Can anyone stop Scottie Scheffler if he's putting well? - ESPN

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. — On a sizzling Sunday at Colonial Country Club in Fort Worth, Texas, in late May, Scottie Scheffler had just tied for third in the Charles Schwab Challenge, missing a playoff with eventual winner Emiliano Grillo and Adam Schenk by one stroke.

Scheffler had once again led the field in strokes gained: tee to green, even making an ace on the par-3 eighth hole in the final round. After signing his scorecard, a reporter asked Scheffler a question that left him bewildered: «How are you going to turn this thing around?»

At the time, Scheffler was the No. 1-ranked golfer in the world and had put together an incredible streak of 14 consecutive finishes in the top 12 in official PGA Tour events, including victories at the WM Phoenix Open and the Players Championship.

«I'd already won twice that year,» Scheffler said. «I was number one in the world. I hadn't finished outside of [12th], I think, all year.… I was like, 'All right, let's pump the brakes. I'm not far off. I'm playing good golf.'»

Fresh off his seventh PGA Tour victory at last week's Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill, Scheffler is still ranked No. 1 in the world. This week, the 27-year-old will try to become the first back-to-back champion in the 50th Players Championship at TPC Sawgrass.

By almost any measurement, Scheffler has put together one of the most impressive runs of consistency in PGA Tour history over the past year.

Since Scheffler ran away with a 5-shot win for his sixth victory in 13 months at the 2023 Players Championship, he has finished in the top 10 in 16 of his 20 starts in official tour events, including 12 top-fives. In addition to his second victory in three years at Bay Hill, he also captured the Hero World Challenge,