Scottie Scheffler is heading into the third major of the season with three wins under his belt, after successfully defending his title at the Memorial Tournament with a 2-under-par 70 in the final round at Muirfield Village Golf Club in Dublin, Ohio. Scheffler finished at 10-under 278, securing a four-shot victory over Ben Griffin, who was the only other golfer to win a PGA Tour event Scheffler started in the past month. Griffin had a rollercoaster Sunday round, starting with a bogey, then making an eagle on the par-5 15th with a 12-foot putt followed by a birdie on No. 16, but ultimately carded a double bogey at No. 17, sealing his fate.
Scheffler’s win marks his 16th PGA Tour title and third win in his last four tournaments, following his victories at the CJ Cup Byron Nelson and the PGA Championship. Scheffler is now $10 million richer, thanks to his last three wins and other top finished, joins Tiger Woods as the only back-to-back winners of the Memorial Tournament, and tournament host Jack Nicklaus praised Scheffler, saying he’s “in a different league” compared to other players, but it seems even that isn’t enough for Scheffler to overcome this out of form PGA Tour rival.
Per the latest tweet by Josh Carpenter, Scheffler is lacking in one department — drawing massive TV audiences isn’t one of them, though. According to Golf on CBS, Scottie Scheffler’s win at the 2025 Memorial drew 3.063M viewers on Sunday, a 7% increase from 2.855M last year. Interestingly, the previous year’s winner didn’t quite match this viewership, but Viktor Hovland’s win two years ago did slightly better, drawing 3.115M viewers.
Well, the credit goes to Hovland’s score of seven under par at the 2024 Memorial Tournament, where he won the tournament in a playoff against Denny McCarthy. Nonetheless, CBS averaged 2.782M viewers for the weekend, marking a notable 14% rise from the previous year. But these numbers can be some consolation for Hovland as the golfer has been lacking in his performances recently. He has only won one tournament so far, the 2025 Valspar Championship, after missing three consecutive cuts at the previous tournaments.
Golf viewership: @GolfonCBS draws 3.063M viewers for Scottie Scheffler’s win at the Memorial on Sunday, up 7% from 2.855M last year.
Prior two years were 3.115M (Hovland) and 2.319M (Horschel).
CBS averaged 2.782M for the weekend, up 14% from last year pic.twitter.com/JfsKziEfCa
— Josh Carpenter (@JoshACarpenter) June 3, 2025
And after not being in form, the golfer doesn’t seem to be confident about his chances at the next major.
The Par 3 Paradox
Long par 3s are having a moment, and Viktor Hovland isn’t having it. With holes like the 290-yard 8th at Oakmont, set to host the 2025 U.S. Open, golfers are being forced to pull out their drivers on par 3s, and Hovland thinks it’s just plain silly. “When par 3s start pushing three bills, they aren’t tough, innovative or even all that interesting. They are, quite simply, silly,” he said. He’s not a fan of the trend, and who can blame him? These behemoth holes become one-dimensional, requiring a straightforward launch to a conservative landing zone and a two-putt for par. Where’s the creativity in that?
Hovland’s got a point – these long par 3s might be physically demanding, but they’re mentally a snooze fest. “Point, shoot, pray, repeat” seems like a fitting description. Maybe they’re just a response to golf’s ongoing arms race, but Hovland’s not buying it. Many people are with Hovland on this one as they also want to bring back the short par 4s and the thrill of creative shot-making!
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