Scottie Scheffler is No. 1 Following His Big Win at The Players

After The Players Championship, there's no doubt Scottie Scheffler is No. 1.

With his win at TPC Sawgrass, the former Texas Longhorn regained the Official World Golf Rankings' top spot — the third time in the past 12 months he's held that throne — and very much remains atop the U.S. Ryder Cup standings.

A little under a year ago, while holding the Masters' 54-hole lead, Scheffler "cried like a baby" ahead of the final round, wondering if he was ready for the moment. He was then, and he was again this past Sunday, claiming a five-stroke victory at The Players for his sixth PGA Tour win in 392 days — the most of anyone in that span.

Scheffler started the final round with a two-shot lead, but was tied with Min Woo Lee by the third hole. However, Lee doubled TPC Sawgrass' par-4 fourth and Scheffler never looked back. He carded five straight birdies to break open his lead, starting with a chip-in from the greenside bunker's collar on the par-3 eighth.

"I think I get excited for a good hard test," Scheffler said afterward. "I feel like that I can find a way to make pars and hang in there. I mean, this week I think I had five bogeys for the whole week. Around this place that's really, really I would say hard to do and that's probably what I'm most proud of is just playing so solid. I think I just like the challenge of kind of harder golf courses."

That's reflected in all of Scheffler's wins. The six events he's won — WM Phoenix Open, Arnold Palmer Invitational, WGC-Match Play, Masters and The Players — have all been granted designated status by the Tour.

Those victories have essentially made the 26-year-old Texan a lock to tee it up at another challenging and iconic event — the 2023 Ryder Cup at Marco Simone GC in Rome, Italy. It would be his second consecutive Ryder Cup.

Scheffler leads the U.S. Ryder Cup standings with 15,336.423 points, nearly double second-place Max Homa, who has 6,271.810. Homa shot a final-round 69 at The Players to finish T-6 for his fifth top-5 of the season.

Tom Hoge, meanwhile, moved up five spots in the standings to No. 9 following a turbulent week.

The Texan opened up with a 6-over 78 and booked a flight home on Friday. However, he had to re-book for Saturday after thunderstorms suspended Round 2. He would end up rescheduling a third time when he made the cut on the number Saturday morning. Then, a few hours later, he broke TPC Sawgrass' course record with a 62. He finished T-3, collected $1.5 million, and finally flew home Sunday night — in coach.

"It was a bit of a roller coaster week, I guess," Hoge said afterward. "Man, certainly not the start that I wanted on Thursday, but I fought pretty hard and got myself back in the tournament there and really played well."

Other notable movers in the U.S. standings include rookie Justin Suh, who vaulted 18 spots to No. 23, Rickie Fowler, who placed T-13, moved four spots to No. 19 after his sixth top-20 of the season and Brandon Wu, who went from No. 30 to 25 following a T-19 at TPC Sawgrass.

U.S. Team Captain Zach Johnson first announced the 2023 qualifying structure last year. Points in 2023 are awarded as follows:

- 1 point per $1,000 earned at regular PGA Tour events beginning January 1, including the Zurich Classic and WGC events, through the BMW Championship (August 20)

- 2 points per $1,000 earned for winner of the Masters, PGA Championship, U.S. Open and The Open

- 1.5 points per $1,000 earned for all others that make the cut at the Masters, PGA Championship, U.S. Open and The Open

- No points available at PGA Tour opposite-field events

Points qualification will conclude immediately after the second FedEx Cup Play-Off event (BMW Championship) on August 20, 2023, with the top six eligible players on the points list securing spots on the U.S. Team.

The six remaining slots on the U.S. Team will be Captain’s Selections and will be announced by Johnson following the 2023 Tour Championship.

For a full list of the Top 100 in the U.S. Ryder Cup standings, click here.