Scheffler's Miracle Chip Crushes Dreams at BMW Championship

Scheffler Keeps On Keeping On

At 29 years old, Scheffler's already making Tiger's peak years look quaint. Five wins in consecutive seasons? Tiger did that from 2005-07. Fifteen top-10s in 18 starts this year, with 13 straight? His worst finish was T-20 at The Players — a result most pros would frame.

"It's been a nice stretch the last few years and I've done some really good things," Scheffler said after his victory, underselling greatness like he's discussing weekend yard work.

That chip shot on 17 was different, though. Eighty-two feet from the rough, pin cut dangerously close to water. Any normal human hits that 20 feet past or watches it roll into the hazard. Scheffler? The ball tracked like it had GPS coordinates programmed for the bottom of the cup.

"It looked good when it landed, looked good when it was rolling, and it was nice to see that one go in," he said. Cool as ordering coffee.

MacIntyre's Sunday Meltdown

Robert MacIntyre woke up Sunday morning four shots clear and probably already thinking about his victory speech. Two hours later, everything had fallen apart.

Bogey-bogey to start while Scheffler birdied the first. Four shots became one. By the fifth hole, Scheffler had the lead and MacIntyre was just trying to hang on.

"I got off to an absolutely horrific start," MacIntyre said, stating the painfully obvious. "I wasn't even expecting to be over par, to be honest."

Three runner-up finishes in 76 starts tells you everything about MacIntyre's career so far. Close enough to taste it, never quite good enough to finish. He joins a select club — players who've blown a four-shot final-round lead in the FedEx Cup Playoffs. The only other member? Scheffler himself, at the 2022 Tour Championship.

Even champions choke sometimes.

Fowler's Gut Punch

Rickie Fowler needed to coast home Sunday. Stay in position, make the Tour Championship, remind everyone he still belongs. Golf had other plans.

Two holes. That's all it took to torpedo a season's worth of grinding. An 8-iron that betrayed him on 14, followed by an approach shot on 15 that sailed over everything green. Bogey became double-bogey, and suddenly Fowler was on the outside looking in.

"Obviously bummed. I knew what I needed to do. Really just made a poor swing," Fowler said. The kind of honest assessment that hurts more than excuses.

His final putt was 5 feet for par. Miss it, and Michael Kim makes the Tour Championship instead of Akshay Bhatia. Make it, and you're playing East Lake next week. Fowler made it, but by then it didn't matter. Sometimes golf's cruelest joke is letting you finish strong after it's already too late.

Musical Chairs at 30

While Fowler packed his bags, others were celebrating. Harry Hall chipped in on 17 — the same hole where Scheffler would later work magic — to sneak into the top 30. Maverick McNealy grabbed third place and his first Tour Championship spot in six years.

But the casualties stung. Lucas Glover fell from 30th to 36th with a T-40 that felt like getting fired via text message. Keegan Bradley, last year's BMW champion, shot T-17 and shook hands goodbye.

East Lake Awaits Another Coronation

Scheffler heads to the Tour Championship as the overwhelming favorite to become the first back-to-back FedEx Cup champion since the format changed in 2007. Fourth straight year reaching this position. At some point, excellence becomes expected.

The BMW victory ties him with Julius Boros, Jim Ferrier, Dutch Harrison, and Nick Price at 18 career wins. Nice company, but Scheffler's not slowing down long enough to appreciate the milestone.

MacIntyre will nurse Sunday's wounds but remember he belongs in these conversations. Fowler showed flashes of his old self before golf reminded him why he'd been struggling. And Scheffler? He's already thinking about next week's trophy presentation.

Some stories end with lessons learned or character revealed. This one ends with Scheffler adding another trophy to a collection that's running out of shelf space, and the rest of the field wondering when his dominance might show cracks.

Spoiler alert: not anytime soon.