The Tour Championship at East Lake Golf Club finishes the FedEx Cup each year, and Scottie Scheffler came in as the defending champion. After a five-win season with two major championships, he opened this week as the favorite as well. He came into Sunday four shots down, just like he did at the BMW Championship before winning. A poor drive on the first was erased by a lot of birdies. But a par-three tee shot landing in the water nuked his chances at a historic comeback win.
Water ball leads to a double bogey on 15 for Scottie Scheffler.
That will end his chances of winning the Tour Championship. pic.twitter.com/HgYOnE0mfT
— GOLF.com (@GOLF_com) August 24, 2025
Scheffler had tied second place at 15-under par after a birdie on the 14th hole. He stepped up on the 15th with a five iron in his hand, looking to soar into solo second. But the attempted draw was overcooked, bouncing off the bank and into the water. From the drop zone, Scheffler stuck it to 11 feet, but missed it.
All of that played out while Tommy Fleetwood birdied the 12th. Scheffler stepped onto the 15th tee down two shots and stepped off the green down five. Without the Starting Strokes advantage the top FedEx Cup points earner had in the past, Scheffler fell short of the season-long PGA Tour title.
Scheffler lost the gross scoring in 2024 as well, the final year of the Starting Strokes. But his ten-under advantage for starting the week in first place was enough to survive a charge from Collin Morikawa. Next year, there is likely to be another format change, but this season, he needed to win a sixth event in 11 weeks to be considered the champion.
The double bogey ended a historic stretch, according to TwentyFirst Group's Justin Ray. “That was Scottie Scheffler's first double bogey or worse in 222 holes played (8th hole, final round of The Open).” Scheffler, of course, won The Open Championship despite that double.
