The stats that defined the PGA Tour in June

Golf

Published: 30 Jun. 2024, 12:09 Updated: 30 Jun. 2024, 16:38

The stats that defined the PGA Tour in June

Scottie Scheffler, left, and Jack Nicklaus stand together on the 18th green with the trophy after the final round of the Memorial Tournament presented by Workday at Muirfield Village Golf Club on June 9 in Dublin, Ohio. [GETTY IMAGES]

Scheffler makes history with double win, MacIntyre breaks through in Canada and DeChambeau claims second U.S. Open title.

Scheffler captures the Memorial Tournament

The season of Scottie Scheffler continued as the Texan produce a one-stroke victory at the Memorial Tournament presented by Workday. He and Arnold Palmer (1960 and ’62) are the only players since 1950 to have won five times, including a major, before the U.S. Open. The win at Jack Nicklaus’ Muirfield Village Golf Club was Scheffler’s fifth in his last eight starts (and notably, two of the other finishes in that streak were ties for second). In fact, the World No. 1 has only finished outside the top 10 once in 13 starts this year, and that was a tie for 17th at The American Express.

Scheffler’s ball-striking was once again superb. He gained 12.96 shots on the field in the Strokes Gained: Approach the Green — which was the best by a Memorial champion in the ShotLink era. For the 16th time in his career, Scheffler also led in Strokes Gained: Tee to Green, which was more than any player in the last five years and nine better than the duo in second, Rory McIlroy and Tony Finau.

Scheffler’s closing 74 — the highest finish by a winner on Tour since the 2020 Memorial when Jon Rahm shot three over on Sunday — was a rare blip. He broke par the other three days, bringing his total of sub-par rounds to 45 of 51 this year. And Scheffler played the demanding par 4s at Muirfield Village in six-under — which was better than anyone else and eclipsed the field average by nine strokes.


Great Scot claims maiden victory in Canada

Granted, it wasn’t as dramatic as Nick Taylor’s 72-foot eagle putt on the fourth playoff hole last year. But Robert MacIntyre’s maiden PGA Tour victory at the RBC Canadian Open was still pretty darn emotional with his father, Dougie McIntyre, a greenskeeper in Oban, Scotland, on the bag.

The leftie, who was playing in his first Canadian Open, is the fifth Scottish player to win on Tour since 1940 — the last was Martin Laird at the 2020 Shriners Children’s Open. He was making just his 45th start and the win was his fourth top-10 of the season.

Robert MacIntyre waves in celebration of his win on the 18th green alongside his caddie and father Dougie MacIntyre during the final round of the RBC Canadian Open at Hamilton Golf & Country Club on June 2 in Hamilton, Canada. [GETTY IMAGES]

McIntyre was particularly strong as he came down the stretch. He played Hole Nos. 14-18 in eight under, picking up 8.18 strokes on the field in Strokes Gained: Total and 3.30 in Strokes Gained: Putting. All three totals were tops in the field. And speaking of his performance on the greens, the affable Scotsman made an average of 101 feet, 1 inch of putts per round which was the second longest of a winner on Tour this year. His Strokes Gained: Putting total of +2.80 was the highest average of a Tour winner in the last two years.


DeChambeau powers his way to second U.S. Open title

Big-hitting Bryson DeChambeau used his power to great effect as he claimed a second U.S. Open victory in four years and pipped a luckless Rory McIlroy to the year’s third major.

Winner in 2020, DeChambeau averaged 318.9 yards during the week, which was the longest driving average of any player at the U.S. Open since 2017. He gained 4.34 strokes over the field from off the tee, the fourth highest of any player during the week.

Ultimately though, the powerful American needed all his skill with the short game to secure his career second major triumph. He produced a clutch bunker shot from 55 yards to set up the winning par putt from four feet, which proved to be the only par save from the front bunker at the par-4 18th hole all week. He closed with a 71 to beat McIlroy (69) by a stroke at six-under 274, with the Northern Irishman making bogeys in two of his last three holes.

It's Scottie again in Travelers triumph

The golf world is running out of superlatives in describing the magical season that Scottie Scheffler is enjoying following his sixth win of the year at the Travelers Championship. The dominant American pipped close friend Tom Kim with a par in a sudden-death playoff after both players tied on 22-under at TPC River Highlands.

Tom Kim, left, shakes hands with Scottie Scheffler after he went on to win the tournament during a playoff during the final round of the Travelers Championship at TPC River Highlands on June 23 in Cromwell, Connecticut. [GETTY IMAGES]

All week, Scheffler was laser-like with his ball striking as he hit 88.89 percent of greens in regulation which was his second highest percentage during an event in his PGA Tour career, and 82.14 percent for driving accuracy, the third highest of his career.

Such was his prowess that the total distance of putts he made during the final nine holes was a mere 13’4,” which was the fourth shortest total distance without a hole-out by any winner on Tour since 2003. The victory saw Scheffler become the first player to win six times before July since Arnold Palmer achieved the feat in 1962. It was also his 12th PGA Tour title in 126 starts.

BY CHUAH CHOO CHIANG [kjdsports@joongang.co.kr]