SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. – The great ones find a way.

In tricky winds, Scottie Scheffler hit just five of 14 fairways for the second straight day at TPC Scottsdale, but he led the field in approaches and scrambling, made only two bogeys all week, and scratched out a final-round 65 (19 under par total) to successfully defend his WM Phoenix Open title.

Nick Taylor (65) finished second, two back, and Jon Rahm (68) was third, five behind.

Justin Thomas (65) finished solo fourth, six back.

Scheffler, who now retakes the top spot in the Official World Golf Ranking from Rory McIlroy (70, T32), was the first to go back-to-back here since Hideki Matsuyama in 2017. He’s the third player to successfully defend a title this season, after Max Homa at the Fortinet Championship and McIlroy at THE CJ CUP in South Carolina.

“Yeah, I think today was probably pretty good example of that,” Scheffler said of winning at less than his best. “I hit some wild shots off the tee that were pretty uncharacteristic for how I usually shape the ball. I was just able to grind it out, make a lot of putts.”

Just like last year, he celebrated with caddie Ted Scott and wife Meredith. His pal Sam Burns (68, T6) also watched from behind the 18th green, as did five friends who flew in from Dallas.

How did the two Phoenix victories differ?

“It was a lot more stressful this year playing with Jon Rahm, who went to school here and knows the desert very well,” said caddie Scott. “And then Nick Taylor lives out here and it seemed like he knew every shot, every putt. Also, there were expectations this year, where last year I think we were on 14, like, hey, if we make some birdies, we might have a chance.”

This time, Scheffler was tied for first after the second round and first alone after the third.

“Nobody was talking about him last year,” Scott continued, “nobody was thinking about him. We woke up today, and he knew all the pressure was on him to try and stay ahead if he could. But it was fun, and it shows the resilience he has and how many different weapons he has because he didn’t have his complete game today, but he still pulled it off.”

Taylor, who came into the week at No. 223 in the Official World Golf Ranking, credited a change to his putting grip last fall after finishing fourth in Strokes Gained: Putting on the week.

Rahm, who matched Taylor’s career PGA TOUR win total, two, just last month, was considered the more dangerous chaser, but he hit just six of 14 fairways for the second straight day.

“I didn’t feel like I made bad swings, but I put myself in bad spots,” Rahm said. “… If you told me early in the week 19-under was going to be winning I would think they would have won by six or seven because of the wind conditions we had all week.”

Scheffler’s victory here a year ago touched off a run of four wins in six starts, a performance that ultimately saw him voted PGA TOUR Player of the Year. His putting fell off slightly after his victory at the Masters Tournament, and he let a big lead slip as McIlroy overtook him in the final round at the TOUR Championship at East Lake, winning the FedExCup.

Now, though, Scheffler has done it again, and at the course where it all began. And he did it by stringing together a succession of birdies and pars from what caddie Scott called “the boonies.”

“Bad shots are going to come,” Scheffler said. “You’re not going to play 72 holes of perfect golf. A lot of it is how you respond. I felt like I did a really good job of that this week.”

This marked the third straight year he’s played in the final group on the final day.

“I love the environment here,” he said. “It’s a lot of fun to play. I think the firmness of the golf course really suits me. Having the ability to play a lot of different shots. Hit it high, hit it low.

“The wind this week brought a new challenge that we hadn’t had around this golf course since I’ve been playing this tournament,” he added, “so it was definitely a good challenge and was a fun week.”

Productive, too. As the first full-field designated event of the season, the WM Phoenix Open featured a $20 million purse, with $3.6 million to the winner. Scheffler also keeps his bragging rights at TPC Scottsdale, retakes the No. 1 ranking, and moves to fifth in the FedExCup.

He’s not superstitious, he said, adding that he stayed in a different hotel this year. Now he heads into The Genesis Invitational in Los Angeles, another designated event that will feature a rare start by tournament host Tiger Woods. That’s intriguing, but so is Scottsdale Scotty, who accomplished a lot after leaving here a winner last season. He didn’t have his best this time but still won fairly comfortably. One wonders just how far he’ll go.

