2024 Players Championship leaderboard: Scottie Scheffler becomes first back-to-back winner at TPC Sawgrass

Scheffler defended his title and won across consecutive weeks with the lowest final round in course history

The 50th edition of the Players Championship saw a tournament first as Scottie Scheffler claimed the PGA Tour's flagship event for the second straight season. It was a one-stroke victory for Scheffler, whose 20 under score bested 54-hole leader Xander Schauffele, 36-hole leader Wyndham Clark and Brian Harman. 

The world No. 1 became the first player to successfully defend his Players Championship title, and he needed to come from five back on Sunday to do it. He tied the largest 54-hole deficit overcome en route to winning, and Scheffler's 64 on Sunday tied the lowest final-round score from a Players Championship winner (Davis Love III, Fred Couples, Jack Nicklaus).

Prior to Scheffler's successful defense, the best finish by the defending champion was T5, most recently accomplished by Hal Sutton in 2001.

Scheffler is also the first player since Tiger Woods in 2001 to win The Players Championship a week after winning emerging victorious on the PGA Tour, according to Justin Ray. He is also the fourth to win at Bay Hill and TPC Sawgrass in the same season, joining Tom Kite (1989), Woods (2001, 2013) and Jason Day (2016).

The most predictable man in golf experienced one of the most unpredictable tournaments of his career. Dealing with a neck injury that started ailing him during the second round, Scheffler did well just to enter the final round within arm's reach of Schauffele.

"I was hoping to be in this position," said Scheffler. "Yesterday -- I put up a good fight for four days. That's really all there was. Teddy [Scott] kept me in a good head space out there. We had a great finish yesterday, and then got off to a slow start today, but then the hole-out on 4 kind of propelled us a little bit, and hit a lot of good shots today, did a lot of good things this week."

Making three straight pars out the gate, the reigning PGA Tour Player of the Year jump started his round with a hole-out from 82 yards on the par-4 4th for an eagle. He added a birdie on his next hole before nice conversions from outside 10 feet on Nos. 8-9 to turn in 5-under 31, pulling even with Schauffele and Clark.

Back-to-back tap-in birdies on Nos. 11-12 saw Scheffler tie Schauffele once again at 19 under. He appeared keen on keeping the birdie train rolling when he threw his tee shot on the par-3 14 to 4 feet, but Scheffler was unable to convert.

Coolly navigating the difficult 14th and 15th, Scheffler added his eighth birdie of the round on the par-5 16th to grab the lead all to himself. He secured par on the 17th and had eyes on one more birdie on the closing hole after finding the fairway.

Scheffler's approach took an odd hop and settled 16 feet away. One last birdie conversion would have all but clinched the trophy, but when his putt slipped by, the door remained open for the chasing pack as he posted 20 under.

Harman made his move with a birdie on No. 15 to get within one, but a wayward drive on No. 16 handcuffed the Champion Golfer of the Year on the easiest hole on the back nine. He arrived at the 18th needing birdie to tie the clubhouse lead, but Harman failed to convert from 17 feet and join Scheffler at 20 under.

Only two men remained with a chance to track down the game's top player. Both Schauffele and Clark made it difficult on themselves with dropped shots on No. 14. Schauffele added another bogey on No. 15 to fall two off Scheffler's pace but quickly rebounded with a birdie on No. 16.

Clark joined Schauffele with a birdie on the 16th and stepped to the 17th one day removed from his chunked wedge shot that found a watery grave. The U.S. Open champion more than made amends when his tee shot settled 4 feet from the traditional Sunday pin location to set up his second straight birdie to get within one of Scheffler.

Schauffele's tee shot settled just outside Clark's ball, but unlike his playing partner, Schauffele was unable to make his birdie putt. The two came to the par-4 finisher both needing birdie to tie Scheffler. Schauffele did not give himself a good look while Clark faced the same 17-footer Harman missed just prior.

Clark's putt came as close as it could come without dropping. Horeshoeing hard around the hole and out, the birdie bid fell by the wayside and gave Scheffler another slice of history at The Players Championship.

2024 Players Championship leaderboard

T2. Wyndham Clark, Xander Schauffele, Brian Harman (-19): All three visited the 72nd hole with a chance to win this championship, and all three failed to make birdie. Harman saw his 17-foot bid never threaten, and Schauffele failed to give himself a realistic chance after hitting his tee shot in the pine straw. That left just Clark for Scheffler to dodge, and the U.S. Open champion did just about everything but make his. 

How each player got to this position was quite different. Harman hovered and hovered and hovered before making a birdie on No. 15 to get within one. The Champion Golfer of the Year won't kick himself for not making birdie on the 17th or even 18th for that matter, but for letting the par-5 16th go by without adding another. Meanwhile, Schauffele was in full control of this tournament until the final five holes.

The 54-hole leader arrived to the par-4 14th with the lead and walked off one behind as Scheffler made a birdie ahead and Schauffele dropped a shot. He made another bogey on No. 15, missed a convertible 7-foot birdie putt on No. 17 and has to be walking away thinking he let this one through his grasp.

