There were a lot of people questioning whether Xander Schauffele had what it took to win a big one. A talented golfer, he would seemingly come up small in the biggest moments, never able to finish the deal. That is a reputation that should officially go away.
The 2024 PGA Championship at Valhalla Golf Club was won by Xander Schauffele. It is the first major victory of his career, as the 30-year-old has gotten the monkey off his back. It was a hard-earned victory, as Bryson DeChambeau made a major push on Sunday and Viktor Hovland was right on his tail as well.
Entering Sunday, Schauffele was tied with two-time major champion Collin Morikawa. But, any critics he had are now silenced as he fired off an impressive 6-under 65 to hold off the field. As a result, he made history.
The 21 under that Xander Schaffele shot for the PGA Championship is the lowest 72-hole score to par in a major championship. That beat the record previously held by Henrik Stenson and Brooks Koepka, who shot 264 strokes at the 2016 Open and 2018 PGA, respectively.
“I was actually kind of emotional after the putt lipped in,” said Schauffele, whose last victory came at the Scottish Open in July 2022. “It’s been a while since I’ve won. I kept saying it all week, I just need to stay in my lane. Man, was it hard to stay in my lane today, but I tried all day to just keep focus on what I’m trying to do and keep every hole ahead of me. Had some weird kind of breaks coming into the house, but it’s all good now.”
The pressure was certainly on after DeChambeau sunk a birdie to get to 20-under, tying Schauffele on his final hole of the tournament. In past tournaments, he may have crumbled under the pressure, but on Sunday, he was up for the task.
He sunk a birdie of his own, making him the first player since Phil Mickelson in 2005 to win the PGA Championship by one shot with a birdie on the final hole. It was well earned, as a less-than-stellar tee shot put Xander Schauffele in a difficult predicament.
With an awkward stance for Shot 2, he used a long iron and left himself 35 yards short of the green. He was able to get a great chip, putting himself within six feet of the pin for a birdie opportunity and his first career major. The putt was sunk and he is immortalized as a major champion.
“I really didn’t want to go into a playoff against Bryson,” Schauffele said. “I’m assuming we probably would have played 18. It would have been a lot of work. I just told myself, this is my opportunity and just capture it.”
Xander Schauffele is the ninth straight American player to win the PGA Championship. After being so close in previous majors, this has to feel great for him to finally break through and win one.
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