Scheffler rolls to five-stroke win at Bay Hill

MIAMI (Agencies): World number one Scottie Scheffler cruised to a five-stroke victory on Sunday at the PGA Arnold Palmer Invitational to capture his first tour victory in nearly a year. Scheffler, the 2022 Masters champion, fired a bogey-free six-under par 66 to finish 72 holes on 15-under 273 at Bay Hill in Orlando, Florida. That was enough to defeat reigning US Open champion Wyndham Clark, the runner-up on 278 after a closing 70, with Ireland’s Shane Lowry, the 2019 British Open champion, third on 279 after a closing 72. Scheffler matched the low round of the week and the 27-year-old American became the first reigning world number one to win at Bay Hill since Tiger Woods in 2009. It was Scheffler’s seventh career PGA Tour triumph and his first since last year’s Players Championship ––– a title he will try to defend next week. Now he has a boost of confidence heading into his bid for a Players repeat after his second Palmer crown in three seasons. Scheffler began the day sharing the lead with Lowry, but the Irishman began with back-to-back bogeys. Scheffler birdied the first hole on a putt from just outside 12 feet, sank a seven-foot birdie putt at the par-5 sixth and birdied the 10th from just outside eight feet to surge ahead by four over Clark. When he birdied the 11th from just beyond six feet, Scheffler stretched his lead to five strokes. Scheffler added a 34-foot birdie putt at the 15th to reach 14-under and lead by six with no rival able to muster any credible charge down the stretch. Both Clark and Scheffler birdied the par-5 16th and while Clark added a birdie at 18, it only trimmed Scheffler’s victory margin.