By Jack Bantock, CNN
Scottie Scheffler is tired. After the year he’s had, can anyone really blame him?
The world No. 1 capped off a year in equal parts historic and haywire with triumph at the season-ending Tour Championship on Sunday, cruising to a four-shot victory in Atlanta.
Having begun the week with a two-stroke lead at the summit on 10-under par, a reward for his position atop the FedEx Cup standings, the American eased around East Lake with a closing four-under 67 to beat compatriot Collin Morikawa to the $25 million winner’s cut of a $100 million prize purse.
It marks the first time since Tiger Woods in 2007 that a player has tallied seven wins in a PGA Tour season, a haul made even more impressive when you add in the Olympic gold, a newborn son and the mid-major arrest that headlined Scheffler’s stunning campaign.
“I feel like I’ve lived almost a full lifetime in this one year,” Scheffler told reporters. “It’s been nuts.”
A golden year
Scheffler’s starting advantage at East Lake was his reward for a stellar campaign.
The 28-year-old looked almost unbeatable during a prolific early season run, becoming the first player to ever defend The Players Championship before victory at the RBC Heritage in April – just one week on from clinching his second Masters title at Augusta National – made it four wins in five starts.
His greatest prize followed mere weeks later, as wife Meredith gave birth to the couple’s first child, Bennett. Their son arrived just in time for the PGA Championship, where the Texan was subsequently arrested amid remarkable scenes in Louisville.
The tournament favorite had warmed up in a jail cell after he was arrested driving around a police roadblock outside Valhalla Golf Club. Though the week ended in frustration on the course, with Scheffler finishing eight shots behind victor Xander Schauffele, all charges were dismissed a fortnight later.