XAND THE NEW
Xander Schauffele finally casts aside ‘choker’ tag as World No3 birdies last hole to win first Major at PGA Championship
American held off a late charge by a European Ryder Cup favourite to win first-ever Major
THE X-MAN finally found his A-game when it mattered most, as Xander Schauffele powered to a record-breaking triumph at the USPGA Championship.
Schauffele cast aside his ‘choker’ tag with a brilliant final round 65 to see off a fierce challenge from Viktor Hovland and Bryson DeChambeau.
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That five under par effort propelled Shauffele to 21 under in all, setting a new record for any Major championship as he completed a stunning write to wire victory.
Four previous Major winners had finished on twenty under, and it was the second time Shauffele had written his name into the record books at Valhalla.
He became the first man to shoot 62 twice in the big four events in the first round, setting the tone for an unforgettable week.
The San Diego golfer with a German dad had to banish the demons that have plagued him in the Majors - and elsewhere - as many people questioned whether he had the bottle to add to the Olympic gold medal he claimed in Tokyo three years ago.
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World No 3 Schauffele, 30, had posted six top five finishes without looking like getting over the line in the Majors before this.
And he has also squandered a host of winning opportunities since his last victory, at the 2022 Scottish Open, with three runner-up finishes and the same number of thirds.
Two of those second place finishes came in the last couple of months, with Schauffele tamely surrendering 54 hole leads at The Players Championship in March, and again at the Wells Fargo a week ago.
The fact that it was the two men ahead of him in the world rankings - Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy - who denied him those titles offered some mitigation.
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But Schauffele was hammered for his timid approach and weak putting when glory beckoned. But not this time!
He had to pull out all the stops as DeChambeau charged to twenty under with a superb closing 64.
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The Incredible Bulk posted that number with a totally different style of golf to the one he became renowned for, especially when he won the 2020 Open by overpowering Shinnecock Hills.
There was still plenty of muscle - especially with an awesome drive that carried a bunker 341 yards from the tee on 17.
But it was mostly his short game brilliance that carried DeChambeau to the brink of a second Major victory. He led the field in scrambling, saving par 18 times out of twenty after kissing the green.
Another brilliant up and down at the par five last - where he made a ten footer for birdie - left Schauffele needing to match his four to get the victory .
That lookers unlikely when Schauffele pulled his drive towards a fairway bunker. It stayed out of the sand, but he was left with an awkward stance, balancing on the very edge of the trap.
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But Schauffele made perfect contact to leave his ball just short of the green, and he caressed a chip up to feet for the winning birdie.
That must have eased the pain for Hovland, who traded blow for blow with playing partner DeChambeau, before making a mess of the 18th.
Hovland faced a birdie putt of almost identical length to DeChambeau’s, but three-putted it for a bogey that dropped him to 18 under.
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So after finishing in a tie for second a year ago, the Norwegian was pushed into third this time.
His time will surely come - but this was Schauffele’s day, and he certainly deserved it.
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