Golf

2024 PGA Championship: Xander Schauffele Steps Up as Major Winner

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6m ago

May 21, 2024 / 8555 Views

Evan Walker

The past loomed as six feet separated Xander Schauffele from the 2024 PGA Championship glory, hinting at an end to him being long described as “one of the world’s best players without a Major title”.

In previous 27 starts at the Majors, and across a career that has seen him become an Olympic champion and win seven times on the PGA Tour, Schauffele always had the ability. It was a matter of converting that undoubtable skill into a winning performance on the Major stage.

As the clutch putt rolled in from six feet on the 18th green of the Valhalla Golf Club in the late hours of Sunday, 19 May, Schauffele was emotional. Had the birdie putt not lipped in, a playoff would have followed, and Schauffele and the resurgent Bryson Dechambeau were aware that sudden death often goes beyond skill.

The relief after the one-shot win over Dechambeau was apparent as Schaffele went through the traditional handshakes on the 18th green and even after. He came into the 106th edition of the PGA Championship a week after surrendering a 54-hole lead to Rory McIlroy at the Wells Fargo Championship, and atop that was a Major record that didn’t seem in sync.

Xander Schauffele’s road to glory at the 2024 PGA Championship

It required a flourish and it came about in a way that Schauffele’s T2 at the 2019 Masters and 2018 Open Championship can now termed preparation for holding aloft the Wanamaker Trophy on Sunday.

Schauffele confessed that the chatter around him on his Major record was actually “fuel to [his] fire”.

“I don’t think I’d ever look at it as lacking. I looked at it as someone that is trying really hard and needs more experience. All those close calls for me, even last week [at the Wells Fargo Championship], it gets to you at some point,” he said.

After the Wells Fargo disappointment, winning wire-to-wire is vindication, and making it sweeter is the 21-under 263 for a 72-hole PGA Championship scoring record. Commencing with a 62 on Thursday, May 16, to tie the 18-hole scoring record in Majors, Schauffele stayed under-par on the remaining days (68, 68, 65), and the final score of 21-under is also the lowest in relation to par at the Majors.

The PGA Championship now part of what should be a burgeoning Major collection, Schauffele will head to the season’s third Major, the US Open, in June with a mindset that comes with this win.

But getting back to the final putt on the 18th, Schauffele’s emotional state was also for reasons beyond his record at the Majors. The week had extracted a lot out of him, and telling himself to “stay in his lane (especially on Sunday) and keep every hole ahead of me” was a lot tougher than he had expected.

Patience and resilience were the keywords, but Schauffele was to admit that he wasn’t sure if he would have stayed calm had that putt not rolled in. After all, he was the only one from the top-5 on the Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) in the field this week without a Major win.

“I’d probably be a little bit less of a patient person if that putt didn’t lip in, but I really didn’t want to go into a playoff against Bryson. 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,” he said.

Family support

Professional Golf is a lot about guarantees, and Schauffele sealed his gains with the USD 3.33 million, 750 FedExCup points and the climb to No 2 on the OWGR. But the emotions that flowed, made apparent by Schauffele in the phone conversation with his father Stefan, makes this sport even more appealing.

xander schauffele 2024 PGA Championship — Xander Schauffele with his dad Stefan Schauffele at the 2022 US Open. (Image: Cliff Hawkins/ Getty Images)

Stefan was an elite athlete in Germany before a cruel stroke of fate crushed his hopes of turning out at the Olympics after being hit by a drunk driver. The Major high was like living a dream through his son, and even though Schauffele Sr wasn’t present to witness History being made at Valhalla, the phone conversation was a meeting of hearts.

Emotions surged and the crescendo led Schauffele to end the call. “I had to hang up because he started to make me cry. He was sitting on the phone bawling. I couldn’t show up looking the way I was.” Winning again on the PGA Tour after a gap of 679 days, the wait hasn’t been easy, and Schauffele paid tribute to the support at home.

“I’ve become very patient not knocking off any wins in the last couple years. The people closest to me know how stubborn I can be…My family, they’ve been the most concrete thing that I have. They’re steadfast, they keep me in line, and it’s so awesome for me to win one for them.”

