THE STATS THAT DEFINED THE PGA TOUR IN MARCH

World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler dominates with back-to-back wins as Malnati, Jaeger and Eckroat triumph

- Helen Ross

We probably shouldn't have been surprised. After all, Scottie Scheffler hadn't shot higher than 68 in the final round of any tournament not to mention, he came to Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla., on the heels of victory at Bay Hill the previous week.

Even so, he trailed Xander Schauffele by five strokes entering the final 18 holes of THE PLAYERS Championship. And a comeback of that magnitude on the diabolical Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass is no small order.

The world No. 1 was more than equal to the task, though, making six birdies and an eagle on the way to a 64 that tied Davis Love III (2003) and Fred Couples (1996) for the lowest final round by a winner at THE PLAYERS. The comeback matched Henrik Stenson (2009) and Justin Leonard (1998) for the largest at the Stadium Course, as well.

Also eye-catching, the victory was the first successful title defence at the PGA TOUR'S flagship event. The previous year, Scheffler led by two when he teed it up on Sunday, closed with a 69 and won by five. He is the only player to have shot all four rounds in the 60s on the Pete Dye masterpiece in two separate years.

SCHEFFLER ENDED UP LEADING THE FIELD IN STROKES GAINED: PUTTING ON SUNDAY AT +3.892 AS HE CLOSED WITH A 66 TO WIN THE ARNOLD PALMER INVITATIONAL.

Scheffler relied on his bread-and-butter in both wins hitting fairways and greens and converting once he got there. His Strokes Gained: Tee to Green total of +15.88 in his title defence was the third best by a winner there in the ShotLink era while his +17.17 total in 2023 topped the list. He finished +6.47 in that category on Sunday, also the best.

Scheffler is king of Bay Hill