Bryson DeChambeau one tiny shot behind

It has been a very exciting week in Kentucky, USA.  Xander Schauffele opened the US PGA Championship at Valhalla in Louisville with an amazing round of 62.  Was it possible that the 30-year old Californian would hold the lead for the whole week and so seize the enormous Wanamaker Trophy?  Well, simply put, yes!  Schauffele won the tournament with a narrow one-shot lead over fellow-American Bryson DeChambeau when he closed with a 65 for a 21-under par final tally.  It was an epic first Major victory for a delighted Xander Schauffele.

 

Indeed, Xander Schauffele had another impressive day on Sunday.  Playing with Collin Morikawa (USA), they were both locked-in on a score of 15-under par.  However, Schauffele birdied the first hole to creep one ahead.  The match was on.

 

Yet, sadly, Morikawa had a day of total frustration on the greens.  The putts just kept slipping by the hole.  Ultimately he scored level par on every hole on the first nine.  Surely his luck would change on the back nine.

 

 

However, Schauffele was clearly focussed on winning today.  After eight holes he was the outright leader on 18-under par.  Yet Bryson DeChambeau and Viktor Hovland (Norway) were hot on his tails.  Englishman Justin Rose was also holing birdies like crazy with an impressive run of three on the 9th, 10th and 11th holes.

 

And just when DeChambeau holed a birdie putt to get within one shot of Schauffele, the leader fought back with his own birdie to get to 19-under.  He had four birdies on the first nine to then find a bogey at the 10th hole.  The six here saw him slip into a share of the lead with Hovland.

 

Shared lead with Hovland

 

A few holes later Viktor Hovland made another birdie at the 13th to take the outright lead on 19-under par.  This was most definitely a final day at the US PGA not to be missed!

 

 

The 26-year old Norwegian had an equally impressive US PGA Championship in 2023 when he finished tie second.  He certainly looked in fighting form on Sunday.  And playing with Bryson DeChambeau there was an awful lot of inspiration in the flight.

 

Schauffele retaliated on the 11th with another birdie to level with Hovland.  One hole later he made another birdie to take the lead again on 20-under.

 

Meanwhile, DeChambeau was on high alert.  He birdied the 520-yard, par 4 16th to climb to 19-under and level with Hovland.  The pair were just one wee stroke behind Schauffele.

 

DeChambeau draws level with Schauffele

 

DeChambeau made a par at the 17th and then birdied the final hole to get to 20-under par and so share the lead with Schauffele.  In the meantime, Hovland made a disappointing bogey six at the par-5 18th to slip down the leaderboard to third position with his 66 on 18-under par.

 

Schauffele needed a strong finish to clinch the Wanamaker Trophy.  Could the Californian hold his nerve down the last hole?  All he needed to do was take a deep breath and then hole a solid putt of around six feet for birdie and so feel the ultimate glory of being crowned the new US PGA Champion.

 

A play-off with long-hitter Bryson DeChambeau down the 18th hole was not on the cards for Schauffele.  And so, moments later, his ball found the bottom of the hole for birdie.  His magical round of 65 earned him the covetted 2024 US PGA title with a super score of 21-under par.

 

Collin Morikawa and Thomas Detry (Belgium) finished in a share of 4th place on 15-under with Justin Rose (England) and Shane Lowry (Ireland) in a tie for 6th on 14-under.  Defending champion Scottie Scheffler, Billy Horshel and Justin Thomas (USA) and Robert MacIntyre (Scotland) followed in a share of 8th place on 13-under.

 

All I can say is that the 2024 US PGA Championship seemed to have Xander Schauffele’s name simply written all over it.  He led the tournament with a magnificent opening round of 62 which made him a target for the rest of the field.  However, he just hung in there to clinch his first Major by one tiny shot.

 

Many congratulations Xander Schauffele, the 2024 US PGA Champion – we are really super proud of you!

 

Wendy Hoad

Editor

 

 

MAIN PHOTOGRAPH:  Xander Schauffele, the 2024 US PGA Champion, deep in concentration.  MINIS (l-r): Xander Schauffele, Shane Lowry, Bryson DeChambeau, Scottie Scheffler.  Collin Morikawa, Wyndham Clark, Tommy Fleetwood, Cameron Smith.