Round 3:
Scheffler took the lead in the third round thanks to perfectly executed birdies that resulted in a classic round of 65 (7-under-par), giving him a two-shot, 14-under-par lead through 54 holes.
Lee came in second, two strokes behind Scheffler, after a six-under-par round of 66 that put him at 12-under.
Aaron Rai followed in Hayden Buckley’s footsteps from round one to make a hole-in-one on the 17th hole, making history in the process.
Hoge also surprised many with a tournament record round of 62, thanks to ten birdies and a 10-foot putt on the ninth hole. The stunning performance moved him from a tie for 65th place to a tie for eighth.
Final Round
Lee started with a perfect birdie on the first hole, and when Scheffler hit a bogey on the third hole, the two players tied for the lead at 13 under par.
Lee, however, lost momentum after a triple-bogey on the fourth hole, eventually finishing tied for sixth at eight-under-par.
Through the first 13 holes of the final round, Hideki Matsuyama maintained a seven-under-par score for the round and at one stroke behind overall. Nonetheless, a double bogey on the 14th hole took him out of form, ending in fifth at five-under-par.
Hatton proved to be the main challenger to Scheffler when he started the round tied for 26th place, only to finish second after a round of 65 that ranked him at 12-under-par overall.
Viktor Hovland and Tom Hoge tied for third place with rounds of 68 and 70, respectively, while Max Homa, Min Woo Lee, Justin Suh, Cameron Davis, Justin Rose, David Lingmerth, and Im Sung-Jae finished tied for sixth at eight under par.
Alex Smalley entered the books of history by making a hole-in-one on the 17th hole, making it the first time in Players Championship history that three holes-in-one occured at the same hole.
The Winner: SCOTTIE SCHEFFLER
Halfway through the final round, Scottie Scheffler opened a six-stroke lead over his competitors after making five consecutive birdies to reach 18-under-par. The star finished with a round of 69, giving him a 17-under-par score overall and effectively making him the 2023 PLAYERS Championship winner.
With the win, Scheffler bagged the winner’s prize of $4,500,000 and joined legends Tiger Woods and Jack Nicklaus as the only players ever to hold the Masters and THE PLAYERS titles simultaneously. Scheffler’s sixth PGA TOUR win in 13 months also saw him reclaim the World No.1 position from Jon Rahm.
Parting Shot
THE PLAYERS Championship is one of the most coveted tournaments on the PGA TOUR, and the 2023 edition further sealed the trajectory of Scottie Scheffler’s career.