World No. 1 Scheffler holds off Griffin to defend title at PGA Memorial Tournament

World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler claimed his 16th career win on the PGA Tour on Sunday, while also joining Tiger Woods as the only players to defend the title at the Memorial Tournament.

The 28-year-old stormed to his third triumph in a month, firing a two-under-par 70 to finish the 72-hole competition with an overall score of 10-under-par 278 at Muirfield Village in Dublin, Ohio.

American compatriot Ben Griffin, coming off a breakthrough victory last weekend at Colonial, ended up four strokes back in second place at six-under-par 282 after shooting a 73. Austria's Sepp Straka placed third at five-under-par 283, one stroke better than Canada's Nick Taylor, who had shared the lead with Griffin following Friday's second round.

"It's always a hard week to play this tournament," Scheffler said. "I battled really hard over the weekend, and Ben made things interesting down the stretch."

The win marked Scheffler's ninth consecutive time turning a 54-hole lead into a victory, this triumph coming at an event hosted by record 18-time major champion Jack Nicklaus.

"Overall it was a great week, and definitely proud to be shaking Mr. Nicklaus's hand at the end of another good week," Scheffler said.

The World No. 1 lifted the PGA Championship trophy at Quail Hollow last month for his third major crown, after taking top honors at the CJ Cup Byron Nelson two weeks earlier.

By winning his first 16 titles on the PGA Tour in just under three-and-a-half years, Scheffler became the fourth-fastest to progress from one trophy to 16 after Sam Snead, Nicklaus, and Woods, a 15-time major winner who triumphed at three straight Memorials from 1999-2001.

The victory also marked the first defended title among the nine crowns Scheffler won worldwide last year, having edged out compatriot Collin Morikawa by one stroke at the Memorial in 2024.

The win further ensured Scheffler will be seen as the man to beat in two weeks at the US Open at Oakmont, where he will be seeking a fourth major title and second in a row.