Perpetual golfer Xander Schauffele finally added a major trophy to his Olympic gold medal and seven PGA Tour titles after winning his 108th PGA Championship with a perfect performance, closing the deal with a 72 birdie.
A week after dropping two shots in the final round at Wells Fargo, the 30-year-old American took a similar turn on the back nine at Valhalla Golf Club, but this time he held back, claiming his girlfriend. A pressure-packed header six-foot putt to deny a charging Bryson DeChambeau a chance to play.
He finished 21-under-par, the lowest in majors history, and the week he started with a record-low 62, and added rounds of 68 and 68, before signing. with a 6-under-par 65 on Sunday.
“I was very nervous,” Schauffele later admitted about his final six-foot birdie putt. “I thought, wow, this is not what I want with the winning putt. I ended up playing it straight. I don’t remember clearly, I just heard everyone roaring and I just looked at the sky with relief.”
Ranked third in the world, Schauffele has long been ranked among golf’s best. But despite his immense talent, until Sunday, he was unable to cross the line at the majors, posting 12 top-10 results since arriving on the scene in 2017, including a runner-up finish at The Open Championship in 2018 with the club. Masters in 2019.
“I’ve been very patient without winning anything in the last few years,” said Schauffele, who last won the Socctish Open in June 2022. “People who are very close to me know how stubborn I can be. This is very good. Very sweet. But when I finish it, I’m proud of the way I handled certain moments on the course today, which are different from the past.”
THE CHASING PACK HEARD THE BLOOD
And as Schauffele arrived at the turn clinging to a double lead that had evaporated on the 10th green, where his par putt went just after Viktor Hovland birdied the 12th, there was more than a little booing. history is about to repeat itself as the chasing pack feels blood.
Hovland then birdied another putt on 13 to grab the lead, piling the pressure on Schauffele. But the determined Californian, undaunted by his bogey, refused to back down from the challenge and quickly bounced back with birdies on 11 and 12 to restore a lead he would never relinquish.
DeChambeau, all bristles and guts, and the crowd at his back, earned a birdie after his wild drive on the 16th hit a tree back onto the fairway, and birdied one last time to card a 64 and draw level with Schauffele. , which evokes wonderful celebrations on the 18th green.
Hovland then got a putt to get to 20 under, but crumbled under the pressure, taking three shots from 10 feet as he finished at 18 under. However, Schauffele withstood the onslaught, rolling in his birdie at the end to secure the title in spectacular fashion.
“ALL THOSE REQUESTS JUST BURN THEMSELVES INTO MY FIRE”
“All those who are close are calling me, even last week, that feeling, it gets to you sometimes,” said Schauffele. It’s just my fire. It was always like that, and it was leading to this. “
With his victory, Schauffele will move up to second place in the world rankings, but he said that his climb to the top is ongoing.
“We are all climbing this huge mountain,” he said. “At the top of the mountain is Scottie Scheffler. I won this today, but I’m still not that close to Scottie in the grand scheme of things. I got one good hook up there on the mountain and I’m still climbing. I could have a beer over there on the other side of the hill and enjoy this, but it’s not that hard to chase when someone is so far ahead of you.”
THE BRITISH AND IRISH CHALLENGE CONTINUES
Justin Rose led Britain’s challenge, finishing tied for sixth at 14 under par and becoming only the second player over 40, after the legendary Sam Snead, to post consecutive top-15 finishes at the tournament.
Playing against Rose, Scotland’s Robert MacIntyre failed to fire, although he closed with a superb eagle to post a low score of 70 and 13 for a perfect week. Shane Lowry, who equaled Schauffele’s impressive 62 on Saturday – became the fourth player to do so. so – he went cold with his putter as he also took out 70 cards.
Two-time major champion Collin Morikawa, who shared the lead with Schauffele after the third round, opened with 14 straight pars before the 15th. His lone birdie came at the end of an otherwise disappointing round as he finished five off the pace.
The world’s top two players, Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy, ended disappointing weekends with eight and nine shots respectively, while the former suffered a week of front-page headlines he’d rather forget and the latter recommended cheating when the pressure is on.
Both will have their chance to make amends when the big train rolls into Pinehurst next month at the US Open, but for now the headlines belong to Xander Schauffele, who almost made it to the finish line.
For all scores from the 108th PGA Championship, click here.
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