Article content
LOUISVILLE, Ky. — The golf world came to Kentucky for the PGA Championship and a horse race broke out.
Advertisement 2
Article content
After a thrilling Sunday at Valhalla Golf Club, it was Xander Schauffele who crossed the finish line ahead of the high-octane duo of Bryson DeChambeau and Viktor Hovland.
Article content
Schauffele made a six-foot birdie putt at the 72nd hole to shoot 65 and win the 106th PGA Championship.
“Just a whirlwind of emotions,” Schauffele said after the win. “I knew I had to birdie the last hole. It was a hectic birdie, as well, but it was awesome. I kept telling myself, ‘I need to earn this, I need to prove this to myself and this is my time.’”
It’s Schauffele’s first major championship win and his 21-under-par score set the record for lowest score against par in major championship history.
Even before accepting the Wanamaker trophy, the golfer called his father Stefan in Hawaii.
Advertisement 3
Article content
“I had to hang up pretty quickly because he started to make me cry,” Schauffele said. “He was sitting on the phone bawling. It means so much.”
The powerful DeChambeau was relentless, shooting a bogey-free 64 with his showmanship on full display and the massive Louisville crowd behind him. A birdie on the 72nd hole gave DeChambeau his first share of the lead of the day at 20 under and as the putt dropped he raised his arms, gave one last fist-pump and waited to see what Schauffele would do behind him.
“Proud of Xander for finally getting the job done. I mean, he’s an amazing golfer and well deserved major champion,” DeChambeau said. “Felt like I had my B game pretty much. My putting was A-plus, my wedging was A-plus, short game was A-plus, driving was like B. You know, shot 20 under par in a major championship. Proud of myself for the way I handled adversity. Definitely disappointing, but one that gives me a lot of momentum for the rest of the majors.”
Article content
Advertisement 4
Article content
Hovland had a chance to match DeChambeau and reach 20 under with a birdie of his own on the par-5 finishing hole, but couldn’t get the break right and ended up three-putting for bogey to shoot 66 and finish third at 18 under.
After a wonderful up-and-down for par at the 17th hole to stay even with DeChambeau, Schauffele hit his drive at the closing par-5 into the rough just beside the lip of the left fairway bunker. Standing inside the bunker with the ball far above his feet, he took a powerful lash at the ball and sent it nearly all the way to the green, leaving him one last up-and-down for his first major championship win.
After pitching the ball to six feet from the hole, Schauffele’s putt caught the left lip and dropped.
“I was actually emotional after the putt lipped in,” Schauffele said. “It’s been a while since I’ve won and I kept saying all week I just need to stay in my lane. I tried all day to just keep focused on what I’m trying to do and not get ahead of myself.”
Advertisement 5
Article content
Collin Morikawa (71) and Thomas Detry (66) finished tied for fourth at 15 under. Justin Rose (69) and Shane Lowry (70) finished tied for sixth, one shot further back.
Early week rain and soft greens delivered a golf course that was ripe for the picking all week and the world’s best players didn’t disappoint. What the PGA Championship lacked in difficulty, it made up for in excitement as Schauffele, DeChambeau, and Hovland pulled away from the field and put on a thrilling finish.
Schauffele got the week started on Thursday with a major championship record-tying 62, becoming the only man to shoot the number twice. The Californian shot 62 last year in the first round of the U.S. Open at Los Angeles Country Club.
Despite Sunday’s thrilling race, it will go down as a wire-to-wire victory for Schauffele, who led or co-led after every round.
Advertisement 6
Article content
The trio made 20 final-round birdies against two bogeys in an incredible Sunday show.
“I really didn’t want to go into a playoff against Bryson,” Schauffele said of his burly rival. “It would have been a lot of work. So I just told myself this is my opportunity, so just capture it.”
Recommended from Editorial
-
Scottie Scheffler’s PGA Championship mercifully over: ‘Proud of how I fought’
-
Corey Conners finishes as top Canadian at PGA Championship
The story of the week until the final putt dropped to crown the winner actually happened off the course, just outside Valhalla’s front entrance to be exact. World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler, the pre-tournament heavy betting favourite, was arrested Friday morning before sunrise after trying to navigate blocked traffic following a deadly crash that killed pedestrian John Mills, who was working for one of the tournament’s vendors.
Advertisement 7
Article content
Unbelievably, after being released from police custody, Scheffler made it to the course for his rescheduled tee time and shot a 5-under 66, saying after his round that he had warmed up in the jail cell while watching details of his arrest on a television overhead.
The week caught up to Scheffler on Saturday, when he fell from contention shooting his first over-par round of the year, before bouncing back with a Sunday 65 to finish tied for eighth.
“I’m fairly tired, definitely a lot more tired than I have been finishing some other tournaments. But I’m proud of today, how we went out there and fought,” Scheffler said. “I put my head down on the scorer’s table and I think I about fell asleep, so I’m just kind of just wondering what time bedtime is. I’m trying to figure out how quickly I can get home.”
Advertisement 8
Article content
RECOMMENDED VIDEO
Speaking of home, Corey Conners was the top-finishing Canadian of the record-tying six who began the week in the field.
The Listowel, Ont., native shot back-to-back 67s over the weekend to finish at 9 under and in a tie for 26th.
“Definitely lots of positives, I feel like I can hit it as good as anybody out here and that makes life a lot easier,” Conners said. “I’ve just got to tidy up the putting.”
Adam Svensson also hit the ball beautifully this week, but struggled with his putting. The 30-year-old from Surrey, B.C., finished tied for 43rd at 6 under. Adam Hadwin finished at 4 under.
Nick Taylor, Mackenzie Hughes, and Taylor Pendrith missed the cut. All six of them will return to Canada in two weeks time for the RBC Canadian Open, where Nick Taylor is the defending champion.
Article content