Runner-up Bryson DeChambeau (right) congratulates 106th PGA Championship winner Xander Schauffele at the Valhalla Golf Club in Louisville, Kentucky, on Sunday. Image courtesy X.
By Rahul Banerji
Xander Schauffele completed a wire-to-wire run at the 106th PGA Championship in Louisville, Kentucky, to win his maiden major championship on Sunday.
Very much like Muhammad Ali, Louisville’s most famous sporting icon, the Tokyo Olympic champion outlasted his challengers to complete a breakthrough win at the very end of the 72-hole championship.
LIV Golf star Bryson DeChambeau set a clubhouse total of 20 under par 264 with a closing 64 playing two groups ahead, and Schauffele needed a birdie finish which he achieved after a wayward tee shot on hole 18.
Desperate wish
“I really did not want to get into a playoff with Bryson,” the relieved Schauffele said after pocketing his $3.3 million winner’s cheque.
Scheuffele’s 6 under 65 after earlier cards of 62, 68 and 68 gave him a 21 under total of 263, the best four-day aggregate at the PGA Championship against Brooks Koepka’s 264 set in 2018.
His total was the lowest in relation to par at the majors against the previous best of 20 under shared by Jason Day (PGA Championship, 2015), Henrik Stenson (The Open, 2016), Dustin Johnson (The Masters, 2020), and Cameron Smith (The Open, 2022).
The result also improved on Schauffele’s two runner-up finishes so far at the majors, at the 2018 Open and the Masters in 2019. It also was his first title since the 2022 Genesis Scottish Open, a wait of 670 days
DeChambeau (68-65-67-64) set the winning bar at 20 under 264 with a 10-foot birdie on the 18th hole. When Schauffele came to the 18th he had five straight pars behind him and needed birdie to avoid a playoff.
Tough task
Schauffele first had to dig himself out of trouble, choking down on a 4-iron standing in the fairway bunker with the ball just outside to lay up just short of the green.
The approach left with a curving six-foot putt, which he converted and celebrated with arms stretched into the sky.
“I was actually kind of emotional after the putt lipped in,” the eight-time PGA Tour winner said.
“It’s been a while since I’ve won, and I really just kept saying it all week, ‘I just need to stay in my lane.’ Man, was it hard to stay in my lane today, but I tried all day to just keep focus on what I’m trying to do and keep every hole ahead of me.”
“I told myself, ‘This is my opportunity, and just capture it,’” he added.
Almost there
For DeChambeau, who both charmed and entertained the Valhalla crowd, it was a case of so near, and yet so far. “First, proud of Xander for finally getting the job done. He’s an amazing golfer and a well-deserved major champion now,” he told reporters.
“On my side of the coin, disappointing, but, whatever. I played well. Didn’t strike it my best all week. Felt like I had my ‘B’ game pretty much … but one that gives me a lot of momentum for the rest of the majors.
“I said today it was closing time, but it will be closing time hopefully over the next couple majors,” DeChambeau added.
World number one Scottie Scheffler put in a solid challenge of his own with a closing 65, but given the low scores by those ahead, it was always going to be hard to overcome Saturday’s 2 over par 73.
“I’m not going to sit here and say that I played poorly yesterday because of what happened on Friday,” Scheffler said.
“I just had a bad day out on the course and was proud of how I came out here and bounced back today. Saturday morning, I think it finally hit me what really happened.
“Friday most of the day I didn’t really even eat … as somebody who’s a pretty big eater, that was a strange feeling, so obviously my body was a bit off with what had happened in the morning.
Great support
“I did my best to leave that behind me and come out here and compete and do what I love, and the support I got from the fans was amazing. I think they were cheering extra loud for me this week.”
Indian-American Sahith Theegala was third after Moving Day but Sunday’s disappointing 73 left him with a share of 12th place alongside event co-favourite Rory McIlroy and four others, the PGA Tour said.
Schauffele’s eighth title means he will replace McIlroy as world number two in the new rankings this week behind Scheffler. This was his 28th major championship start and he finished leading the field in birdies (25) and Greens in Regulation (60 of 72).
Three of the last four majors have now seen first-time winners including Brian Harman at the 2023 Open Championship, Wyndham Clark at last year’s US Open and now Schauffele at the PGA.
For his part, runner-up and 2020 US Open champion DeChambeau led the field in Driving Distance (330.5 yards), no surprise given his consistency and distance both off the tee and fairways.
Also read: Schauffele, Morikawa share penultimate day PGA C’ship lead
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