PGA Tour: Scottie Scheffler proves Rory McIlroy right, rides new putter Arnold Palmer Invitational win

The result was a dominant performance on an arduous golf course by the clear-cut best player in the world who, when he makes putts, is as close to unbeatable as any player since Prime Tiger Woods.

Scheffler shot a bogey-free, 6-under 66 in the final round at Bay Hill Club & Lounge to claim his second API in three years and seventh career victory on the PGA Tour. He finished five strokes above Wyndham Clark (-10) and shot two strokes better than anybody else did.

For winning the fourth Signature Event of the 2024 PGA Tour season, Scheffler will earn $4 million (of the $20 million purse) and 700 FedExCup Points. Coffee for Scottie.

“Anytime you can win Arnie’s tournament, it’s pretty special,” he said.

Scheffler, the best ball striker on earth, arrived in Orlando ranked first on tour in Strokes Gained: tee-to-green in 2024 and 144th in putting. His frustration on the greens boiled over in February at the Genesis Invitational, in the form of an uncharacteristic meltdown.

“I’ve certainly been through my fair share of putting woes over the years, and I finally feel like I’ve broken through and become a pretty consistent putter,” McIlroy said while observing Scheffler from the broadcast booth at Riviera. “For me, going to a mallet was a big change, … so I’d love to see Scottie try a mallet.”

Lo and behold, Scheffler arrived for his next start, at Bay Hill, with a TaylorMade Spider Tour X (a mallet), instead of his usual blade stick. People couldn’t help but wonder if the World No. 1 player was heeding the advice of the World No. 2. Scheffler claimed that his putting coach, Randy Smith, had already been considering the switch.

“Coach Randy joked about that at home, because he had already thought about it, and I think Rory just had said it in a way in which he used the blade for a long time and then he switched to a mallet, and that’s something that works for him,” Scheffler explained Friday. “I think, as a lot of good players out here know, something that works for Rory may not work for me, and something that works for me may not work for Rory. I did hear that he said that, and it was just kind of funny timing.”

Whatever the case, it worked.

Scheffler improved on the green with each round at the API. After a rocky Thursday and front-nine on Friday, Scheffler rolled in four birdies over his last six holes to card a 67 going into the weekend. On Saturday, he one-putted his final seven greens to erase a six-shot deficit and move into the lead.

On Sunday, Scheffler picked up where he left off — as cool as his mallet was hot. He opened with two one-putts to bring his career-long streak to nine. He added five more birdies. Overall, Scheffler pocketed his final 23 putts from within 15 feet. He finished fifth in the 69-person field in putting.

“I played a good round of golf. Did my best to keep things rolling. Stayed in my little space,” he said. “It was a nice win.”

Scheffler has four top-10s and three top-fives in five starts this season.

Scheffler — the first non-longshot winner of the season — hadn’t triumphed in a PGA Tour event since The PLAYERS Championship in 2023. He’ll look to roll his mallet-based momentum into a title defense at TPC Sawgrass, beginning on Thursday. McIlroy, meanwhile, shot a 4-over 76 on Sunday.