Following consecutive pars, he then faced some anxious moments as the final few groups finished.

“I sat down and watched for a few minutes just to pass the time,” he said. “It’s not fun sitting around being helpless just watching guys be in control.”

Scheffler soon headed to the practice putting green to prepare a potential playoff. He didn’t even see Clark’s gut-wrenching finish.

“I heard a groan,” he said.

Scheffler immediately turned and hugged caddie Ted Scott to celebrate the victory, good for a $4.5 million winner’s check.

“Those moments of victory are always really special,” he said. “It’s really not just me out there putting in the work. There’s so much stuff that goes on behind the scenes.”

Scheffler thrives in the spotlight with a flair for the dramatic. A hole-out for eagle from 92 yards on par-4 No. 4 got his round going after three pars to open his day.

The clutch play and closing ability are certainly reminiscent of Woods, though Scheffler laughed off the comparison. The unassuming Texan instead recalled a fan reminding him in February at Riviera how far he has to go to measure up to Woods, who won 82 times on Tour and was No. 1 for 638 weeks — compared with 78 for Scheffler.

“I hit my tee ball and this guy yells out ‘Congrats on being No. 1, Scottie; 11 more years to go,’” he recalled. “Anytime you can be compared to Tiger is really special, but the guy stands alone I think in our game.

“He really does.”

But Sunday at TPC Sawgrass, Scheffler stood alone himself once again.

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