Scheffler rallies to claim back-to-back wins at TPC
Already the best in the world, Scottie Scheffler added another layer to his legend Sunday. He became the first player to win backto-back in 50 years of The Players Championship by matching the biggest comeback and the lowest closing round by a winner.
Scheffler holed out for eagle from the fourth fairway and had four birdies in a five-hole stretch around the turn, send -ing him to an 8-under 64 and a one-shot victory that wasn’t decided until the final putt.
Xander Schauffele, Brian Harman and Wyndham Clark all had a chance to force a playoff with a birdie on the daunting 18th hole at the TPC Sawgrass.
Clark had the last shot, a putt just inside 18 feet that dipped into the cup on the left side and came out on the right side, leaving him stunned as he placed his hand over his mouth.
This was no ordinary week for Scheffler. He struggled to take the club back early in his second round because of a neck issue and battled to a 69. He looked to be out of it Saturday afternoon until finishing with three consecutive birdies.
And then he delivered a masterpiece on the Players Stadium Course. His 64 matched the lowest final round by a Players champion, last done by Davis Love III in 2003, and he tied Justin Leonard (1998) with his five-shot comeback.
“I’m a pretty competitive guy, and I didn’t want to give up in the tournament,” Scheffler said.
Motorsports
Denny Hamlin won the NASCAR Cup Series race at Bristol Motor Speedway, passing Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Martin Truex Jr. in the final laps for his fourth victory at the famed short track.
He also won at the bullring last September.
This one was much different. Tire issues hampered most everyone all afternoon as only five cars finished on the lead lap — the first time that has happened in the Cup Series in 20 years. The Gibbs cars were the class of the field.
“My favorite racetrack!” Hamlin exclaimed over his radio while taking the checkered flag. “We got another.”
He was booed — no surprise considering Hamlin has become arguably the series’ biggest villain — as he stood atop his No. 11 Toyota following a smoky burnout.
It was Hamlin’s 52nd career win and locks him into the playoffs. Brad Keselowski finished third in a Ford, Alex Bowman was fourth in a Chevrolet and Bowman’s Hendrick Motorsports teammate Kyle Larson rounded out the top five.
College football
Running back Messiah Mickens, a sophomore at Trinity High School in Camp Hill, Pa., who already has committed to Penn State, received scholarship offers from Notre Dame and Oklahoma this weekend. Mickens is rated a four-star recruit and the No. 22 Class of 2026 prospect by Rivals.com. He committed to Penn State in August, but also still has offers from Alabama, Ohio State, Michigan and Texas A&M, among others.
College basketball
Ohio State removed the interim tag from men’s basketball coach Jake Diebler’s title and announced he will receive a five-year contract. Diebler, 37, was in his third year as associate head coach when he took over the team following Chris Holtmann’s firing on Feb. 14. The Buckeyes (21-13) went 6-2 under Diebler, including a win against No. 2 Purdue in his first game as interim coach. They won five in a row before losing to Illinois in the quarterfinals of the Big Ten tournament.
Pro football
The Cleveland Browns agreed to terms on a oneyear contract with former Baltimore Ravens QB Tyler Huntley, adding another veteran to give them more depth and protection behind Deshaun Watson. Huntley is signing at the veteran’s minimum salary with the Browns. Last week, they signed 2015 No. 1 overall pick Jameis Winston.
Tennis
Iga Swiatek beat Maria Sakkari, 6-4, 6-0, in just over an hour to win the BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells, Calif. Swiatek earned her 20th match win of the year, which leads the WTA Tour.
Soccer
Amad Diallo scored in stoppage time of extra time to send Manchester United into the semifinals of the FA Cup with a dramatic 4-3 win against Liverpool at Manchester, England. He fired low into the bottom corner to beat Caoimhin Kelleher as United pounced late at Old Trafford following a Liverpool corner.
Skiing
Lara Gut-Behrami secured the women’s World Cup overall and giant slalom titles after finishing 10th in the GS at the World Cup finals in Saalbach-Hinterglemm, Austria. Her only competition for the titles, Federica Brignone, won the race but that was not enough to overtake Gut-Behram. ... Timon Haugan won the men’s slalom at the World Cup finals, giving the Norwegian ski team its first victory of the season.