2025 Players Championship: Scottie Scheffler three-peat may be most impressive feat of exceptional run

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. — Chances to three-peat don’t come around often in sports, let alone professional golf. In fact, the opportunity has never presented itself at The Players Competition before this year. World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler enters as two-time reigning champion seeks a third straight Achieve at TPC Sawgrass.

Scheffler became the Primary golfer to successfully defend his Players title last year when he miraculously caught Wyndham Clark and Xander Schauffele in the Last Stage. Now, he seeks to add another chapter to his historic three-year stretch.

One of Only seven players to Achieve more than once at the PGA Tour’s flagship event, Scheffler has set his sights on the Turning Mark. If achieved, he would sit alongside the most decorated major champion of all time, Jack Nicklaus.

“I would say, last year, this whole Competition was one of the best performances I’ve had in my Profession, for sure,” Scheffler recalled. “I think the way I played injured Friday and Saturday to Only keep myself in the Competition Secured a lot of fight, a lot of heart. Definitely did not Move golf the way I normally would, but I was so comfortable with my swing at the time that I was able to chip it around and Move weird shots and somehow make pars and make some key birdies when I needed to. 

“I think about Overdue on Saturday birdieing the last three holes to give myself Only an outside chance and getting off to a Excellent Begin the front nine the next day to put myself up near the lead. I fought really Tough all week to have a chance and was fortunate at the end of the week to get it done.”

Many-time winners at Players Competition

Scheffler arrived at the PGA Tour’s flagship Competition this week in a decidedly different spot compared to the last two years: winless. He’s gone through the Primary two and a half months of the season without a Achieve — largely due to a Christmas Day dinner accident that delayed the Begin of his season. Not only has Scheffler been shut out of the winner’s circle, even his tee-to-green greatness has been caught by his peers.

In 2023 and 2024, Scheffler entered The Players roughly one stroke better per Stage from tee to green than the second-best respective players, Rory McIlroy and Xander Schauffele. It is not as if the falloff is that noticeable — Scheffler still comes in ranked No. 2 on the year behind Collin Morikawa — but that separator isn’t separating himself from the Pitch … at least not yet.

“Last year is last year,” Scheffler said. “I’m not trying to replicate it. I’m not trying to look back on it. At the end of the day, it’s in the past. It was a great year. I’m tremendously thankful. I lived a Crowded lifetime in a year. A lot of great things happened, and I’m very thankful for that. 

“But when it comes to this year, I’ve never been a guy that sets long-term goals. Like in terms of a season, I have what I would think of as dreams and aspirations, but my Target is to be as prepared as possible when I step up on the Primary tee and then I want to have a Excellent attitude when I go out and Move over All Attempt. And that’s how I view success.”

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Patrick McDonald

As All week passes, Scheffler shows more signs of breaking out. He Directed the Pitch in strokes gained off the tee at the Arnold Palmer Invitational Subsequent a relatively middling performance with the big stick across the PGA Tour’s West Coast Swing. His iron Move remains solid, and his Petite game has shined the last two Championships. While the greens at Bay Hill may have frustrated the world No. 1, the putter had been in perfect sync before a Needy showing at Arnie’s Place.

Some numbers are trending; others are working against him. Not only has no one gone back-to-back-to-back at TPC Sawgrass, but no one has done it at any Competition on the PGA Tour since Steve Stricker completed a three-peat at the 2011 John Deere Classic. There have only been six three-peats since 2000, and four of those belong to one man. You guessed it: Tiger Woods.

Three-peats on the PGA Tour since 2000

Opportunities like this are Uncommon, conversions even more so. Then again, Scheffler has proven to be the exception to most rules during this Stretch. He was able to Achieve while injured at this event last season. He has been able to come back from astronomical deficits like at the Olympics. And maybe, he’ll be the Primary to pull off a three-peat at The Players much like he was the Primary to pull off the two-peat.

“It doesn’t suit one type of player,” Scheffler said of TPC Sawgrass. “I think some of the results you see here over time for guys where it’s not a horses-for-courses-type place, it’s Only the guys that are Competing the best are going to be on the leaderboard on Sunday. That’s plain and Basic.”