Update: World No. 1 Scotty Scheffler claimed his sixth US PGA Tour title Sunday, making his first playoff appearance over Tom Kim in the Protest Tour Championship on Sunday.
Scheffler is the first player since Arnold Palmer in 1962 to record six PGA Tour victories before July 1, including his second Masters crown in April.
“It’s very different,” Scheffler said. “It’s been a good season. I’ve been lucky with a few wins and it’s a lot of fun.
“Tom played his heart out today,” Scheffler said. “It was fun against him.”
Scheffler, who finished last week at the US Open for his second top-10 finish this year, held his composure after Kim shot the 72nd hole to shoot a 65-under 65. A handful of people rushed to the 18th green with colored smoke tubes, protesting the weather .
“Fortunately for Tom and I, we’re good friends, so we were able to sit together and cheer each other on,” Scheffler said of the “messy” protest.
“You don’t really understand the situation. There are people running everywhere and you don’t really know what’s going to happen. Fortunately, the police did a lot to sort things out quickly.”
Kim shot a round of 66 at TPC River Highlands in Cromwell, Connecticut, the day before.
But it was a clash on a rain-softened course, with half-time players holding a share of the lead and five sharing the top spot for much of the afternoon.
Scheffler and Kim over 13 holes.
Scheffler took the lead with his second straight birdie at 14, his approach from the fairway leaving him three feet for birdie. Kim bombed a big drive, but his tee shot on the green left him 16 feet for par.
After Scheffler left a 14-foot birdie putt three-and-a-half inches short, Kim missed a golden opportunity to pull even though he left his 10-foot birdie attempt short.
The two tied on 17, Scheffler’s 16-foot birdie putt on the lip of the cup.
After Scheffler’s approach hung on 18, Kim shot the flag, bouncing the ball inches from the cup before making a 10-foot birdie putt.
As the players zoomed in on their shirts, protesters ran onto the green wearing T-shirts that read “No Golf on a Dead Planet.” Police and security personnel immediately found them and left.
“There is a long way to go,” Kim said, adding that some of the protesters’ sprays included green paint.
But he added that Kim has a clumsy side.
“Obviously, it’s a fluke and you don’t want that to happen, but for me it slowed me down a little bit and I took my time and felt very confident to force myself into the playoffs.”
Scheffler stepped up to putt first and, after matching Kim, hit a birdie putt to tie it.
“It was an experience for me and I’m glad I did it,” Kim said.
They go to 18 for the playoffs. Both were fair, but Scheffler’s second putt threatened to leave him with an 11-yard birdie chance.
Kim’s approach hit the green in the bunker, leaving him 36 feet for par. He missed, and Scheffler scored twice for the win.
As the team’s latest drama plays out, Tom Hoge is in the 20-under club after a career-high eight-under-par 62 that included nine birdies.
Hoge, tied for the lead, is tied for second with South Korea’s Im Sung-ja at four under over the last six holes to card a 66.
