PGA Championship: Schauffele birdies last hole to finally claim first Major title

LOUISVILLE (usa), May 20

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Xander Schauffele finally got his Major, and he did it in dramatic fashion. Schauffele capped off the lowest winning score to par in Major history with a 6-foot birdie putt that rolled around the cup and in on the 72nd hole of the PGA Championship at the Valhalla Golf Club on Sunday.

The birdie gave Schauffele a final-round 65, a 21-under 263 for the week and a one-stroke victory over Bryson DeChambeau, who 20 minutes earlier made a birdie on the par-5 18th hole to post a 7-under 64 and tie him for the lead. “I really didn’t want to go into a playoff against Bryson. I’m assuming we probably would have played 18,” Schauffele said.

Well, it would have been a three-hole playoff, but that didn’t matter after Schauffele made birdie.

Schauffele held at least a share of the lead after each round. The Olympics gold medallist shot an opening-round 62, breaking the course and PGA Championship record, before holding off a number of challengers throughout the wild weekend to hoist the Wanamaker Trophy. Many considered Schauffele, 30, the best player in the world without a Major title before Sunday. “Yeah, I was actually kind of emotional after the putt lipped in,” Schauffele said. “It’s been a while since I’ve won.”

The California native became the first player since Phil Mickelson at Baltusrol in 2005 to win the PGA Championship by one with a birdie on the last hole. — AP