The Punter's Debrief: Brilliant Scheffler cruises to victory again

• American wins from off the pace in South Africa

• Masters move for brilliant Scheffler

• Read my Alfred Dunhill Championship preview here

Last week's events were like chalk and cheese, but both were enjoyable.

Having traded at as short as 1.42/5 on Friday, the defending champ and pre-event 5/23.50 favourite, Scottie Scheffler, relinquished his two-shot halfway lead on Saturday. He trailed the pre-tournament 12.011/1 chance, Justin Thomas, by a stroke with a round to go at the Hero World Challenge.

The world number one was still at the head of the market with 18 to play, shortening up from around 2.35/4 to 2.111/10 before the final round started and the market move proved to be entirely correct.

Thomas was matched at a low of 2.226/5 when he hit his approach to the opening hole to inside three feet, but Scheffler drained his birdie putt from eight feet before Thomas could tap in. The pair were tied after Thomas bogeyed the par three second.

Scheffler ruthlessly powered on after that, birdying the next two holes and the result was never really in doubt after that.

Tom Kim, who had been matched at 1000.0999/1 when he sat tied for 18^th and 10 off the lead after round one, put up a stern challenge in round four and he was matched at as short as 3.39/4. But he couldn't quite get to Scheffler and his challenge effectively ended when he missed a very short par putt at the par five 11^th.

Scheffler was just too good, and he defended the title with ease, winning by six after a nine-under-par 63.

As impressive as the victory was, it couldn't possibly be described as dramatic. It was a whole different story on the DP World Tour, however, where wind and sun toughened the Gary Player Country Club up to such an extent that we were always going to get an exciting finale.

Veerman swoops to claim the spoils

The defending Nedbank Golf Challenge champion, Max Homa, who led after round one following a six-under-par 66, was matched at as low as 2.3211/8 after he'd reached eight-under-par for the event when he birdied the two par fives around the turn in round two. But he fell away after that, eventually finishing in a tie for 14^th!

As a measure of just how tough the Gary Player Country Club played over the weekend, had Homa parred his way in after the 10^th hole on Friday he'd have won by three strokes.

The Nedbank is nicknamed Africa's Major for a reason, and it almost felt like we watching a US Open unfold as the weekend wore on.

The 20-year-old South African phenom, Alderich Potgieter, was the man to make the big move in round three, firing a remarkable bogey-free six-under-par 66 to lead by three with a round to, go, having been a 70.069/1 chance at halfway.

The 150.0149/1 pre-event chance, was trading at around 2.915/8 with 18 to play and having been matched at a high of 740.0739/1, he was matched at odds-on after he'd parred the first and birdied the second.

A scruffy double-bogey followed at three but birdies at five and 10appeared to have settled the nerves and he was matched at as low as 1.422/5 before disaster struck at the par three 12^th where he made a tiple-bogey six!

It was a testy and nervy day for everyone in-contention and we saw the likes of Jordan Smith, Francesco Laporta, Romain Langasque and Matthew Jordan all trade at 4/15.00 and below.

Playing ahead of all of them, it was the American Johannes Veerman that came out on top.

The pre-event 50.049/1 chance had been a 40.039/1 chance when trailing by five in a tie for seventh and he was matched at just a shade bigger than even money when he tied for the lead with three to play. But a missed par putt from just inside four feet looked like it might cost him dear.

That dropped shot saw his price spike to more than 5/16.00 but he parred the last two holes to post -5 for the week and it was a target that nobody could match.

Langasque was matched at a low of 3.3512/5 before a bogey at 17 saw him drop out of the lead and Jordan hit 2.8815/8 in-running before he dropped a shot at 16.

Potgieter's finish was the hardest to watch. The youngster bravely holed for par at 15 to preserve his single stroke advantage over Veerman but a poor tee-shot at 16 led to a bogey four and he dropped another shot at 18 following a missed fairway and green.

It was tough on the young man but he'll be back and he's clearly one to keep on the right side of, especially when his monstrous length off the tee can be exploited more.

So long does he hit it with driver that he had to play irons off many of the tees in round four. I couldn't help wonder if he'd have won had he been more aggressive, as he'd been on Saturday.

Money for Scheffler in the Masters market

Following yesterday's bloodless victory, Scheffler has finished the year winning nine of the 21 events he played in 2024.

That's a 43% strike rate, despite drawing a blank in his first five starts. Since finishing 10^th in the Genesis Invitational in February, he won nine of the 16 tournaments he played in.

I don't care what anyone says, Scottie this season was as good as one of Tiger's best seasons on tour

-- Byeong Hun An (@ByeongHunAn) December 9, 2024

The comparisons with Tiger Woods are inevitable now and I'm not in the least bit surprised to see Scheffler has been well supported to defend his Masters title in April.

Defending at Augusta is notoriously tough, but nobody had ever won back-to back Players Championships until Scheffler achieved the feat in May and it's hard to make a case for laying him at the 5.85/1 he trades at this morning.

We'll next see him at the Sentry Tournament of Champions in early January and it will be interesting to see what price he trades at.

He has improving form figures at Kapalua reading 13-7-5 and he'll be a hot favourite to improve on that record. He led the event at halfway this year after I'd backed him before the off at 7.87/1 but a 71 on Saturday derailed his challenge and I very much doubt we'll see a price anywhere close to that given his form throughout the year.

Now read my Alfred Dunhill Championship preview here

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