CHARLOTTE, NC. Closing out a tournament – especially a major championship — is the hardest thing to do. That applies even if one’s name is Scottie Scheffler — the world’s top ranked golfer.
Scheffler started the final round with a three-stroke lead in the 107th PGA Championship but his front nine play at Quail Hollow was concerning – scoring a two-over-par 37, the highest score he tallied for any nine-hole sequence during the event.
What appeared at the start to be an inevitable victory for the 28-year-old turned into a nail biting contest with a surging Jon Rahm.
The talented Spaniard started the day five shots off the pace but a series of birdies at the 8th, 10th and then finally at the 11th propelled him into a momentary tie for the lead with Scheffler.
Scheffler was fully aware his final nine holes would likely determine the outcome and he began the process with a birdie at the par-5 10th. It was that birdie that stabilized the Texan. Two additional birdies followed at the 14th and 15th holes.
For Rahm the momentum he had built evaporated with a series of crucial missed birdie putts from the 12th thru 15th holes. Rahm played what appeared to be a high-quality tee shot at the short par-4 14th but upon landing his ball took a poor bounce into the adjoining bunker and he then misread his short birdie putt
At the par-5 15th Rahm missed the green to the right with his second shot and his putt from the back right corner of the green was poorly judged, leaving him a 12-foot birdie putt that never had a chance in finding the bottom of the cup.
An errant tee shot left at the demanding par-4 16th forced him to play his approach to the right of the green into a greenside bunker. Rahm could not stabilize himself and his par putt from 12-feet missed.
With proximity to Scheffler slipping away quickly and the gap widening, Rahm opted for the boldest of plays at Quail Hollow’s harrowing par-3 17th. His 6-iron approach was pulled slightly and after landing on the firm green his ball eventually rolled into the adjoining pond that fiercely protects the left side of the green. For Rahm that final failure sealed his fate in claiming his 3rd major title.
Scheffler’s patience won the day for him. When he reached the Green Mile, the devilish closing trio of holes at Quail Hollow that can wreck a scorecard faster than a New York minute, he secured two pars with a deft short game and when reaching the challenging par-4 closing hole he played smartly after finding the right rough with his tee shot. A closing bogey had no impact on the final outcome. Scheffler’s post-round assessment said it succinctly.
“The first two days I did not swing it my best, and I was able to post a score somehow. Outside of the last five holes yesterday, that’s where I really kind of put myself ahead in the tournament. I mean, the back nine today was pretty special as well.”
How important was the play of Scheffler and Rahm on the critical 14th and 15th holes for the totality of the championship? Scheffler played those two holes in a total of nine-under-par – the best of all players in the field. Rahm’s success in comparison was limited to a three-under-par total.
Scheffler’s patience is a testament to a relationship he has had since playing golf at a very young age after his family moved from New Jersey to the greater Dallas area. It was then that the intersection with acclaimed teacher Randy Smith took root.
Smith constantly reinforced to Scheffler that playing tournament golf is going to be a constant back and forth between quality moments and those when struggling to score will happen. The key ingredient is having patience to ride out those down moments and keep them from being overwhelming.
“I think, especially when you’re as competitive, I think, as I am, when you’re younger and things aren’t going the way, they’re supposed to, Randy always did a really good job of reminding me that it was a long journey to become good at golf. You know, you’re going to have ups and downs. Randy was always by my side helping me stay patient and teaching me little things along the way.”
The re-establishment of “Superman” Scheffler at the top of golf’s pecking order was jumpstarted when he placed the green jacket on the shoulders of the newest Masters champion and chief rival — Rory McIlroy — just over a month ago.
Scheffler showcased his intent in getting back into form when winning The CJ Cup in his adopted hometown of Dallas just a few weeks ago. He tied the all-time PGA Tour 72-hole scoring record with a 253 total and a resounding eight-stroke win.
Even with that impressive win in Texas, Scheffler came into the PGA Championship as the second choice given McIlroy’s total dominance at Quail Hollow with four previous wins at the Charlotte-based club.
Scheffler was paired the first two rounds with the Northern Irishman along with two-time major winner and defending PGA Champion Xander Schauffele. Scheffler outplayed them both. Superman was intent in proving his supremacy in a sport he has dominated as golf’s top player for 103 consecutive weeks.
Scheffler now joins Seve Ballesteros as the only golfers in the past 100 years to win each of their first three majors by three or more strokes. He captured the 2002 Masters by three over McIlroy and in 2004 at Augusta by four over Ludvig Åberg.
The triumph in the PGA Championship marks his 15th PGA Tour victory. Since World War II, only two other golfers have won 15 times on tour and captured three majors before age 29 — Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods. To have one’s name placed alongside such heavyweight champions is indeed noteworthy of Scheffler’s considerable talents.
Scheffler acknowledged the need to buckle down and stay focused as the final nine holes unfolded.
“Overall, I was proud of how I stepped up on the back nine and hit the shots I needed to. It was a big birdie I hit on 10. Hit quality shots on 11, 12, 13, 14, 15 really, and was able to build up a lead and play pretty conservative the last three holes. Two nice up-and-downs there on 16 and 17, and I was able to kind of slap it around there on 18.”
