Daily Times

PHOENIX: Scottie Scheffler outdueled Canada’s Nick Taylor down the back nine Sunday to repeat as PGA Phoenix Open champion and overtake Rory McIlroy for the world number one ranking. It was the 26-year-old American’s first title since capturing last year’s Masters and returned him to the rankings summit he surrendered to Northern Ireland’s McIlroy last October. “It feels pretty good,” Scheffler said. Scheffler fired a six-under-par 65 in Sunday’s final round to complete 72 holes at TPC Scottsdale on 19-under 265 and defeat Taylor by two strokes for the $3.6 million top prize and his fifth career PGA title. “I’m just proud of how I fought,” Scheffler said. “I didn’t have my best stuff. I grinded it out today. “I wasn’t hitting it good off the tee. My irons didn’t feel as sharp. But I played a great round of golf.” Spain’s third-ranked Jon Rahm, who also had a chance to become world number one with a victory, settled for third on 270 after a closing 68 with two-time PGA Championship winner Justin Thomas fourth on 271 and Australian Jason Day, the 2015 PGA Championship winner, fifth on 272. Scheffler became the seventh back-to-back Phoenix Open winner and the first repeat champion since Japan’s Hideki Matsuyama in 2017. He joined McIlroy and Max Homa as the only players to successfully defend PGA titles so far this season. Scheffler won his first PGA title last year at Phoenix to launch an incredible two-month run that included triumphs at Bay Hill and the WGC Match-Play before taking his first major crown at Augusta National.