'A quartet of wins that show money doesn't buy golfing glory'

GB&I's Curtis Cup victory was their ninth in the 43 stagings of the biennial competition against the US

Scottie Scheffler raised both arms and punched the air like the all-conquering golfing colossus he has become.

Great Britain and Ireland’s women danced an unbridled jig of delight, Niklas Norgaard choked back triumphant tears and Annabel Dimmock blinked in happy disbelief.

Four different events of varying monetary value, but each demonstrating the joy of emerging victorious from the heat of competition.

Scheffler completed his expected victory at the Tour Championship to seal the FedEx Cup, which duly delivered a lorry load of cash, after many viewers might have anticipated witnessing a somewhat anaemic affair.

That is especially true if earlier on Sunday they had been lucky enough to see GB&I’s thrilling Curtis Cup victory over the United States at Sunningdale. That had been sport in its rawest form without a penny at stake.

It was all about the glory of amateur team success and the late putts of Lorna McClymont and Mimi Rhodes that took their side to a single point victory will live long in the memory of record crowds who assembled at that magnificent venue.

In comparison, it felt as though there would be precious little romance at East Lake in Atlanta, where Scheffler landed the $25m (£19m) play-off bonus. He won because his season-long performances gave him a handicapped head start.

Collin Morikawa was actually 22 under par for the week in Georgia and Sahith Theegala 21 under compared with Scheffler’s 20-under total. But with the world number one starting on an arbitrary 10 under, while Morikawa was at four under on Thursday's opening tee, he proved a comfortable winner.

It is a fair reflection of the season, where he won six other PGA Tour events, including his second major, plus Olympic gold.

But, the artifice of the season finale is aggravating, as are the outrageous sums of money involved. Scheffler’s on course earnings totalled £47.4m in 2024, equating to £9,282 for every shot he hit or £631,370 for every tournament played.

It is far from golf’s most attractive trait and it was interesting and refreshing that none of Scheffler’s post round comments made mention of the extraordinary income generated by this latest success.

He did, though, talk about the trophy - one that had eluded him in the previous two years despite starting both of those concluding Tour Championships in pole position.

“My goal to start the week was just to have the right attitude and use what I feel like is my best strength, and that's my mind,” Scheffler said.

It is clear that it is the competition rather than financial reward that drives this extraordinary golfer. And it was this spirit that, actually, made the final round such an engaging watch.

A wild drive on the seventh and a shank out of a bunker at the next opened up the tournament. The chasing Morikawa was in with a shout.

But caddie Ted Scott’s pep talk to the ninth tee reset the narrative. Scheffler fired a brilliant tee shot into the par-three green for the first of three successive birdies before an eagle at the 14th.

It was the stuff of a champion of rare quality - perhaps not deserving of such absurd financial rewards, but certainly worthy of of huge respect.

Scheffler is the undoubted player of the year. This despite Open and US PGA Championship winner Xander Schauffle landing one more major than the Masters winner.

And while we are dishing out accolades, we should mark the remarkable job done by Catriona Matthew, the first professional to captain the GB&I Curtis Cup team.

Two years ago, the United States won by 15½-4½ in a drubbing that posed a question over whether the opposition going forward should take in the whole of Europe.

Matthew, who has led the continent’s pros to two Solheim Cup successes, fostered an indomitable team spirit. “What a leader,” Karen Stupples, one of her assistants, told me.

“She comes over all laid back but inside Catriona is as tough a competitor as they come. She knew the girls, the best combinations, the order to send them out. She was brilliant.”

All of this was said with tears in the eyes of the former pro turned commentator, who won her Women’s Open title at the same Sunningdale venue two decades ago.

Matthew is naturally understated, always the first to take a step back and leave the glory to her players. Every one of them contributed to the scoreboard in their thrilling 10½-9½ triumph, with Irishwoman Sara Byrne going unbeaten.

“Obviously quite a few of them (Byrne included) will turn pro,” Matthew told BBC Sport. “So the future of women’s pro golf is looking really good,

“But I think just the enthusiasm and the desire they had to win when they’re not playing for any money is just fantastic to see. The crowds really got into it and we had huge crowds for this event.”

Dimmock played in the Curtis Cup defeat of 2014 and since turning pro a year later, had only won once. But last Sunday she came through a sudden death play off against Pauline Roussin-Bouchard to claim the Women's Irish Open at Carton House.

The Englishwoman with Irish roots has battled back from a career threatening thumb injury.

“I am proud of myself,” she said after collecting a winner’s cheque for £50,500. “There’s a lot that goes into getting me back fit. There’s a lot of blood, sweat and tears.”

Denmark’s Norgaard was equally emotional with his British Masters victory on the DP World Tour - his first professional triumph. “It's hard to put into words because it means so much,” he said having sobbed through a television interview.

“I've had such a slow career but always becoming a little bit better every year. I’ve not won on Challenge Tour and I'd not won anything here, and then winning this tournament is quite, quite special.”

Quite the understatement, but a message in keeping with a golfing weekend where the glorious pursuit of victory trumped everything.