CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA, May 18 – World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler demonstrated the best of himself at the PGA Championship on Sunday, picking himself up from a slow start to finish five shots clear for his third major title.
Scheffler woke up on Sunday holding a three-shot advantage, but things were far from smooth in the early going. Off the tee, he struggled, leaving the door open for Jon Rahm of Spain, who started five back but wasted no time in making a statement in the back nine.
Rahm caught fire with three birdies in a four-hole stretch, tying Scheffler at the top after the 11th hole. But Scheffler, keeping his cool, responded right away with a birdie of his own at the 10th and didn’t look back from there.
“I didn’t have my best stuff, but I kept myself in it,” said Scheffler.
“I stepped up on the back nine and had a really good nine holes.”
He placed the icing on the cake with clutch birdies at the 14th and 15th, separating from Rahm, who began to fray at the edges. The Spaniard missed birdie attempts at 13 and 14, then fell apart with a double bogey at the par-3 17th after his tee shot went into the water. An awful comeback saw him lose five shots over the last three holes, dropping him into a tie for eighth.
Scheffler finished with an even-par 71 for the day, ending the tournament at 11-under-par. His five-stroke victory was the biggest margin at a PGA Championship since Rory McIlroy’s win in 2012.
“Finishing off a major championship is always difficult,” Scheffler added.
“I did a good job of staying patient.”
Behind him, Harris English fired a 65, the low round of the day, and finished in a tie for second along with Bryson DeChambeau (70) and Davis Riley (72).
DeChambeau, last year’s runner-up, stayed close through much of the final round but couldn’t convert on the greens.
“I felt like I had the game to win,” said DeChambeau.
“Missed a few putts… but it was a good fight.”
Alex Noren, who started the day alone in second, faded with three bogeys on the back nine. Rory McIlroy and Xander Schauffele finished quietly, in 47th and one under, respectively.
Scheffler’s latest major title further cements his dominance at the top of the golf world.
