Scheffler finds putting stroke, blows out Arnold Palmer field

Scottie Scheffler figured the simple solution to his putting struggles was to quit trying so hard. That's what he did at the Arnold Palmer Invitational, and it wasn't a fair fight.

The best in the world from tee to green, Scheffler didn't miss a putt inside 15 feet on the weekend. On a tough Sunday at Bay Hill, he played bogey-free in the final group and closed with a 6-under 66, by two shots the best score of the final round.

The result was a five-shot victory, the largest at Bay Hill since Tiger Woods in 2012.

“It would be borderline unfair if he starts putting really good,” U.S. Open champion Wyndham Clark said after finishing second. “I never want to wish ill on anybody, but if he starts putting positive each week it's going to be really hard to beat.”

The positive was in reference to the “strokes gained” statistic, regarded as the most accurate measure. Scheffler usually is on the negative side, no tournament more glaring than the Memorial last year. He lost 8.5 shots to the field in putting and missed a playoff by one shot.

“His ball-striking is, honestly, on another level compared to everyone else right now,” Rory McIlroy said. “We knew if he started to hole putts, then this sort of stuff would happen.” Scheffler was simply unstoppable. He holed a 12-foot birdie putt on the opening hole, built a three-shot lead at the turn and then poured it on as a Clark, Shane Lowry and Will Zalatoris were simply trying to survive Bay Hill.

Scheffler hit wedge to 8 feet for birdie on No. 10. He hit another wedge to 6 feet on No. 11. He made key par saves, and then poured in a 35-foot birdie on the 15th, letting out a yell with a light fist pump.

“Part of the problem is just trying too hard,” Scheffler said. “It's frustrating to not have the best of myself, just because I know that I can putt really well. It's not like I've been a bad putter my whole career. I've just gone through a stretch where it's been tough. I think this week I did a really good job of not letting the misses get to me.”

Scheffler finished at 15-under 273 and won $4 million from the $20 million purse of this signature event. It was his seventh career win.

All that held him back over the last year was the putter. Scheffler switched to a mallet model this week, but far more important was keeping quiet between the ears, thinking more about the stroke than the outcome.

“He showed today why he's world No. 1,” said Lowry, who started the day tied for the lead and never had a chance. Lowry finished with three birdies and seven pars over the last 10 holes for a 72 to finish third.

Clark birdied the 18th for a quite the consolation prize. He earned $2.2 million as the runner-up.

Zalatoris and Russell Henley each had a 72 and tied for fourth.

PGA Tour

Brice Garnett holed a 15-foot birdie putt on the fourth playoff hole to win the Puerto Rico Open in his first tournament of the year, sending him to The Players Championship next week and giving him PGA Tour status for the next three years.

Garnett closed with a 3-under 69 at Grand Reserve Golf Club in Rio Grande. Erik Barnes closed with a 68.

LIV Golf

Abraham Ancer regained just enough of the composure that helped him pull out to a five-stroke lead after two rounds to beat Cameron Smith and Paul Casey in a playoff and win the inaugural tournament in Hong Kong.

Ancer's comfortable lead at the start of the final round gradually disappeared with the Mexican struggling to a 2-over round of 72 at the Hong Kong Golf Club course. Casey's 6-under 64 final round pulled him even with Ancer while Smith shot 4 under to secure a place in the playoff.

DP World Tour

Matteo Manassero broke through with his first European tour win in nearly 11 years, shooting 6-under 66 for a three-stroke victory at the Jonsson Workwear Open in South Africa.

LPGA Tour

Bailey Tardy picked up her first victory on the LPGA Tour, shooting 7-under 65 in the final round of the Blue Bay tournament on China's southern island of Hainan to win by four strokes ahead of Sarah Schmelzel.

PGA Tour Champions

Joe Durant took advantage of Stewart Cink's back-nine meltdown to win the Cologuard Classic in Tucson, Ariz., for his fifth PGA Tour Champions victory, closing with a 4-under 67 to beat three players by two strokes.

Cink, 50, two strokes ahead entering the day in his sixth senior start, played a four-hole stretch in 5 over for a 73 to tie for seventh at 9 under.