Scottie Scheffler’s Masters victory a win for DFW-area PGA Tour events, too
Dallas resident Scottie Scheffler is the hottest name in golf right now, fresh off his impressive performance to win the 2022 Masters.
The 25-year-old, who went to Highland Park High School and later the University of Texas before turning professional, showed the world why he’s the world’s No. 1-ranked golfer over four days at Augusta National Golf Club.
Scheffler pulled away for his first major championship and the coveted green jacket with a score of 10-under, which was three shots better than former No. 1 golfer and four-time major champion Rory McIlroy’s 7-under. Scheffler earned the winner’s share of $2.7 million in the record $15 million purse for the win.
Scheffler’s rise to stardom is a positive for the DFW-area PGA Tour events, too. Most locals play in the tournaments and officials at the AT&T Byron Nelson in McKinney and Charles Schwab Challenge in Fort Worth are planning for Scheffler to compete at their respective tournaments next month.
AT&T Byron Nelson tournament director Jon Drago confirmed to the Star-Telegram on Monday that Scheffler has committed to the event. Scheffler will be the Nelson’s first top-ranked player to compete since Tiger Woods in 2005.
The Nelson is scheduled for May 12-15 at TPC Craig Ranch in McKinney after debuting there last year. Scheffler finished tied for 46th last year. He’s played in the event two other times, finishing tied for 35th in 2019 and tied for 22nd in 2014. The 2014 event marked his PGA Tour debut.
Colonial officials are optimistic that Scheffler will play in Fort Worth a couple of weeks later over Memorial Day, May 26-29. Golf’s second major of the year, the PGA Championship, splits up the DFW-area events, although it shouldn’t hinder the fields too much this year since the PGA is being played at Southern Hills in Tulsa, Oklahoma, from May 19-22.
However, Scheffler is not on Colonial’s official commitment list yet. Commitments are not finalized until the Friday before the tournament so the players are always subject to change.
But Scheffler has played in the last two Colonials, missing the cut last year and finishing tied for 55th in 2020.
Among notable early commitments into the Colonial include top-30 players Billy Horschel (13), Sungjae Im (21), Kevin Kisner (27), Will Zalatoris (28) and defending champion Jason Kokrak (29). Rickie Fowler, one of the more popular players on tour, is also scheduled to play in the event after missing it last year. Fowler’s best finish is tied for fifth in 2012.
This story was originally published April 11, 2022 at 11:45 AM.
