The world No 1 overturned a three-shot deficit on Sunday, carding a four-under 66 to finish at 16 under and secure a three-stroke victory over Hovland.
Scheffler mixed six birdies with two bogeys in an eventful final round, steadily chipping away at Hovland’s advantage before taking control on the back nine and pulling clear late on.
The victory earned Scheffler the $10 million first prize and saw him join Rory McIlroy and Tiger Woods as the only players to win multiple FedExCup titles.
Hovland, who held the lead at various stages during the final round, finished second after a level-par 72, with Ryan Gerard taking third.
McIlroy recovered from a difficult start, when he made three bogeys in his opening five holes, to card a one-under 69 and finish in a tie for fourth.
The Northern Irishman shared 11 under with Ludvig Aberg, Chris Gotterup, Russell Henley, Jacob Bridgeman, first-round leader Min Woo Lee and England’s Alex Fitzpatrick, while defending champion Tommy Fleetwood ended another shot further back.
The Tour Championship triumph is Scheffler’s third PGA Tour title of the season and his second victory of the FedExCup Playoffs, adding another major achievement to an extraordinary period of dominance.
“Today was a day I was fortunate to get off to a good start and was able to make some birdies late in the round to seal the deal,” Scheffler said. “I’m very proud of fighting back and having some good finishes and even giving myself some chances to win with some of those poor starts.”
Hovland was left to reflect on what might have been, as he admitted Scheffler was a cut above the rest.
“I don’t think he [Scheffler] is trying to do too much with it,” Hovland said. “He knows that he’s got an edge on most guys out here, so he doesn’t have to do anything crazy. He can play smart and just kind of pick his spots, stay in it constantly.
“It wasn’t like anybody else really played all that great in contention. That’s what you see – a lot of guys just gagging and throwing up. That’s where he just stays in it and shoots a nice score and that gets the job done.”
With the win, Scheffler also moved past Tiger Woods in career PGA Tour earnings, and Woods was quick to praise Scheffler on social media.
The 15-time major champion said: “Those are some numbers to be proud of