THIRD ROUND

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — Scottie Scheffler held onto the lead Saturday at the WM Phoenix Open in a bid to successfully defend his title and regain the No. 1 spot in the world.

The second-ranked Scheffler shot a 3-under 68 in front of some 200,000 fans — including WNBA star Brittney Griner — at TPC Scottsdale to get to 13 under, two strokes ahead of third-ranked Jon Rahm and Nick Taylor.

“Something I talked about at the beginning of the week was I felt like I’ve been on the outside looking in on Sundays,” Scheffler said. “To be in the final group with a two-shot lead, I believe, is definitely a position I want to be in. I’m looking forward to tomorrow.”

Rahm also had a 68, holing a curling 40-footer for birdie on the stadium 16th for his third birdie in four holes.

“A couple of swings that weren’t that bad put me in some bad situations,” Rahm said. “I was able to scramble really well.”

Griner watched the action on rowdy 16th. The Phoenix Mercury center is spending time at home to recover from her time in a Russian jail. She was traded in a dramatic prisoner swap in December.

Taylor shot 67.

“It’s fun being in this environment,” Taylor said. “I think if you’re not having fun, you probably shouldn’t be doing what we’re doing. It’s a lot of fun.”

To the delight of hole volunteers and groundskeepers, beer is no longer sold in cans at the raucous 16th hole. After the damage sustained to the green by the beer can deluge following two holes in one and two shirt strip teases (Harry Higgs and Joel Dahmen), spectators must now imbibe their spirits in plastic cups.

Scheffler would take the No. 1 spot from Rory McIlroy — tied for 28th at 3 under after a 70 — with a victory, as long as McIlroy finishes worse than solo third. Scheffler also could get to No. 1 by finishing solo second if McIlroy is 36th or worse and Rahm doesn’t win.

Rahm, the former Arizona State star from Spain, would go to No. 1 with a victory if McIlroy finishes worse than a three-way tie for second, or by finishing solo second if McIlroy finishes worse than solo 47th and Scheffler doesn’t win.

Jordan Spieth and Adam Hadwin were 10 under.

Speith had the best score in the delayed second round, finishing off a 63 in the morning. He added a 69 in the third round, highlighted by a 77-yard bunker shot to 3 feet to set up a birdie on the par-4 17th.

“I could drop a bucket of balls and not hit another one inside of 10 feet,” Spieth said. “I feel like a strength of my game is those kind of in-between bunker shots that are normally some of the most challenging shots in golf. For whatever reason I just feel comfortable in the uncomfortable in those kind of situations.”

Hadwin had a 71, playing in the final group with Scheffler and Rahm. He hit to 1 1/2 feet for birdie on the 16th, the closest of the round on the par-3 hole on the final tee shot of the day.

In the morning, Hadwin — on the 11th green Friday when second-round play was suspended because of darkness — finished off his second straight 66 for a share of the lead with Scheffler at 10 under.

Last year, Scheffler beat Patrick Cantlay in a playoff for his first PGA Tour title. Scheffler added victories in the Arnold Palmer Invitational, WGC-Match Play and Masters and was the PGA Tour’s player of the year.

The 26-year-old Texan followed a bogey on the par-5 13th — his first bogey since his fourth hole Thursday — with a birdie on the par-4 14th, hitting a 5-iron shot 210 yards to 4 feet. He also birdied the 17h.

“Feel good,” Scheffler said. “I didn’t hit it as well today as I hoped to. But still got around in 3 under. Kept the ball in play for the most part. Just kept plugging along. Only one bogey was good today.”

He went to the driving range after the round.

“I just wanted to hit a couple drivers, a couple irons,” Scheffler said. “Nothing specific. I hit about five balls and five putts and came back here.”

Rahm opened the year with consecutive victories in the Sentry Tournament of Champions and The American Express.

“Hopefully, tomorrow I can get off a better start, play a good front nine and go into that back nine with a solid chance of getting it done,” Rahm said.

Rickie Fowler, the 2019 winner, had a 67 to join Tyrrell Hatton (67), Sungjae Im (67), Jason Day (68) and Xander Schauffele (70) at 9 under. Schauffele bogeyed Nos. 15 and 16.

