It was 24 hours before the final chapter in Scottie Scheffler’s legend. After a third-round 66 and a five-stroke lead heading into the final day of the Tour Championship, Scheffler was asked the kind of question Saturday that can expose all sorts of scar tissue.

Scheffler, arguably the world’s best player since 2022, was asked about leaving East Lake the past two years without a final PGA Tour title. Those moments — they were so memorable because they were so unusual. Scheffler entered last year’s Tour Championship as the top favorite with a two-stroke lead, but then posted just one under-par round to fall to T6. He had a six-stroke lead the year before and finished with a final-round 73, losing to Rory McIlroy by one stroke.

Asked about those endings, Scheffler thought back and said yes, he remembered having a “good shot” to win two years ago and couldn’t remember if he played well last year or not. “I didn’t, did I?” he asked reporters in Atlanta.

This is the kind of answer you might expect from Scheffler.

A player who can win the Masters while waiting for his wife to give birth. A player who can win eight tournaments in a season filled with expectations and distractions, whether it’s an injury, an arrest or rising fame. A player who can win Olympic gold while six strokes behind on the back nine.

So no, Scheffler didn’t blink an eye on Sunday at East Lake. Not when he bogeyed three holes in a four-hole series before making the turn. Not even when he hit a greenside bunker.

In a year where only two-time major winner Xander Schauffele could secure a spot in his career, Scheffler ended the season the way he should have: as the sole winner of the Tour Championship and FedEx champion.

A final-round score of 67 left him at 30-under, giving him a commanding four-stroke lead over the field.

The victory cemented Scheffler’s position as not only the best player in the game, but also as the ultimate benefactor in golf’s arms race. Having managed to navigate most of the hostilities between the PGA Tour and LIV Golf without ever saying much to spook the horses or stir up controversy, Scheffler has pocketed once-unthinkable sums of money while maintaining an impeccable image.

His 2024 on-court earnings hit a record $29.2 million. On top of that, a $25 million FedEx bonus dropped, plus an $8 million Comcast Business Top 10 bonus. The final tally for the season: $62.2 million. Or roughly Jordan Spieth’s entire on-court earnings.

Scheffler left no doubt at East Lake. After starting the week at 10-under thanks to the Tour Championship’s Starting Strokes Format, the 28-year-old shot rounds of 65-66-66 to go into Sunday’s final round at 4-under.

Meanwhile, the remaining results only further exposed the problems surrounding the end of the tour’s season.

Collin Morikawa, winless in 2024 but powered by a brilliant second-round 63 in Atlanta, finished four strokes behind and jumped to second in the season-long FedEx Ranking, where a $12.5 million bonus awaits. Morikawa had the best week, shooting 22-under-par at East Lake.

Sahith Theegala, who entered the playoffs three weeks ago as a question mark to make the US Presidents Cup team and is still without a win in 2024, picked a good week to have a great week. His 67-66-66-64 performance in Atlanta moved him to third in the season standings and a cool $7.5 million.

Russell Henley and Adam Scott, who had not yet won in 2024, finished in a tie for fourth place, each earning $4.8 million.

So did Schauffele. Scheffler’s only real competition for PGA Tour Player of the Year honors finished in the group at T4, undone by an opening-round 70 and third-round 71.

After the win, Scheffler walked off the 18th green into the arms of his wife, Meredith, and then lifted his baby, 4-month-old Bennett, into the air. Everyone agreed it had been a very strange year. But a pretty memorable one.

When later told that his seven PGA Tour victories (in addition to his Olympic gold medal) were the most since Tiger Woods in 2007, Scheffler looked down at the floor and tried to take it all in.

“I’m proud of the work we’ve done,” Scheffler said. “It’s hard to put into words what this year has been like for me. Pretty emotional. A lot has happened outside of golf. It’s been a wild year.”

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(Top photo: Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)