Key takeaways for Bryson Dechambeau

The booming drives off the tee was among the factors behind Bryson Dechambeau staying in the mix through the week.
Aiming to become the second LIV golfer after defending champion Brooks Koepka to win the PGA Championship or a Major, Dechambeau led the field in Driving Distance at 330.5 yards.

Going into Sunday two shots off the lead, Dechambeau, the 2023 US Open champion, birdied the 72nd hole to match the final day’s best card of a flawless 7-under 64. The gauntlet had been thrown, and the onus was on Schauffele in the leader group to respond, and he did.

Coming so close, disappointment was writ large. But in the midst of it, Dechambeau is aware that he is nearing “closing time” in Majors after the T6 at the Masters and the sole second at Valhalla. “This one gives me a lot of momentum, hopefully, it will be closing time over the next couple Majors,” he said.

The US Open is next on the list, and Dechambeau has his notes ready. “I’ve learned I can play Golf with my Golf swing even when I’m not hitting it well. When I’m hitting it well, I got to take advantage. I wasn’t able to do that at Augusta (the Masters), my putting failed me. But then clearly, I putted well this week. I figured some good stuff out. Just got to remember those things and use that for the US Open. I’m excited for Pinehurst,” he said.

Week of upheaval for World No 1

Scottie Scheffler came into the PGA Championship seeking his fifth win in six starts. It was as if the World No 1 was in a picture-perfect world, on and off the golf course.

It has been a phenomenal run on the PGA Tour, which started at the Arnold Palmer Invitational in March, and continued through the Players Championship, Texas Children’s Houston Open, Masters and RBC Heritage. Four wins and a T2, Scheffler was the overwhelming favourite at the season’s second Major.

Over and above, for a man who treasures family over golf, Scheffler and wife Meredith welcomed their son Bennett a week back.
The buildup couldn’t have been better for the new Dad, and the opening at Valhalla suggested that the stars were in favour as Scheffler fired a 4-under 67.

Friday, May 17, dawned in a way that it won’t be forgotten in a hurry. A traffic accident near Valhalla killed a fan, and some distance away Scheffler got arrested in what was deemed a “misunderstanding” with the cops.

The 80-minute delay due to the accident allowed Scheffler time to tee-off after warming up in his jail cell. As the saying goes, ‘cometh the hour, cometh the man’, Scheffler seemed to shut out the trauma with a round of 66, and extended his streak to 42 consecutive rounds at par or better.

Despite the body shaking in shock and fear, not once did Scheffler contemplate quitting. Displaying the champion he is, the finish wasn’t up to the high standards he has set, but Scheffler offset Saturday’s 73 with a closing 65.

“Hectic” is how he described the week and finishing a lot more tired than other tournament weeks, Scheffler made a statement of character after what he endured with the T8 finish.

Tiger Woods fights on

Hope floated for Tiger Woods when he made his best start since the 2022 Masters. The 1-over 72 at Valhalla was sedate, but would have played a role in seeing him through to the weekend. It wasn’t to be as the rigors of pro golf showed up on Woods’ body and he shot a 6-over 77 to miss cut.

There were no excuses as Woods promised to keep fighting leading to the US Open at Pinehurst. “Keep the pedal on, keep fighting, keep grinding, keep working hard at posting the best score that I can possibly post. That’s all I can do. It’s going to be a lot, but I’m going to fight until the end,” said the former World No 1.

(Main and featured images: PGA Championship/ Instagram)

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Who won the 2024 PGA Championship?

With a final score of 21-under 263 (62, 68, 68, 65), Xander Schauffele beat Bryson Dechambeau by a shot to win the 2024 PGA Championship.

What is the highlight of Xander Schauffele’s win?

Xander Schauffele’s total of 263 set a new PGA Championship 72-hole scoring record, and the 21-under is the lowest score in relation to par in Major History.

What did Xander Schauffele gain from winning the 2024 PGA Championship?

Schauffele’s prize cheque of USD 3.33 million at the PGA Championship comes with 750 FedExCup points, and a climb to No 2 on the Official World Golf Ranking.

How many wins does Xander Schauffele have on the PGA Tour?

After winning the 2024 PGA Championship, Xander Schauffele has eight wins on the PGA Tour.