It took 24 hours for the latest chapter in Scottie Scheffler’s legend to begin. After a third-round 66 and a five-shot lead going into the final day of the Tour Championship, Scheffler was asked a question on Saturday that could expose a lot of scar tissue.

Scheffler, who is undoubtedly the best player in the world as of 2022, was asked what it was like leaving East Lake without a final PGA Tour tournament title for the past two years. Those moments – they were so easy to remember because they were so out of character for him. Scheffler began last year’s Tour Championship as the top seed with a two-shot lead, then managed just one round under par and stumbled to T6. The year before, he had a six-shot lead and finished the final round with a 73, losing by one shot to Rory McIlroy.

However, when asked about those finals, Scheffler thought back and said that yes, he remembered having a “good chance” to win two years ago and couldn’t remember whether or not he played well last year. “I didn’t, did I?” he asked reporters in Atlanta.

At this point, it’s the kind of answer you’d expect from Scheffler.

A player who can win the Masters while waiting for his wife to go into labor. A player who can win eight tournaments in a season full of expectations and distractions – be they injuries, arrests or budding fame. A player who can win Olympic gold while trailing by six shots on the back nine.

So, no, Scheffler didn’t blink on Sunday at East Lake. Not when he made three bogeys on a four-hole stretch before turning the corner. Not even when he missed a ball from a greenside bunker.

In a year in which only two-time major winner Xander Schauffele could claim a place in his sphere of influence, Scheffler finished the season as it should have been – as sole winner of both the Tour Championship and the FedEx Championship.

With 67 strokes in the final round, he achieved a dominant overall score of 30 under par, putting him four strokes ahead of the field.

With that win, Scheffler cemented his position not only as the sport’s best player, but also as the biggest beneficiary of golf’s arms race. Having managed to maneuver his way through most of the hostilities between the PGA Tour and LIV Golf without ever saying much that might spook the horses or stir up controversy, Scheffler has pocketed once-unthinkable sums of money while maintaining his pristine image.

His earnings on the golf course reached a record $29.2 million in 2024. Added to that was a FedEx bonus of $25 million and a Comcast Business Top 10 bonus of $8 million. The final tally for the season: $62.2 million. That’s roughly Jordan Spieth’s total earnings on the golf course.

Scheffler left no room for doubt at East Lake. After starting the week at 10 under par thanks to the Tour Championship’s starting stroke format, the 28-year-old played 4 under par rounds of 65-66-66 before the final round on Sunday.

Meanwhile, the rest of the results have only further exposed the problems associated with the Tour’s season-ending format.

Collin Morikawa, winless in 2024 but buoyed by a brilliant second-round 63 in Atlanta, finished four shots back and jumped into second place in the FedEx season standings, where a $12.5 million bonus awaited him. Morikawa had the best week, shooting 22 under par at East Lake.

Sahith Theegala, who entered the playoffs three weeks ago as a question mark for the U.S. President’s Cup team and winless in 2024, had a good week to have a great week. His 67-66-66-64 performance in Atlanta put him third in the season standings and a whopping $7.5 million.

Russell Henley and Adam Scott, who both failed to win in 2024, tied for fourth place, each taking home $4.8 million.

The same goes for Schauffele. Scheffler’s only real rival for PGA Tour Player of the Year honors finished in the middle of the pack at T4 after shooting 70 in the first round and 71 in the third.

After his victory, Scheffler walked off the 18th green and ran into the arms of his wife, Meredith, then lifted his baby, four-month-old Bennett, into the air. Everyone agreed that it had been a very strange year. But a pretty memorable one.

When he was told afterwards that his seven victories on the PGA Tour (in addition to Olympic gold) were his most since Tiger Woods in 2007, Scheffler looked at the floor and tried to sum it all up.

“I’m proud of the work we’ve done,” Scheffler said. “It’s hard to put into words what this year has been like for me. Pretty emotional. A lot has happened outside of golf. It’s been a wild year.”

Required reading

(Top photo: Kevin C. Cox / Getty Images)