“Just managing our way around,” Fowler said. “Obviously, I know I can play well at this place. Love the atmosphere. Love the fans. So, trying to draw from them as much as I can.”

THIRD ROUND

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. – You look at the WM Phoenix Open leaderboard and nod in recognition.

Scottie Scheffler (64, 10 under) and Jon Rahm (66, 8 under) are in first and second place, respectively.

You also look at the leaderboard and arch your eyebrows.

Jason Day (71, four back) and Rickie Fowler (66, five behind), who have been where Scheffler and Rahm are now – contending regularly and feeling the thrilling/terrible nerves of it – are clamoring to get back.

“I miss … those feelings on Saturdays and Sundays,” Day said after playing 26 holes Friday, eight of them to complete his frost-delayed first round (65). “Typically when I’m in the mix on Sundays I get no sleep (Saturday) night. I miss that.”

For the first time in memory, the tournament issued a SOLD OUT notice for Friday and Saturday.  While there is no official numbers have been issued, it is easy to predict that numbers will approach or exceed 250,000 spectators each day.

Halfway through the WM Phoenix Open, the leaderboard features two guys at the top, world Scheffler and Rahm – each could reclaim No. 1 depending on what Rory McIlroy does – and two in Day and Fowler who remember what the top was like.

Scheffler and Rahm are world Nos. 2 and 3, respectively; Day and Fowler are 91st and 100. Their disparate fortunes shine a light on how good you have to be to reach the pinnacle of the sport, and how hard it is to get back once you’ve slipped.

“It’s coming,” said Fowler, who went back to Butch Harmon late last year and has three finishes of T11 or better in six starts this season. “But it’s kind of – (the struggle is) part of it.

“Unfortunately,” he added, “been on the bad side of it for a little longer than we would like to, for sure. No one stays at the stop. You never stay at your best.”

Winds weren’t quite as strong and gusty on Friday, but the nasty crosswinds at #11 made it the most difficult hole of the round, with nearly 22% of balls landing in the water to the left of the fairway. It continued to rank as the #1 most difficult hole for the first three rounds, with scoring average of 4.280, 97 bogeys and 13 double bogeys.

Canadian (and UW alum) Nick Taylor goes into Sunday T2. The Scottsdale resident has been practicing often at TPC and, in spite of having a hometown advantage, was also confused by the winds. “All those holes are playing a lot longer than typical. Yeah, I’ve seen a lot of wind conditions, but this was one of the toughest stretches I’ve played out here.”

Rahm, 28, has been one of the best since he turned pro in 2016. He won his first PGA TOUR event, the Farmers Insurance Open, and cracked the top 10 in the world in less than a year. Last month he won the Sentry Tournament of Champions and The American Express and contended again at the Farmers (T7). He won twice on the DP World Tour at the end of last season and has never finished worse than T16 in seven starts here.

What surprised him Friday was running into his mom and grandma at the rowdy 16th hole.

“Unexpected,” he said. “Very unexpected. I’m glad I didn’t know until I hit the shot, honestly, because otherwise I think I would have tried too hard for my grandma to hit a good shot.”

Surprise or not, it went well: Rahm hit his tee shot to 7 feet, 7 inches and made the birdie putt.

Scheffler got his first win at last year’s WM Phoenix Open, touching off a four-wins-in-six-starts run that earned him the No. 1 world ranking. His only surprise Friday came at the same hole, 16, which he nearly aced, only to watch as a gust of wind blew his ball off the green. He was still trying to figure out what happened after the round, asking for eyewitnesses.

“It landed four paces left of the pin and was cutting,” he said. “It should have been probably six feet on left side of the hole. It ended up being like 20 feet off the green. It was weird.”

Like Rahm and Scheffler, Day, 35, is a former world No. 1, getting there when he won eight times in 2015 and 2016, including the PGA Championship (’15) and THE PLAYERS Championship (’16). Today his body is day to day and even minute to minute, and he’s working with instructor Chris Como to find a swing that won’t hurt his brittle back.

