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

LOUISVILLE (usa), May 20

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