Clark battled his swing over the weekend and was as many as three down late in his back nine, but he hung tough. He failed to convert an 11-foot eagle chance on 16 before rectifying Saturday's mistake on 17 with a birdie from 4 feet. His birdie putt on 18 to force a playoff will be played for weeks to come as it may be one of the most brutal lip outs in recent memory.

5. Matt Fitzpatrick (-16): The Englishman raced through the finish line with four straight birdies, but it was too little too late. Fitzpatrick struggled for the majority of the day carding four bogeys from Nos. 4-13 to play himself out of contention. The devilish par-4 4th which yielded birdies all week (and which Scheffler eagled Sunday) was a thorn in his side as he played that hole 5 over on the week while someone like Scheffler played it in a 3-under fashion.

T6. Hideki Matsuyama, Si Woo Kim (-15): Matsuyama was so solid despite some injury concern coming into the week. Less than confident that he was 100% healthy, the man from Japan posted rounds of 69-69-68-67 for another quality result at the Players Championship and his third top 10 since 2019.

8. Ludvig Aberg (-14): Talk about a tournament debut. The young Swede continues to show that when the lights are the brightest his game may be at its best. Aberg came home with a bogey-free 67 on Sunday to climb inside the top 10 and collect his fifth straight top-25 finish.

[Mar 17, 2024 at 5:52 pm ET · Patrick McDonald]

Scheffler dodging bullets

Xander Schauffele misses from 7 feet and needs birdie on the last to tie Scottie Scheffler. Wyndham Clark converts his and will need the same on 18. Up ahead, Brian Harman is on the green on 18 and will need to make a 17-footer to tie Scheffler. This is amazing stuff.

[Mar 17, 2024 at 5:45 pm ET · Patrick McDonald]

Xander and Clark both tight on 17

Wow, wow, wow!!!! Xander Schauffele will have 7 feet to tie Scottie Scheffler at 20 under. Wyndham Clark will have 4 feet to get within one. Their tee shots on the par-3 17th are the two closest we have seen almost all day. Talk about gumption.

[Mar 17, 2024 at 5:35 pm ET · Patrick McDonald]

We have a development on 16!

Xander Schauffele will have 25 feet for eagle on 16 to get back to 20 under where Scottie Scheffler has ended his tournament. Wyndham Clark will have 11 feet for an eagle of his own to get to 19 under and in with a chance to chase down the clubhouse lead.

[Mar 17, 2024 at 5:25 pm ET · Patrick McDonald]

Xander drops another

It looks like Brian Harman (-19) has emerged as Scottie Scheffler's biggest threat as Xander Schauffele just made another bogey. Schauffele is two behind with three to play. Scheffler could slam the door shut with one last birdie as he faces 16 feet on the 72nd hole to get to 21 under.

[Mar 17, 2024 at 5:16 pm ET · Kyle Porter]

If you played all eight rounds at Bay Hill and TPC Sawgrass and played both courses to field average, you would be about -2 at the end of the two weeks. Scottie is 35 under.

[Mar 17, 2024 at 5:11 pm ET · Patrick McDonald]

Xander makes bogey on 14

Xander's second bogey of the day comes at an inopportune time as he fails to get up and down on No. 14. He now is one behind Scottie Scheffler who is on the green on 17 but faces a very difficult two putt from just about 50 feet to stay at 20 under. While all this is happening, Brian Harman makes birdie on 15 to get within one. He will have a great chance to get to 20 under with another birdie on 16.

[Mar 17, 2024 at 5:03 pm ET · Patrick McDonald]

Scheffler gets to 20 under

A tap-in birdie for the world no. 1 on 16 has gotten him to 20 under with two to play. Scottie Scheffler now heads to the most difficult hole and the most nerve racking, the par-3 17th. He is 8 under on his round and hopes to post a number for Xander Schauffele to look at as he will need to get up-and-down to remain at 20 under back on 14.

[Mar 17, 2024 at 4:59 pm ET · Patrick McDonald]

A look at the closing stretch

Xander Schauffele has entered the most difficult part of the golf course where four of the last five holes are playing over par. The par-3 17th is currently playing to an average of 3.40 (the most difficult of the day) and may set up a championship moment shortly. Xander leads by one at 20 under but just missed the fairway on 14 while Scheffler is in a small greenside bunker in two on the par-5 16th.

[Mar 17, 2024 at 4:40 pm ET · Patrick McDonald]

Xander goes one clear

This guy's short game, I mean what else is there to say at this point. Xander makes birdie from over the green on the par-4 12th to get to 20 under and one clear of Scottie Scheffler who is in the fairway on No. 15. Schauffele is now 25 for 31 scrambling this week. He is two clear of Clark and Harman.

[Mar 17, 2024 at 4:37 pm ET · Kyle Porter]

Four horse race

Data Golf doesn't give anyone outside the current top four much of a chance of winning (all less than 1%). So it's likely down to Scheffler (-19), Schauffele (-19), Clark (-18) and Harman (-18).