Xander Schauffele, major champion of the PGA Championship

Bravo for that Xander Schauffele, 30 years old and world number 3 (This Monday will be number 2), enormous champion of the PGA Championship with a final birdie and a round of 65 strokes for 263 (-21), which represents his first victory in one of the ‘big’, which puts a heavy weight on his shoulders because he had several attempts and did not win a tournament from July 2022. Bryson DeChambeauwho had previously finished with 264 (-20), forced his countryman to make a ‘4’ on the 18th to clinch the title.

On Thursday, Schauffele became the first golfer to achieve two rounds of 62 (one at the 2023 US Open at Los Angeles Country Club, par 70) in the ‘bigs’. The American, who has a half-French, half-German father and a Taiwanese mother but grew up in Japan, has 8 PGA Tour wins and Olympic Games gold. in 2021, and has not won a tournament since the Genesis Scottish Open in 2022.

Among his notable achievements are the 2017 Tour Championship, the 2018 HSBC World Champions, the 2019 Tournament of Champions and gold in Tokyo 2021. Now in 2024 he has 8 top ten on the PGA Tour, with two second places as the best that finish, at The Players and last Sunday at Wells Fargo that Rory McIlroy stole from him.

The fight for Wanamaker Trophy was reduced to three gladiators at the start of the second part of the course: Xander Schauffele, Victor Hovland and Bryson DeChambeau, that is, the Olympic gold in Tokyo, the Norwegian No. 1 on the PGA Tour in 2023 and is the only LIV activist who dares to take a stand on the traditional circuit.

Of the three, only DeChambeau knows how to win a Grand Slam, the 2020 US Open at Winged Foot, the year of the pandemic. Schauffele has two consecutive seconds, at the 2028 British Open and the 2019 Masters, and two thirds ex aequo, at the 2021 Masters and the 2019 US, while Hovland was 2nd in the PGA last year and 4th in the British 2022 and the great winner of the 2023 season, conquering the FedEx Cup in an impressive final rush this year, with a swing crisis that forced him to stop and now he seems to have forgotten even his bogey-6 In it’s late. still hurts more than expected.

The truth is that this last day saw the rest of golf, especially with three players giving everything and hitting some great shots: Schauffele, Hovland and DeChambeau literally ate this Jack Nicklaus design, which their fourth PGA. Viktor and Bryson stood on the tee of the 18th hole a stroke behind Xander after not putting any pressure on him on the 17th And on the last hole they left each other with birdie opportunities that were not close. DeChambeau shot 64 (-7) and 264 (-20), a result that put the pressure on his countryman, but not Hovland, who had 3 putts, 66 (-5) and 266 (-18).

The Collin Morikawa, Shane Lowry and Justin Rose They stayed put at one point or another in the final lap and didn’t mess up what they wanted for the lead, most of the time by Schauffele and, at one point (solo on the 13th hole) by Hovland.

Because of that, I entered the top 10 the Belgian Thomas Detrywith 66 hits for 269 (-15) and the world no.1 Scottie Scheffler, who despite starting the day with a bogey, then signed seven birdies, for a card of 65 and a total of 281, 13 under par. Also finished with -13 double PGA winner, Justin Thomas (68), of Louisville.

The day was wonderful, with sun and high temperatures and a course that allowed progress and lots of birdies. The greens remained very receptive and both Schauffele, Hovland and DeChambeau crushed it.

Final classification:

263 (-21) Xander Schauffele (USA)

264 (-20) Bryson DeChambeau (USA)

266 (-18) Viktor Hovland (North)

269 ​​​​​​(-15) Thomas Detry (Bel)

Collin Morikawa (USA)

270 (-14) Justin Rose (GBR)

Shane Lowry (Irl)

271 (-13) Scottie Scheffler (USA)

Justin Thomas (USA)

Robert MacIntyre (GBR)