Well, my predictions in the pre-game What to Look Out For article last week were right, but had a fair helping of wrong sprinkled in as well. I accurately predicted that Scottie Scheffler would win this week and recapture his title as World No. 1.
However, I thought he would get there by beating Jon Rahm, Rory McIlroy, and Max Homa on the last hole. Instead, Scheffler won the Players Championship in commanding fashion. He beat Tyrell Hatton by a total of five shots to capture his sixth victory in the past 13 months. In doing so, Scheffler joined Tiger Woods and Jack Nicklaus as being the only players to ever hold a Players Championship Trophy and the Augusta Green Jacket (given to the winner of the Masters) at the same time.
Jon Rahm, on the other hand, withdrew from the tournament with an “illness”, and Rory McIlroy missed Friday’s cut and did not play this weekend at TPC Sawgrass. Max Homa did play well and finished in a tie for eight, but being at -8 under par, he still finished nearly ten shots behind Scheffler.
This is Scheffler’s second win of the year after he successfully defended his 2022 title at the Waste Management Phoenix Open in early February. With the Master’s just a few weeks away, Scheffler has firmly cemented himself as the best player in the world and should be a formidable force at all of 2023’s Major Championships.
What’s in Scottie Scheffler’s Bag?
Scheffler was an equipment free-agent through his first two wins of the 2022 season and has since signed a lucrative endorsement deal with TaylorMade. Along with Rory McIlroy and Tiger Woods, Taylormade has become the favorite club for the world’s top golfers. Here is a look at what tools Scheffler used to capture the fifth Major, the Players Championship.
- Driver: TaylorMade Stealth Plus+ 2 (8 degrees), Fujikura Ventus Black 7X Shaft
- Fairway Wood: TaylorMade Stealth 2 (15 degrees), Aldila Rogue Black 110 MSI 70 TX Shaft
- Utility Iron: Srixon Z U85 (3 & 4 iron lofts), Nippon Pro Modus3 Hybrid Tour X Shaft
- Irons: ](https://www.curated.com/products/3674601/taylormade-p7tw-iron-set)[TaylorMade P7TW (5-PW), Dynamic Gold Tour Issue X100 Steel Shafts
- Wedges: Titleist Vokey SM8 (Gap Wedge: 50 degrees, 12 bounce, F-grind; Sand Wedge: 56 degrees, 14 bounce, F-grind; Lob Wedge: 60 degrees, 6 bounce, A-grind); all wedges have the True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue S400 steel shafts)
- Putter: Titleist Scotty Cameron Special Select Timeless Tourtype GSS Proto
- Ball: Titleist ProV1
A Look Ahead
This week, the PGA Tour travels to Innisbrook Country Club in Florida for The Valspar Championship. Last year saw Sam Burns capture the championship by defeating Davis Riley in a playoff. He will be going for the rare three-peat on tour as Burns also captured the 2021 contest at Innisbrook. Burns hasn’t had a great start to the 2023 season but has won on tour multiple times in each of the last two years and is ranked 15th in the Official World Golf Rankings currently. Justin Thomas headlines the Valspar this year and is the favorite to win according to Vegas (8 to 1 odds), while Jordan Spieth (12 to 1 odds) and Sam Burns (15 to 1 odds) aren’t far behind.
Stay tuned for future coverage of the Master’s and, of course, if you have any questions about any of the equipment Scheffler is using to dominate the PGA Tour, feel free to reach out to me or any of our great Golfing Experts here on Curated!
