What made defending THE PLAYERS Championship so special?

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Scottie Scheffler said defending THE PLAYERS Championship was special because it made him the first player to repeat as champion in the flagship event, achieved with a final-round 8-under 64 at TPC Sawgrass. He described the back-to-back titles as something you “never really get the opportunity to do very often,” while also noting he fought through a neck injury that flared up during the second round. By the weekend, his neck improved after work from his physio, and he was able to close strongly with a 64 to finish at 20-under, ahead of several players who were at 19-under.
He became the first to repeat as champion
Scheffler said defending the title was “pretty special” because he became the first player to successfully defend THE PLAYERS Championship. He framed back-to-back wins in the event as rare, adding that winning one THE PLAYERS is already tough enough. He also tied the achievement to the fact that it was his flagship-event repeat, not just another tournament victory.
He won with an 8-under 64 in the final round
He closed his successful defence by shooting an 8-under 64 at THE PLAYERS Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass. He said it was fun to secure the win with that closing score, and he linked it to the work needed to finish tournaments strongly. He finished at 20-under, while a few other players finished at 19-under.
He battled a neck injury that flared up mid-tournament
Scheffler said he was battling a neck injury that flared up during the second round and became painful, especially when putting. He described how he tried to “hang around” in the tournament until the neck got better, rather than giving up. He reported that when he woke up on Saturday it felt a little bit better, and by Sunday he felt fairly close to normal.
His caddie helped keep him in a good headspace
He credited his caddie, Ted Scott, as instrumental in the win by keeping him in a good headspace throughout the week. Scheffler also explained that his final-round approach began with the intention to get off to a good start on the front nine, where he aimed for early birdies. He said he parred the first three holes and that a hole-out for eagle on No. 4 “got me going,” before making good shots and putts on the back nine.

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What made defending THE PLAYERS Championship so special?

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