It seemed fitting that the PGA Championship would be held in Muhammad Ali’s home city. Viktor Hovland swung at bat all afternoon but was unable to hit Xander Schauffele. Bryson DeChambeau did the same with typical power. Schauffele is no longer a golf figure. He withstood tremendous pressure to win the Wanamaker Trophy.
Naked statistics belie the epic sports drama that quickly turns into a three-horse sprint race. Schauffele finished one shot ahead of DeChambeau at 21 under, breaking the major championship scoring record by the same margin. Hovland, an integral part of Valhalla’s story, closed at minus 18 points.
The level of golf and excitement are equally extraordinary. Schauffele, Hovland and DeChambeau didn’t miss until No. 10. There, Schauffele unnecessarily used a wood in a fairway bunker and was unable to get himself back into position. His reaction was impressive. He birdied holes 11 and 12.
Hovland and DeChambeau shot 32 on the front nine. On a course set up to host a Birdie Festival, the drama was relentless. In this environment, Pars is of no use.
DeChambeau’s light was supposed to go out on the 16th. Instead, a wayward tee shot hit the trees and bounced into the middle of the fairway. Within 10 minutes, DeChambeau made an unlikely birdie. His problem is, he’s still one shot behind Schauffele.
The same was true for Hovland, so his anxiety was palpable after missing a great opportunity on the penultimate hole. The Norwegian could still end up at 20 under, but was short on borrowing. Hovland was dizzy and missed his short-par attempt. Then there are two.
DeChambeau jumped from the final green while pumping his fist and roaring toward the Valhalla Gallery. On Sunday, he didn’t even close the lead until his final birdie putt just went in the hole. It was the last of DeChambeau’s 64 shots.
The ball was now firmly in Schauffele’s court, and he found a bunker on the 17th tee. The 30-year-old missed the green but saved par. A birdie on the 72nd hole sealed a valuable victory. To achieve that goal, Schauffele had to safely navigate uneven lies caused by hitting the ball into the edge of a fairway bunker on the par-5 hole. He advanced the ball to within 35 yards of the cup and 6 feet from the field of play. The emotional scene as Schauffele enters the cave illustrates his early frustrations. DeChambeau’s playoff dreams were dashed, but to his credit, he went out of his way to congratulate the champion.
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It would be a stretch to say Sean Lowry’s challenge disappeared on the first green, but what happened there looked significant. Sahith Theegala, playing alongside Lowry, made a birdie putt from 50 feet. Lowry was one-tenth of that distance, but missed. The Irishman had been putting well for three consecutive days but suddenly made a mistake. Lowry did collect shots on the third and fourth holes, but became furious after failing to capitalize on the par-5 seventh. When Lowry made his next birdie on No. 14, Schauffele, DeChambeau and Hovland were well ahead.
Colin Morikawa missed opportunities again and again. A streak of 14 pars was broken by a bogey on the 15th hole. The two-time major champion had to content himself with observing Schauffele’s progress up close. The European challenge was generally strong, despite a bogey from Justin Rose to tie for sixth with Lowry. Belgium’s Thomas Detry tied with Morikawa for fourth at 14 under.
Scottie Scheffler’s tumultuous week ended with a 65 that moved the world No. 1 into a tie for eighth. Scheffler admitted he’s not sure what will happen next off the court. He remains charged with four crimes, including assaulting a police officer, following a bizarre incident as he entered Valhalla on Friday morning. There was widespread speculation in Kentucky that Scheffler’s charges would be dropped, but Scheffler himself seemed unwise. The lingering image of this major will be Scheffler in an orange jumpsuit.
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“I think I’m still pretty tired,” Scheffler said of his fourth round. “I’m really proud of the way I fought. I played a good round on the back nine, which gave it at least a somewhat decent end to the week. It’s obviously not what I was hoping for this week, but overall, I’m proud of the way I fought.
Justin Thomas’ total matched Scheffler’s total. So did Robert McIntyre after The Last Eagle. As a result, the Scot will return to the PGA Tour in 2025.
