NAPA, CA – What was considered the American team’s Ryder Cup training camp has become a typical week for Scotty Schaeffler.
Schaeffler wanted to sharpen his way ahead of the September 26-28 match at Bethpage Black. The world’s No. 1 saw everything that Sunday at the Procol Championship, closing out Ben Griffin with a 5-under 67 with a one-shot victory.
This was Schaeffler’s sixth PGA Tour title of the year. He has joined Tiger Woods, Jack Nicklaus and Arnold Palmer since 1960 as the only players to win at least six consecutive seasons.
“This was a week when I was playing a new golf course, and this was a golf course that was pretty challenging for the first time,” Schaeffler said. “I did a really good job of staying in the tournament for the first two days, and on the last two days I played really good golf to be in this position.”
He made an eight-shot deficit with Griffin over the weekend, finishing 19 under 269 in rounds of 64 and 67.
Silverado has won the most powerful field and the largest gallery since the tournament moved to Napa in 2014. When Schaeffler and Griffin came down on the wire, they received quite a show in the fiery sun until Griffin shortened once.
The two-time winner of this year, Griffin made his Ryder Cup debut at Beth Page Black and had a 60-foot Eagle putt for his victory on the par-5 18th hole. He cut that delay about five feet shorter, and birdie putt forced the playoffs to catch his left lip. He shot 70.
“I felt like it wasn’t as sharp as I needed to get from the short distances,” said Griffin, who finished second in Schaeffler this year. “But I hope to start working next week and make each and every one of them with the Ryder Cup.”
Schaeffler was one of the players who targeted a good place for Ryder Cup teams to play the Procol Championship at the beginning of the year, allowing him to avoid mistakes during which everything from two years ago took a month off before a match in Rome.
Four Ryder Cup players finished in the top 10, with US Open Champion JJ Span (66) finishing sixth and Cameron Young (67) finishing in ninth place.
“We had the idea of doing a scouting trip to Beth Page or coming here to play this event. We felt it was a little more worth it to have everyone here and play tournament golf to get fit in,” Schaeffler said.
“For me, there’s the difference between practicing at home and being under the gun in a tournament.”
But once the tournament began, Schaeffler was all about winning.
It was his 19th career victory on the PGA Tour.
Now he’s heading for playing in the Ryder Cup, facing Europe, which has had the edge in these matches over the past 30 years.
Lanto Griffin put pressure on him like anyone, entering the fall part of the schedule at No. 142 of the FedEx Cup, with 100 players holding full cards.
He delivered 65 on his own third, earning his best finish in nearly four years. It lifted him to 100th place in the rankings and won at least five tournaments in two months.
“It’s huge,” Griffin said. “One of my goals this week was to give myself a chance.
“I wish Scotty wasn’t here, but I’m sure the fans enjoyed it.”
Schaeffler started off with two shots and fell as early as four times as Ben Griffin birded the opening three holes. However, Griffin missed a 4-foot putt and went to 10 holes without making a birdie.
Schaeffler pecked with four birdies over 10 holes. After an inadvertent 3-putt bogey from 15 feet on the 11th, he answered with two birdies on par 5 to take the lead when Griffin struggled to get something.
Auburn’s junior Jackson Coiven, the world’s No. 1 amateur who played in the final group, took 13th place when he went long on the green after shooting two shots on the seven holes to play when he took a soft bogey on the par 5 12th.
Koivun was closed at 71 and tied for fourth place with Emiliano Grillo (66). He finishes four straight times in Koivun’s 11th Better on the PGA Tour, and unless the 20-year-old has other plans at school, he will have the opportunity to compete in the Sanderson Farms Championship in three weeks.
