"It was a big putt" - Scottie Scheffler reflects back on the shot that potentially helped him defend his title at WM Phoenix Open

Scottie Scheffler entered the WM Phoenix Open as the world's number two ranked golfer.

With a victory over the field, he's successfully moved back into the top spot on the leaderboard, overtaking Rory McIlroy for the time being.

Despite not having his best stuff, Scheffler was able to win the Open by two full strokes. Speaking to Sky Sports, he said:

"I'm just proud of how I fought today. Didn't have my best stuff, I grinded it out today. I wasn't hitting it well off the tee. My irons didn't feel as sharp, but I mean I played a great round of golf today."

When facing a potential pitfall on Hole 16, a hole no winner has ever bogeyed and still won on, he said:

"It was a big putt. I'm really grateful, that one looked like it was going to be short for a while. That putt was really fast, it just kind of kept going, kind of like the putt I had here at [hole] 18 last year. Definitely a lot of fun to see that one go in."

Scottie Scheffler also mentioned the impact the crowd can have:

"I don't know how to put it into words, just try to stay calm. Embrace the crowd when it's going well, I started to build some momentum early today, seeing some putts go in. I'm really grateful with the result."

The result was a big win that catapulted him back on top of McIlroy, who took the spot from him in similar fashion late last year. It's likely these two will go at it all year long.

Gone are the days of one golfer dominating the OWGR leaderboard like Tiger Woods and others have in the past. Top-ranked golfers are fortunate to stay atop as long as they do with how much talent is often breathing down their necks.

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Scottie Scheffler repeats as WM Phoenix Open champion

Scottie Scheffler won at the WM Phoenix Open last year, too, so it was an extremely successful endeavor all around.

Scottie Scheffler won the WM Phoenix Open

The new world number one talked about his win via ESPN:

"I was just trying to hit a solid putt. In those situations, that's really all you can do. So, when I'm standing over that ball, all I'm thinking about is the speed. I had my line."

"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. I think I only had two bogeys this week, which is really, really good around this golf course."

Scottie Scheffler knew a win, and a return to the number one ranking, would take a lot:

"There were a lot of guys up there. I knew it was going to take a great round. Nobody was going to give this golf tournament to me. I had to go out and earn it."

Fortunately, Scheffler was able to hold them off with a stellar performance and take home the victory.