Fowler, 34, who in addition to changing coaches also changed caddies (Joe Skovron to Ricky Romano) late last season, finished in the top 10 in all four majors in 2014 and reached a career-best world No. 4 in 2016.

Each sees a bit of himself in the other – Fowler won THE PLAYERS in 2015 – and they’re pulling for one another.

“I love Jason,” Fowler said. “He’s as good a guy as there is.”

They’ve got work to do to catch Scheffler and Rahm, who are making it look easy at TPC Scottsdale, even in the wind. Take it from Day and Fowler, two guys who know the terrain at the top: It’s not easy at all, especially after you’ve fallen.

Rory McIlroy, meanwhile, heads into the final round at Even Par, in a tie for 32nd. It’s just his second time playing WM and he readily admits the course doesn’t really suit him, but the incentive of $3.6 million was enough to get him here.

“Yeah, look, I wouldn’t say that this is a golf course that sets up terribly well for me. I struggle off the tee here. I feel like all the fairway bunkers are right in my landing zones. But it’s a challenge, and again, like I’m trying to embrace that challenge.. Yeah, look, not an event I historically play, but I feel like I’m a good enough player to figure it out and contend and win on any golf course.:

FIRST ROUND

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — Morning frost gave way to gusting wind Thursday in the WM Phoenix Open, leading to tricky scoring conditions at TPC Scottsdale.

“I actually felt the best swing I made of the day was the par-3 seventh, and hit it 20 yards over the green,” top-ranked Rory McIlroy said after an opening 2-under 73 that left him seven strokes behind.

The frost delayed the start for 1 hour, 50 minutes, with the wind picking up from the northeast and gusting to 25 mph. The temperature climbed from the low 40s in the morning to the high 60s in the afternoon as golf’s biggest party kicked off Super Bowl week in the Valley of the Sun.

“Tricky day,” McIlroy said. “Hopefully, the wind keeps up this afternoon for the guys out there, and we’ll get back at it tomorrow.”

Canadian friends Nick Taylor and Adam Hadwin shared the lead at 5-under 66 when play was suspended because of darkness with the entire afternoon wave unable to finish.

Xander Schauffele opened with a 67. Jason Day and Jim Herman also were 4 under, with Day finishing 10 holes and Herman 13.

Taylor played the back nine in 6-under 30 after making the turn at 1 over. The two-time PGA TOUR winner lives in the area and often practices at TPC Scottsdale.

“I don’t see a whole lot of northeast wind here,” Taylor said. “It’s definitely the tougher of the winds, especially coming down the stretch. All those holes are playing a lot longer than typical. I’ve seen a lot of wind conditions, but this was one of the toughest stretches I’ve played out here.”

Hadwin also lives in area.

“You had to be a lot more patient than you normally do around this place,” Hadwin said. “You couldn’t really chase birdies like we typically do out here.”

He parred the last four holes to miss out on bragging rights over Taylor.

“I’m really disappointed I didn’t get to 6 under because I saw Nick up there, and I wanted to hold it over him tonight,” Hadwin said.

Local favorite Jon Rahm eagled the par-5 13th to get to 3 under as play was suspended. The former Arizona State star from Spain opened the year with consecutive victories in the Sentry Tournament of Champions and The American Express.

Defending champion Scottie Scheffler was 1 under through 11 holes.

Jordan Spieth shot 71, making four birdies and four bogeys. Justin Thomas was 1 over after 12 holes.

McIlroy is trying to make it three wins in a row on the PGA TOUR after taking the TOUR Championship in August and THE CJ CUP in October. He also won two weeks ago in Dubai on the DP World Tour in his first start of the year.

McIlroy pulled off an amazing recovery shot on the par-4 second hole after a wild tee shot left him up against a metal fence, hitting a 127-yard shot to the center of the green to set up a two-putt par.

“I sort of got lucky because the wind was hard off the left and I needed to hit that hard draw against the wind,” McIlroy said. “It was the only way to stop it on that green.”

McIlroy’s playing partners also struggled, with Collin Morikawa also shooting 73 and two-time WM Phoenix Open winner Hideki Matsuyama following at 74.