,” Scheffler said. “This course is a total beat-down trying to play. I’m very pleased I didn’t have to play any extra holes.”
Viktor Hovland (74) missed an 18-foot birdie putt from the fringe on the 18th. Billy Horschel (75) missed a 30-foot birdie in the final group, both trying to force a playoff. They finished one shot behind, along with Tyrrell Hatton, who had a 69 and finished an hour earlier.
Scheffler didn’t win the US Open. It just felt like one.
Only a few birdies on the par-5 16th and pars on the 18th kept this from being the toughest final round at Bay Hill in four decades. The average score was still 75.48. Six players shot 80 or higher and only four players broke par.