Scheffler pulls away to win PGA Championship for 3rd major title

CHARLOTTE, North Carolina — Scottie Scheffler worked harder than he imagined, and got the result everyone expected on Sunday in the PGA Championship: A most pleasant walk to the 18th green with another major title secure in the hands of golf's No 1 player.

Scheffler was flawless when he had to be on the back nine of Quail Hollow, leaving the blunders to Jon Rahm, and everyone else trying to catch him on a final day that turned tense until Scheffler pulled away with a steady diet of fairways and greens.

"This back nine will be one that I remember for a long time," Scheffler said.

"It was a grind out there. I think at one point, on the front, I maybe had a four- or five-shot lead, and making the turn, I think I was tied for the lead.

"So, to step up when I needed to the most, I'll remember that for a while."

He closed with a bogey he could afford for an even-par 71, giving him a five-shot victory, and his third major title. Scheffler became the first player since Seve Ballesteros to win his first three majors by three shots or more.

The margin doesn't match up with the grind. That much was clear when Scheffler raised his arms on the 18th green, and then ferociously slammed his cap to the turf, a brand of emotion rarely seen by the 28-year-old Texan.

Scheffler was five shots ahead coming to the last hole when he won his first Masters green jacket in 2022. He was four shots clear of the field when he won at Augusta National last year, and he had a six-shot lead at Quail Hollow.

But, this sure didn't feel like a walk in the park.

He had a five-shot lead standing on the sixth tee, but with a shaky swing that led to two bogeys, and with Rahm making three birdies in a four-hole stretch around the turn, they were tied when Scheffler got to the 10th tee.

It looked like a duel to the finish, with Bryson DeChambeau doing all he could to get in the mix. Under the most pressure he felt all day, Scheffler didn't miss a shot off the tee, or from the fairway, until his lead got back to four shots.

Rahm wound up seven shots behind, but the two-time major champion was the only serious threat. His chances began to fade when he failed to birdie the 14th and 15th holes, the two easiest holes on the back nine and the last good scoring chances.

His 5-wood on the reachable par-4 14th was a yard from being perfect, instead going into the bunker. He blasted out weakly, and his 7-foot birdie putt never had a chance.

He drilled a 345-yard drive on the par-5 15th, and his 4-iron went just over the back. Rahm putted it too hard and it rolled 12 feet. He missed that birdie putt and then came unglued.

A 16th-hole bogey saw him go from rough to bunker. Having to take on a dangerous pin at the par-3 17th, it bounded over the sunbaked green into the water for double bogey. His last tee shot went left off the grassy bank and into the stream for another double bogey.

All that work to make up a five-shot deficit at the start of the day, and Rahm closed with a 73 to tie for eighth.

"Yeah, the last three holes, it's a tough pill to swallow right now," said Rahm, his first time seriously contending in a major since he left for the Saudi riches of LIV Golf two years ago.

"I'll get over it. I'll move on," Rahm said. "Again, there's a lot more positive than negative to think about this week. I'm really happy I put myself in that position, and will hopefully learn from this and give it another go at the US Open."

DeChambeau birdied the 14th and 15th to get within two shots, but he never had another good look at birdie, and bogeyed the 18th for a 70.He tied for second with Harris English (65) and Davis Riley, who overcame a triple bogey on hole seven to play bogey-free the rest of the way and salvage a 72.

"I'm baffled right now. Just felt like things just didn't go my way this week," DeChambeau said. "I drove it as good as I can. I gave myself a good chance. I just felt like a couple breaks went a different way."

Agencies via Xinhua