Scottie Scheffler won the Tour Championship on Sunday and, with it, his second FedEx Cup title and a new place in the record books. The $10 million winner's purse pushed his career earnings to $130,390,661, moving him past Tiger Woods at the top of the PGA Tour's all-time money list.
A comeback for the title
Scheffler, 30, began the final round at East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta needing to make up ground. He finished at 16-under for the week to win his third PGA Tour event of the year. Viktor Hovland, the overnight leader, made only one birdie and closed with a 72 to finish alone in second, worth $5 million.
Scheffler signaled his rally early. He hit a 5-iron to within two inches of the cup on the 211-yard second hole, then caught Hovland with a 25-foot birdie on the fourth. He pulled ahead for the first time on the 13th and held on down the stretch.
"This was a week I brought a lot of good energy to the course and tried to do my best," Scheffler said. "Coming from behind and being able to win tournaments is a really cool feeling."
Past the record that stood for 26 years
Scheffler entered the weekend just $608,505 behind Woods on the career list. He had passed Rory McIlroy for No. 2 two weeks earlier by winning the FedEx St. Jude Championship in Memphis, then missed his chance to overtake Woods at the BMW Championship in St. Louis, where he tied for 12th.
Woods had topped the career money list for nearly 26 years. His record of roughly $121 million was built during a stretch in which tournament purses were far smaller than today's. The Tour Championship now counts a $40 million purse as official money, a format change that accelerated the math.
Five straight years on top
The win extends Scheffler's run as the Tour's leading earner for five consecutive seasons. It also adds to a resume that includes two Masters titles and an Olympic gold medal. With the FedEx Cup back in his hands, the question for the rest of the Tour is how long anyone can keep him from the top of the money list.