Scottie Scheffler produced a commanding efficiency to regain the world No 1 spot with a five-shot victory on the Players Championship.
The American responded to a robust problem from Englishman Tyrrell Hatton to shoot a final-round 69 at TPC Sawgrass on Sunday and win with a rating of 17 underneath.
Scheffler successfully secured victory with a run of 5 successive birdies from the eighth.
Hatton completed second on 12 underneath after an excellent 65 that featured seven birdies in a course record-equalling again 9 of 29.
Norway’s Viktor Hovland and American Tom Hoge completed on 10 underneath with Hideki Matsuyama, who briefly threatened Scheffler, on 9 underneath.
Scheffler, who now supplants Jon Rahm on the prime of the world rankings, had begun the day with a two-shot lead and was relieved to finish the job.
He stated on Sky Sports: “I did a really good job of staying patient, not trying to force things, and then I got hot in the middle of the round and tried to put things away as quickly as I could.
“The final stretch was pretty tough, especially with how windy it was getting. The shots on 17 were challenging. I am very thankful, relieved and a bit tired.”
Scheffler initially provided his rivals hope with a shaky begin.
Playing accomplice Min Woo Lee cancelled out his benefit inside the opening three holes.
The Australian birdied the opener after which discovered himself in a share of the lead after Scheffler missed a brief putt to bogey the third.
With Matsuyama on a cost additional down the course to get inside a stroke, the stress was abruptly on the American.
Yet neither Lee nor Matsuyama may keep their challenges.
The Japanese, who had shot up the leaderboard with seven birdies, took a double-bogey six on the 14th after which dropped one other stroke on the final.
Meanwhile Lee made a multitude of the fourth, first having to chip out of the tough after which taking a drop after discovering water. He ended up with a triple-bogey seven and one other seven on the eleventh meant his event would end in anti-climax on eight underneath.
Without discovering his stride, Scheffler’s lead was again to a few however there was nonetheless little room for error as Hatton was ending strongly.
Hatton burst into life after the flip along with his robust run together with birdies on every of the final 5 holes to publish a stern clubhouse goal.
As he left the ultimate inexperienced he was simply two off the lead and will have sensed an unlikely victory alternative.
“I just wanted to finish with as many birdies as possible,” Hatton advised Sky Sports after wrapping up his spherical in model following an excellent strategy on the 18th from behind a tree. “Fortunately I gave myself some great chances and the putter co-operated.”
It was at this level Scheffler rose to the problem. He chipped in on the eighth to spark the run that every one however wrapped up victory.
He dropped a shot on the 14th however by no means appeared like relinquishing his grip and as soon as he discovered the center of the inexperienced on the ever-difficult seventeenth, the celebrations may virtually start.
Hoge, Hovland, Sungjae Im, Max Homa and Cam Davis all threatened to get into competition at varied factors however their probabilities faltered as Scheffler pulled away.
Englishmen Tommy Fleetwood and Aaron Rai, joint fourth in a single day, merely struggled to search out their spark. Rai had 4 bogeys and a double on the seventeenth – which he memorably aced on Saturday – in his 75 and completed on six underneath. Fleetwood was a shot additional again after three bogeys and two doubles – additionally together with the seventeenth – in a spherical of 76.
Justin Rose was by no means a contender however appeared set for an honest end till taking 5 on the seventeenth. That noticed him drop again to eight underneath and an eventual seven-way tie for sixth place.
The seventeenth was not a nightmare for everybody, nevertheless, with Alex Smalley changing into the third participant this week to make a hole-in-one on the signature par three.
His outstanding shot didn’t even contact the inexperienced because the ball bounced off the tough instantly into the opening. He completed one over.