Winning one of golf’s major championships is the goal of many players but only a select few have been won at least three majors. For Scheffler that main attribute comes from handling the mental grind that happens when such important events are in the home stretch in being decided.
“You know, I always try to lean as much as I can on my mind. I think that’s probably my greatest strength. You know, like today and this week I really just feel like I did just such a good job of staying patient when I wasn’t swinging it my best but I hit the shots when I needed to,” said Scheffler.
“I hit the important shots well this week, and that’s why I’m walking away with the trophy. The shots on the golf course that are most important, those are the ones I feel like I did my best at this week and maybe at times out there, some of the easier ones maybe I lost a bit of focus or something but overall when I needed to, I feel like I hit the shots.”
Scheffler’s four round total of 273 provided a five-shot margin over a trio of players — Bryson DeChambeau, Harris English and Davis Riley.
The attention now turns to the next major event — the U.S. Open at Oakmont CC in Pennsylvania (June 12-15).
Scheffler’s competitive spirit was tested when he arrived at Quail Hollow’s back nine. The wherewithal to hold matters together and outplay all his rivals bodes well for him. Patience is often talked about by all players. However, doing it when matters are in potential free fall is where the test truly begins.
The outcome from Quail Hollow certainly sends a loud and clear message to all his rivals. Taking down Superman will require a level of play nothing short of brilliant. Scheffler opened the door during the final round at Quail Hollow but his capacity in quickly bouncing back by scoring offsetting birdies leads the PGA Tour and is testament to his ability to refocus and reclaim the momentum.
Resilience in the face of paralyzing adversity is an essential skillset. Scheffler’s confidence in his abilities reaffirms the patience aspect that Smith preached to him and bodes well in all such future big-time defining moments.
A year ago, at the PGA Championship at Valhalla, Scheffler was arrested for disobeying instructions from a police officer when entering that property. The charges were later dismissed because of a clear “misunderstanding.”
What’s clear is that when Scheffler arrives at the golf course he is not taking any prisoners. There’s also no misunderstanding one clear reality — “Superman” Scheffler remains golf’s top gun.
Oakmont and the U.S. Open await next month.
***
Final Round Notes
Courtesy: Elias Sports Bureau
•Scottie Scheffler is the second player since 1985 to win two consecutive PGA TOUR starts, each by at least 5 strokes. Tiger Woods is the other:
2007 TOUR Championship (September 2007, won by 8) & 2008 Buick Invitational (February 2008, won by 8).
2000 Memorial (May 2000, won by 5) and 2000 U.S. Open (June 2000, won by 15).
Scheffler won his last start, at THE CJ CUP Byron Nelson by eight strokes.
•Scottie Scheffler won his 15th career PGA TOUR victory today. The short span of time between his first and fifteenth is historic:
Time Between First and 15th PGA TOUR Victories since 1950
Tiger Woods (1996 to 1999), 3 years, 32 days
Jack Nicklaus (1962 to 1965), 3 years, 45 days
Scottie Scheffler (2022 to 2025), 3 years, 94 days
•Scottie Scheffler won the 2022 Masters by three strokes over Rory McIlroy. He won the 2024 Masters by four strokes over Ludvig Åberg.
Over the last 50 years, the only player to win each of his first three major championships by three or more strokes was Seve Ballesteros:
By 3 strokes at the 1979 Open Championship over Jack Nicklaus & Ben Crenshaw
By 4 strokes at the 1980 Masters over Gibby Gilbert & Jack Newton
By 4 strokes at the 1983 Masters over Ben Crenshaw & Tom Kite
In case you were wondering, Tiger won his second major championship at the 1999 PGA Championship, by one shot over Sergio Garcia.
•Including Scheffler (-1 today), 18 of the last 20 winners of the PGA Championship shot under par in the final round. The exceptions are Brooks Koepka (2019, +4 at Bethpage) and Phil Mickelson (2021, +1 at Kiawah Island).
•Each of the last nine winners of the PGA Championship, including Scheffler, currently have multiple major championships on their resume: Thomas, Koepka (back to back), Morikawa, Mickelson, Thomas, Koepka, Schauffele and Scheffler.
•Each of the last ten winners of the PGA Championship, including Scheffler, were representing the United States.
•Best Cumulative Scores on #14 and #15 for the week: Scottie Scheffler (-9), Ben Griffin (-8) and Matt Wallace (-7). Jon Rahm played those holes at -3 and Bryson DeChambeau played them at -5.
•Best Cumulative Score on the #16, #17 and #18 for the week: Taylor Pendrith (-1), Cameron Young (-1), Alex Smalley (even), Davis Riley (even). Scottie Scheffler played it at +1
Largest Margins of Victory at the PGA Championship:
| 8 | Rory McIlroy | 2012 | Kiawah Island |
| 7 | Jack Nicklaus | 1980 | Oak Hill CC |
| 6 | Nick Price | 1994 |
Southern Hills CC
|
| 6 | Scottie Scheffler | 2025 |
Quail Hollow Club
|
| 5 | Davis Love III | 1997 |
Winged Foot GC
|
| 5 | Tiger Woods | 2006 | Medinah CC |
