A major championship in Louisville, Kentucky, will invariably bear comparison to a heavyweight fight. Punches thrown and taken. Grit and guts displayed. One man with his one arm raised.
The 106th PGA Championship was more like a rumble, a host of contenders in one arena, no single adversary whom to attack.
Be aggressive. See red.
No one did that better this week at Valhalla Golf Club than Xander Schauffele, who needed both arms to raise the 27-pound Wanamaker Trophy.
And one final birdie.
Schauffele beat back a powerful, exuberant display by Bryson DeChambeau and brilliantly revitalized play by Viktor Hovland, to claim his first major title and eighth PGA Tour victory – first in nearly two years.
The 30-year-old, criticized at times – as recently as last week – for his inability to close on Sunday, birdied the 72nd hole to shoot 65 and finish at 21 under par, one clear of DeChambeau and three better than Hovland.
“I told myself this is my opportunity — capture it,” Schauffele said.
An overnight co-leader, Schauffele temporarily lost the outright advantage after a bogey at the 10th hole in the final round but responded with birdie on Nos. 11 and 12 and never trailed again.
He was, however, tied, that occurring when DeChambeau’s 11-foot birdie effort on 18 extended a final revolution into the hole, leading to a full-body release of nerves and raw energy.
“I gave it my all. I put as much effort as I possibly could into it and I knew that my B game would be enough,” DeChambeau said. “It’s just clearly somebody played incredibly well. Xander’s well deserving of a major championship.”
With DeChambeau in the clubhouse at 20 under, Schauffele stood on the same number, having parred five consecutive holes. Hovland, playing alongside DeChambeau, had a chance to also reach that mark but missed his 10-foot birdie at the last. He then missed the comebacker for a finish undeserving of his effort.
With DeChambeau keeping warm on the range, Schauffele’s tee shot at the 573-yard 18th went 322 yards but finished in the light rough just off the left-hand fairway bunker, presenting an awkward stance. With both feet in the sand, the ball above his feet and choking down on an iron, he advanced his ball into the fairway gap short of the green.
Four years ago, Schauffele needed to get up and down from 98 yards to win the gold medal in Tokyo. He did so. Now he needed to do the same from 36 yards to win his first major.
He did so.
Schauffele hit a low-running wedge to 6 feet, 2 inches, and poured in the putt, the ball ever-so-slightly thinking about escaping the hole but having no room to avoid it.
On Thursday, Schauffele shot 62 to tie a men’s major championship record (which he already co-owned). On Sunday, he had a record to himself, his 21-under total the lowest ever in a men’s major.
“The Race to 20” was the early-week mantra: It was going to take 20 under to win the Wanamaker.
Wasn’t quite enough.
Schauffele and Collin Morikawa entered the final round as co-leaders at minus-15, with 13 others within five shots.
DeChambeau and Hovland were both two back and started strong Sunday. DeChambeau made three birdies over his first six holes. Hovland made three in a row, beginning at the fifth.
Schauffele held his own as well, making birdie on Nos. 1, 4 and 7.
Morikawa, meanwhile, was stuck making pars, 14 of them to start his round. He drifted four back by the turn, didn’t card a circle until his final hole and tied for fourth, six back.
Others failed to make a charge as well. Sahith Theegala converted a 55-foot birdie putt at the first to tie for the lead but shot 73. Justin Rose climbed within two on the back nine but finishing bogey-bogey. Shane Lowry was eight shots higher than his record-tying 62 in Round 3.
It was Saturday that ended any chance Scottie Scheffler had of claiming the second leg of the season Grand Slam. “Not feeling like myself,” and understandably so, Scheffler posted 73. He closed in 65 to tie for eighth, ending his turbulent week. The Masters champ, who faces arraignment on four charges stemming from his Friday arrest, said he plans on playing next week’s Charles Schwab Challenge at Colonial but, for now, “I’m trying to figure out how quickly I can get home from here, and that’s pretty much it. I’m just fairly tired and ready to get home.”
The clearing of a congested leaderboard left three men: Schauffele, DeChambeau and Hovland. The latter of which, reunited with a prior coach and rerouted in the right direction, grabbed the outright lead with a birdie at the 13th.
That lasted briefly, until Schauffele, playing two groups behind, birdied the 11th and 12th holes to reach the magic number: 20 under.
Hovland couldn’t get there. He parred Nos. 14-17 and three-putted the last for bogey. His 66 left him alone in third at minus-18.
DeChambeau didn’t drop a shot all day. After a break off the tee on 16, in which his ball kicked off trees and into the fairway and led to birdie, the LIV player and former U.S. Open champion made his seventh birdie of the day at the par-5 18th, forcing Schauffele to play his final two holes in 1 under to avoid a playoff.
It took a pair of up-and-downs to get it done, the first for par at 17 and the second for birdie at 18.
Schauffele said he didn’t see his final stroke circle into the hole. He heard the crowd’s reaction, confirming he was a major champion.
