Scottie Scheffler Dominates, Putts His Way to 2024 Arnold Palmer Invitational Win
Scheffler ends his year-long winless drought in style at Bay Hill.
Texas native Scottie Scheffler shot 15-under for a five-stroke dominating performance at Bay Hill Club & Lodge in Orlando, Florida, to win the 2024 Arnold Palmer Invitational.
It's Scheffler's first win on tour since the 2023 Players Championship one year ago this month and Scheffler's second win at Bay Hill in the last three years. The five-stroke victory over Wyndham Clark saw Scheffler's slow return to form finally complete, with a new level of confidence.
Over the last calendar year, although winless, Sheffler collected 15 top-10 finishes including seven top-threes. But during that time his putting kept him trophyless - until Bay Hill.
"I was just sticking to my process," said Scheffler. "I had a good couple off weeks at home. I had a good time with friends and family and kind of reset. Going into this week, I tried to have a good attitude and Teddy [Scott] I think did a really good job of keeping me in a good headspace and, yeah, we played well."
After a third round that saw him as many as five strokes off the pace, Scheffler stuck to his game and was rewarded when putts started falling.
The former Texas Longhorn battled back on Saturday and began Sunday's final round with a share of the lead with Shane Lowry. Wyndham Clark sunk a birdie on No. 1 to join the pair at the top of the leaderboard, but Scheffler's new mallet putter converted one of previously biggest weaknesses into an advantage.
Scheffler's birdie from 12 feet on No. 1 should've been a warning to everyone about what was to come, and it gave the world No. 1 a two-shot lead as Lowry bogeyed his first hole of the day and Clark did the same on the par-3 2nd hole.
Clark's third bogey of the day dropped him to even par at the turn, and of everyone that started inside the top 10, Clark was one of just two golfers not to card over par on the first nine. But other? Scheffler. And he was just getting started.
Scheffler cruised through the final nine with birdies on Nos. 10 and 11, pushing his lead to five. He completed the day with six birdies and bogey-free for a final-round 66 and the victory.
