Scottie Scheffler once again showed him an unstoppable force when he plays in tournaments that are usually reserved for those who need to play to secure future qualifications on the PGA Tour. Teeed it for the first time in his career ahead of the Ryder Cup at Beth Page Black at the 2025 Pro Core Championship, Schaeffler looked like the world’s No. 1 to overcome a two-stroke deficit to Ben Griffin with 54 hole mark and secure a one-stroke victory at 19 under.
With his sixth victory this year, Schaeffler joined Tiger Woods as the only man with multiple seasons on the PGA Tour since 1983. (Schaeffler has also won multiple Hero World Challenges as well as Olympic gold medals.)
The PGA Tour rewards lifelong members to golfers who win 20 tournaments and complete 15 seasons on the circuit. For Schaeffler, this achievement is a matter of when and not a time.
“I knew I needed to have another really good day. I was chasing a pretty talented guy on the leaderboard,” Schaeffler said. “I got off to a good start with the Front Nine, did some good things with the Back Nine and became the winner of the week.”
Schaeffler spearheaded the US Ryder Cup team, which used the Procol Championship as the final adjustment to the event two weeks later, and launched the tournament in a distinctively dull fashion. In a 70-round succession of 21 straights, his run was snapped by the opening 2-under 70.
Behind eight balls and early pace, Schaeffler sneaked out the Peloton across the final 54 holes and played that stretch with a reinforced 17 in the weekend rounds of 64 and 67.
Schaeffler’s final round began in a great way as he rattled three birdies on the first seven holes before making a turn. A fast start from Griffin kept him in the rearview mirror, but Schaeffler waited for him to be attacked there as the leader was stuck in neutral in the middle of his round.
No. Two birdies, 10 and 12, were bogeys on the par 3 on the 11th of the par 3. With Griffin struggling, Schaeffler not only has his deficit gone, but he has also made the lead. We reached up to two on the final birdie of the tournament, but Griffin did not fall quietly.
Griffin, who won twice this season, won a birdie on the 15th and pulled within one stroke. After Schaeffler was able to create a PAR with a par-5 finisher, Griffin was given a chance from the middle of the fairway.
He found a putting surface on the second surface, but proved that Schaeffler was the only last three putts that proved to be the last one stroke. Grade: A+
This is the achievement of the remaining prominent names on the field at the 2025 ProCol Championship.
2. Ben Griffin (-18): He entered one of the final rounds from Koivun, excluded Scheffler from the two and quickly worked to expand his margin. The three straight birdies at the gate jumped four into Griffin’s lead jump and looked comfortable in the setting so I started to unravel slowly. The par 4 fourth bogey tracked nine straight pars, including the accidental one on par 5 No. 12. He remained tied up for the lead until a three-putt bogey called No. 14. A bounce back birdie gave hope, but he ended up short when he couldn’t make two putts from within 60 feet for the birdie. Since the PGA Championship, Griffin has ticked 10 top-15 finishes in 12 tournaments. Grade: a
T4. Jackson Birch (A) (-16): They won the US Walker Cup team over the UK and Ireland at Cypress Point and kept it in Napa, California. The world’s No. 1 amateur continued to show that upon arriving on the PGA Tour he had already secured his cards through the PGA Tour University. His putter is steady at the start of his PGA Tour, but his iron play sparkled this week. There are a few short games to clean up, but when you’re 20, you’ll have time. He currently finishes in the top 11 in four straight PGA Tour tournaments and has won a spot on the field of the Sanderson Farms Championship. Grade: a
T19. Max Homa (-9): The 66 of the final round boosted Homa’s name on the leaderboard early on Sunday. It was enough to tie the two-time tournament champions together with the third top 20 finish of the PGA Tour season. While he missed the postseason, Homa showed signs of turning the corner in the final months of the season as his ball strikes stepped in the right direction, preventing his short game. So, of course, it was putter who pushed him forward in his hometown of California. He is approaching the top 100 of the FedEx Cup in the finish, but he remains completely exempt until 2028 for the victory. Grade: B+
T43. Morikawa Charcoal (-5): It’s difficult for him to score when his bread and butter (the iron play) are a little apart, and that was the case with Morikawa this week. The two-time major champions only tallied 12 birdies a week, with almost half of them appearing in the two-hour window on Friday. He remains very accurate from the tee, but is looking for something everywhere else. Morikawa said at the tour championship that he wasn’t his putter – despite consistent changes, still poor – it’s at the top of his to-do list, and rather his iron plays backwards enough to hear it. Grade: C-
69. Justin Thomas (+1): The week began with a promise, but proved short-lived. Thomas looked eager to go 4 under after the first 10 holes of the opening round and add a birdie, but was embodied in the form of four bogeys in the final six holes, derailing the rest of the tournament. Thomas was mediocre in his outside bags of chipping and pitching, which usually provides a bright spot. The driver was concerned all year round, but Thomas’ ironplay hasn’t been the sharpest since mid-May since leading to this unforgettable form of driving. Grade: d
