LA QUINTA, CA — Scottie Scheffler shot a 6-under-par 66 Sunday at the Pete Dye Stadium Course at PGA West in La Quinta to win the $9.2 million The American Express PGA tournament by four strokes over four golfers.
Scheffler had nine birdies, a bogey on the par-4 second hole and a double-bogey on the par-3 17th hole to record his 20th victory in 151 starts on the PGA Tour, the second fewest starts to reach the milestone.
The record is 95 by Tiger Woods.
The 29-year-old is the first player since Woods to have 20 victories before turning 30. Woods was 24 when he won the 2000 U.S. Open for his 20th victory.
Scheffler said he “had not really thought about that very much” about reaching the 20-victory milestone, which makes him eligible to be a life member of the PGA Tour, the category behind tournament winners on the tour’s priority rankings to enter tournaments.
Scheffler entered Sunday’s play tied for second with 18-year-old Blades Brown, one stroke behind South Korean Si Woo Kim.
Brown was seeking to become the first 18-year-old to win a PGA Tour event since Charles Kocsis won the 1931 Michigan Open. Brown shot a 2-over-par 74 Sunday to finish in a six-way tie for 18th, eight strokes behind Scheffler.
Brown began play in The American Express Thursday, one day after completing play in The Bahamas Great Abaco Classic at The Abaco Club in Great Abaco, The Bahamas. Brown finished in a six-way tie for 18th in the tournament on the developmental Korn Ferry Tour, eight strokes behind winner Ian Holt.
Brown did not play any practice rounds on the three courses The American Express is played at.
Brown called playing eight rounds in eight days “a good thing.”
“Eight rounds I know sounds like a lot, but I was having a lot of fun,” Brown said. “You’re telling me I get to play in a PGA Tour event and to play with Scottie Scheffler and see him win it, that was insane.”
Kim shot a par-72 to tie Sam Stevens for sixth, five strokes behind Scheffler. He had four birdies, bogeys on the sixth and ninth holes and a double-bogey on the par-5 eighth.
Scheffler earned $1.656 million for his seventh victory in his last 13 starts on the PGA Tour.
The four golfers who tied for second — Jason Day, Ryan Gerard, Matt McCarty and Andrew Putnam each received $616,400.
This was the sixth time Scheffler played in The American Express. His best previous finish came the first time he played in the tournament, 2020, finishing third after holding a share of the 36- and 54-hole lead.
