Scottie Scheffler put in some serious work and got the result everyone was expecting on Sunday at the PGA Championship: a smooth stroll to the 18th green, clutching yet another major title as golf's top player. Honestly, it was a sight to see.
When it came down to the back nine at Quail Hollow, Scheffler was nothing short of flawless. Meanwhile, Jon Rahm and the rest of the field were left scrambling, trying to catch up on a day that got pretty tense until Scheffler pulled away with a steady diet of fairways and greens. I mean, he really showed up when it mattered most.
"This back nine will be one that I remember for a long time," Scheffler said, reflecting on the pressure. "It was a grind out there. At one point on the front, I had maybe a four- or five-shot lead, and then making the turn, I think I was tied for the lead." Talk about a rollercoaster!
He wrapped up the day with a bogey he could afford, finishing with an even-par 71, which gave him a five-shot victory and his third major title. Fun fact: Scheffler became the first player since Seve Ballesteros to win his first three majors by three shots or more. That’s some elite company!
But let’s be real, the margin doesn’t quite reflect how hard he had to work for it. You could see it all over his face when he raised his arms on the 18th green and then slammed his cap to the ground in a rare display of emotion from the usually composed 28-year-old Texan.
He had a five-shot lead heading into the last hole when he snagged his first Masters green jacket back in 2022. Last year at Augusta National, he was four shots clear, and at Quail Hollow, he had a six-shot lead. But this win? It didn’t feel like a walk in the park at all.
At one point, he was sitting pretty with a five-shot lead on the sixth tee. But then, a shaky swing led to two bogeys, and with Rahm making three birdies in a four-hole stretch around the turn, they were tied when Scheffler got to the 10th tee. It was shaping up to be a nail-biter.
It looked like a showdown was brewing, especially with Bryson DeChambeau trying to make a move. But under the most pressure he felt all day, Scheffler didn’t miss a shot off the tee or from the fairway until he regained a four-shot lead. Talk about clutch!
Rahm ended up seven shots behind, but he was the only real threat. His chances started to slip away when he couldn’t birdie the 14th and 15th holes, which were the easiest scoring opportunities on the back nine. His 5-wood on the reachable par-4 14th was just a yard from perfection, but it ended up in the bunker. He blasted out weakly, and his 7-foot birdie putt? Yeah, that didn’t have a chance.
Then, on the par-5 15th, he drilled a 345-yard drive, but his 4-iron went just over the back. He putted too hard, rolling it 12 feet past the hole. Missing that birdie putt was a tough blow, and then things really unraveled for him.
A bogey on the 16th saw him go from rough to bunker, and on the par-3 17th, he had to take on a tricky pin, which ended up in the water for a double bogey. His last tee shot went left off the grassy bank and into the stream for another double bogey. All that effort to make up a five-shot deficit at the start of the day, and he closed with a 73, tying for eighth.
"Yeah, the last three holes, it's a tough pill to swallow right now," Rahm said, noting this was his first serious contention in a major since he left for the Saudi riches of LIV Golf two years ago. "I'll get over it. I'll move on. There's a lot more positive than negative to think about this week. I'm really happy I put myself in position and hopefully learn from this and give it another go in the U.S. Open."
DeChambeau managed to birdie the 14th and 15th, closing the gap to two shots, but he never got another good look at birdie and bogeyed the 18th for a 70. He tied for second with Harris English, who shot a 65, and Davis Riley, who bounced back from a triple bogey on No. 7 to play bogey-free the rest of the way, salvaging a 72.
"I'm baffled right now. Just felt like things just didn't go my way this week," DeChambeau said. "I drove it as good as I can. I gave myself a good chance. Just felt like a couple breaks went a different way."
J.T. Poston, the North Carolina native who also had an outside chance, bogeyed the last two holes for a 73, tying for fifth. English finished his Sunday-best score as Scheffler was making his way down the third hole. He had a flight to catch that afternoon and was the clubhouse leader. But when he saw Scheffler's name at the top of the leaderboard, he just smiled and said, "I don't see him slipping a whole lot. I see myself catching my flight."
But then Scheffler hit a rough patch. He only found two fairways on the front nine and failed to convert birdies on the par-5 seventh and the reachable par-4 eighth. On eight of his nine holes, his miss was to the left, and he was tied with the red-hot Rahm.
But part of what makes Scheffler great is his ability to wear down the competition, which he did at the Masters both times he won. "I hit the important shots well this week, and that's why I'm walking away with the trophy," he said, and you could feel the pride in his words.
He finished at 11-under 273, marking his 15th victory in just his sixth year on the PGA Tour. Since 1950, Scheffler is the third-fastest player to go from one to 15 tour wins, trailing only Tiger Woods and Jack Nicklaus, and even then, it’s by just a matter of months.
This victory comes just a month after Rory McIlroy captured the Masters to complete the career Grand Slam. The PGA Championship was always going to be a tough act to follow, and it didn’t quite match the drama. But it served as a solid reminder of why Scheffler has held the No. 1 spot for two straight years and why it’s gonna take a lot to dethrone him.
McIlroy made the cut on the number, shot 72-72 over the weekend, and tied for 47th. That’s his lowest 72-hole finish in four years in the majors. Interestingly, McIlroy declined to speak to the media all four days.
Scheffler came into the PGA Championship riding high after an eight-shot victory in the CJ Cup Byron Nelson. And then he went on to win a major by five. It’s the first time since Woods in 2000 that a player has won consecutive PGA Tour starts by five shots or more in the same season. What a time to be alive in the world of golf!
