New dad Scheffler outlasts Morikawa to win his first Memorial title

World number one Scottie Scheffler warmed up for this week’s US Open at Pinehurst with a battling first win in the Jack Nicklaus-hosted Memorial Tournament presented by Workday at Muirfield Village in Dublin, Ohio, on Sunday, beating back the challenge from fellow-American Collin Morikawa by one shot.

Scheffler closed with a 2 over par 74 and had only one birdie on Sunday though he sealed the result with a difficult par putt on the 18th hole after he started the day with a four-stroke lead. It fetched the new father a $4 million payout from the $20 million prize fund and took his season’s winnings to a record-breaking $24 million with three months still to go.

“I didn't do a whole lot well but I did enough to get it done,” the 27-year-old, who turns 28 next month was quoted as saying. “I feel like I've had some close calls in this tournament. The golf course was playing so tough, firm and fast - 16, 17 and 18 were brutal. But it was a fun test of golf, I like it when it gets hard.”

The Memorial was Scheffler’s 11th PGA Tour title, five of which have come in this season alone and he joined Tiger Woods (2001) as the only player to win the Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard, the Players Championship, the Masters Tournament and the Memorial in the same year. He has now won five of his last eight starts and finished outside the top 10 only once in 13 events played this season.

Morikawa was one shy at the end on 7 under 281 with Canada’s Adam Hadwin third on 4 under 284 and Christiaan Bezuidenhout of South African taking fourth place a further stroke away.

Down the order, Japanese star Hideki Matsuyama fought to a tied eighth finish to give himself a timely boost ahead of the US Open this week, the PGA Tour said.

The 32-year-old Matsuyama, Asia’s most decorated golfer with nine tour titles heads to Pinehurst Resort for the year’s third major with key elements of his game in seemingly good order after closing with a 2-under 70 at Muirfield Village, seven shots behind Scheffler.

Korea’s Sungjae Im was alongside in T8 with a 73 for his third top-10 in his last four starts to set himself up for a strong week at Pinehurst where Wyndham Clark of the US will defend his title.

Matsuyama’s third top-10 at the Memorial, in addition to a memorable victory in the 2014 edition for his maiden tour triumph, has set him up nicely for a title challenge at Pinehurst, although he acknowledge there is fine-tuning to be done in the days ahead.

“I’m trying to figure things out a I go right now, and hoping it comes together soon,” said Matsuyama.

He was delighted with how his putter behaved all week and on the final day he dropped efforts of 19 feet and 17 feet for two of his four birdies on the card. He also drained a nine-footer on the second hole for par.

With Pinehurst tipped to challenge players with its famed penal course set-up, Matsuyama will be counting on his short game to make the difference as he chases a second major victory in addition to

his 2021 Masters Tournament win. At the Memorial, he ranked first in Scrambling, saving pars in 26 of 32 holes including seven of eight during the final round. He also ranked 10th in Strokes Gained: Around the Greens at Muirfield Village.

“Thanks to that putt (on 2), I think I was able to make a few more putts after that,” said Matsuyama, who won the Genesis Invitational in February. “Today (putting) felt pretty good. There are still some nerves there but It was one of the better things from today as well as on Friday. I’ll look back at what I did over those two rounds and see if I can find what I was doing and put that into play for next week.”

Matsuyama has often thrived at the US Open and Pinehurst will be his 12th successive appearance in the major where he holds three career top-10s and only one missed cut. His best was a tied second at Erin Hills in 2017 where he finished four back of winner Brooks Koepka. He was fourth in 2022 after closing with a 65 at The Country Club and T10 at Merion in 2013. When he played in Pinehurst in 2014, Matsuyama finished joint 39th.

With his driving and iron play firing smoothly the Japanese star will be looking to sharpen his game in anticipation of a long week. “I’ve been looking for something to click and get things turned around, and just when I think I’ve found something, things get worse. That happened a couple times today throughout the final round,” he said.

“I’m sure it will be a grind (at the US Open), but I hope to play well and have a good result.”