Scottie Scheffler and Jeeno Thitikul clinch dominant victories

Scottie Scheffler began Sunday in Memphis with a two-shot lead. Four hours later, he had won the FedEx St. Jude Championship by eight. Jeeno Thitikul began the final round in Portland looking up at the leaders. By evening, she had delivered an eight-under 64 and taken the Standard Portland Classic by one shot.

Their victories set the standard for a week in which the PGA Tour playoff opener and the LPGA Tour’s Portland stop produced sharply different pressures. In Memphis, Scheffler controlled the tournament. In Portland, Thitikul had to chase it down.

For Sahith Theegala, Akshay Bhatia and Aaron Rai, the FedEx St. Jude was a difficult four days. Aditi Ashok and Megha Ganne found more scoring room in Portland, but Sunday prevented either from converting a promising position into a stronger finish.

Scheffler Takes Control

Scheffler’s final-round 66 gave him a 17-under total of 263, eight shots ahead of Si Woo Kim. It was Scheffler’s 21st PGA Tour victory and his second of the season. The margin was the largest at TPC Southwind in 68 years.

The final round began awkwardly. Scheffler’s bunker shot on the third hole struck a sprinkler head, ran across the green and found water. He made bogey. That was his only dropped shot of the day.

He responded with five birdies, and the rest of the field had no route back into contention. Scheffler has now converted each of his past 11 54-hole leads into victories, an unusually durable record in a sport built on late-round volatility.

Kim closed with a 68 to finish second at nine under. Alex Noren and Sam Burns tied for third at eight under. Burns began the day two behind Scheffler but made double bogey on the par-5 third and finished with a 73. “I don’t think it would have mattered if I played well,” Burns said. “He was going to be tough to beat today.”

The win also brought Scheffler 750 FedExCup points and $3.6 million. It placed him in the strongest possible position heading into the BMW Championship, where the season’s top 50 players will compete.

Tough Week in Memphis

Rai was the best finisher among Theegala, Bhatia and Rai, but his week ended with a 78. He tied for 63rd at seven over, carding rounds of 72, 66, 71 and 78. His Friday 66 was the group’s best single round, yet TPC Southwind offered little forgiveness once his final round went wrong.pgatour+1

Theegala finished 67th at 11 over after rounds of 69, 72, 79 and 71. The Saturday 79 pushed him near the foot of the no-cut field, even though he recovered with a one-under 71 on Sunday.pgatour+1

Bhatia was 68th at 13 over, with rounds of 72, 72, 73 and 76. He nonetheless advanced to the BMW Championship, where he is 15th in the FedExCup standings. Rai also advanced, at No. 37, as did Theegala at No. 46.pgatour+1

There is no value in dressing up those scorecards. Still, all three remain alive in the playoffs. Bhatia, who began the week high enough in the standings to absorb a poor result, has the clearest margin for error. Rai and Theegala have less room, and their next tournament will require a better start and fewer costly holes.

Thitikul’s Portland Charge

Thitikul won the Standard Portland Classic with the best round of the tournament’s final day. Her 64 included five straight birdies to begin the round and carried her to 22 under, one clear of Chanettee Wannasaen and Arpichaya Yubol.lpga+1

The three players atop the leaderboard were from Thailand. Wannasaen’s 63 was the day’s lowest round, but she began too far back to force a playoff. Yubol shot 67 and shared second.

For Thitikul, it was her third LPGA Tour victory of the season and the 10th of her career. The win was built on urgency, not protection. She did not wait for the leaders to make mistakes. She took the tournament away before the final nine settled into a defensive contest.abcnews+1

Ashok and Ganne

Ashok finished tied for 25th at 10 under. Her rounds of 69, 71, 66 and 72 produced a 278 total. The 66 on Saturday was one of the better rounds near the middle of the leaderboard and placed her within reach of a strong finish, but a level-par Sunday left her outside the leading group.

Ganne tied for 42nd at nine under, with rounds of 71, 68, 67 and 73. Her middle rounds showed the scoring that has made her a player of interest, but Sunday was difficult. The 73 left her at 279.

Scheffler and Thitikul won through different methods. Scheffler protected a lead and widened it. Thitikul attacked from behind and created one. For the players still in the FedExCup playoffs, and for those heading into the LPGA’s next stretch, that contrast is useful. The next opportunity will demand both patience and aggression.