Schauffele amazing in first major triumph

LOUISVILLE – Xander Schauffele outdueled Bryson DeChambeau down the back nine on Sunday to win the PGA Championship, capturing his first major triumph with the lowest score in major history.

Third-ranked Schauffele sank a tension-packed six-foot birdie putt on the par-5 18th hole at Valhalla for a one-stroke victory over DeChambeau to snap a two-year victory drought.

“I was actually kind of emotional after the putt lipped in,” said Schauffele. “It has been a while since I’ve won.

“I kept saying it all week. I just need to stay in my lane. And 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.”

Schauffele, who had 12 prior top-10 major finishes without a victory, had not won an event since the 2022 Scottish Open, having had 19 top-10 PGA Tour finishes during his drought.

But he matched the lowest round in major history with a nine-under 62 on Thursday and was equal to the challenge on Sunday.

The reigning Olympic champion fired a six-under par 65 and finished 72 holes on 21-under 263 to edge fellow American DeChambeau, the 2020 US Open champion.

Schauffele broke the old 72-hole record low under-par winning score of 20-under, done four times, most recently by Australian Cameron Smith at the 2022 British Open.

Victory was worth $3.33 million to Schauffele from an $18.5 million purse while DeChambeau took home $1.998 million.

“Proud of Xander for finally getting the job done,” DeChambeau said. He’s an amazing golfer and well deserved major champion now.

“On my side of the coin, disappointing. I played well. Shot 20-under par in a major championship. Proud of myself for the way I handled adversity. Definitely disappointing, but one that gives me a lot of momentum for the rest of the majors.”

DeChambeau closed with a 64 while Norway’s Victor Hovland, last year’s PGA runner-up, was third on 266 after shooting a 66.