PGA Championship 2025: Winners and losers as Scottie Scheffler hoists the Wanamaker Trophy
The 107th PGA Championship wrapped up Sunday with Scottie Scheffler winning in dominant fashion on the back nine at Quail Hollow Club in Charlotte, N.C.
Here are 10 winners and losers from the second men's professional golf major championship this year.
PGA Championship Winner: Scottie Scheffler
Credit: Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images
From being locked up and getting arrested last year to hoisting the trophy, Scottie Scheffler played like a World No. 1 this week. In addition, the notion of Scheffler winning a major only at Augusta National has come to an end with his win Sunday for his first Wanamaker Trophy. Scheffler grew his lead to six entering the final three holes, also known as the Green Mile, leading to a five-shot win.
Loser: Jon Rahm
Credit: Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images
Jon Rahm had a three-hole stretch where he had the chance to keep up with Scheffler. However, the Green Mile got to Rahm. He bogeyed the 16th before recording double bogeys on the 17th and 18th holes. He went from potentially finishing as the runner-up to finishing tied for eighth.
Winner: Ryan Gerard
Credit: Erik Williams-Imagn Images
In Ryan Gerard's first PGA Championship, he has one to remember. He finished tied for eighth place while having the 18-hole lead after Thursday. This week marks Gerard's third top-10 finish this season and first since being the runner-up at the Valero Texas Open.
Loser: Hideki Matsuyama
Credit: Michael Madrid-Imagn Images
Hideki Matsuyama went home early on Friday after missing the cut. That ends a streak of 19 consecutive made cuts at a major championship, dating back to the 2019 Open Championship. He shot 3-over par for the tournament, which included struggling in Friday's second round. On Friday alone, Matsuyama ranked 123rd with -1.012 strokes gained around the green and 127th in both strokes gained off the tee (-0.891) and tee to green (-2.515).
Winner: Matt Fitzpatrick
Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images
Matt Fitzpatrick had a solid week at the PGA Championship, finishing tied with Rahm in eighth place at 4-under par. Fitzpatrick recorded his best finish this season. It is also his second top-five finish at the PGA Championship since 2022.
Loser: Jordan Spieth
Credit: Raymond Carlin III-Imagn Images
In an opportunity to once again achieve the career grand slam, Jordan Spieth will have to wait another year. Like Lowry, Spieth missed the cut by one shot. He struggled on the first day, shooting 5-over 76 to derail his chances. Spieth recorded seven bogeys Thursday, including six over his final 10 holes. He tried to make the cut after shooting 3-under 68 and hoped the cutline got pushed back to 2-over par, but it did not.
Winner: Harris English, PGA Championship runner-up
Credit: Michael Madrid-Imagn Images
Harris English made his eighth PGA Championship start and tied for second for his best finish at a major championship. His shot a final round 6-under 65 which was the best round of the day to finish in place. He made five birdies on the back nine Sunday, including four in a five-hole stretch.
Loser: Shane Lowry
Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images
Shane Lowry's luck did not go in his favor over the first two days. The Irishman's shot on the par-4 eighth landed in the fairway, but in a divot, resulting in the ball being embedded. However, the rules official did not allow him to take relief and play it as it lies. He eventually went on to bogey the hole and missed the cut by one stroke. It marks his second missed cut at a major championship since the 2022 U.S. Open. That is eight made cuts in the last 10 majors.
Winners: Si Woo Kim and Eric Cole
Credit: Raymond Carlin III-Imagn Images
There is always gratitude in the players getting the chance to play in a major, like the PGA Championship. One great moment to remember the week by is getting a hole-in-one. On Thursday, Eric Cole achieved that on the par-3 fourth from 186 yards. It also marked his first ace in an individual stroke play event while on the PGA Tour.
Advertisement
24 hours later, Si Woo Kim aced the par-3 sixth from 252 yards out. It was his sixth hole-in-one on the PGA Tour since 2016, the most in that span. Of those six, two have come at majors with the other taking place during last year's Open Championship. He also became the first player with a hole-in-one in back-to-back major seasons since Scott Hoch recorded an ace at the 2001 PGA Championship and the 2002 U.S. Open.
Loser: Michael Block
Credit: Aaron Doster-Imagn Images
The Block party looks like it has come to an end after his heroics from a couple of years ago. Michael Block shot a four-over 75 before shooting an 11-over 82 on Friday to miss the cut. Block had two bogeys and two double bogeys in a four-hole stretch early on Friday before closing with a bogey and two double bogeys in his final three holes.
Advertisement
Related: Fan Favorite Michael Block 'Very Happy' Heading Into This Year's PGA Championship: Relive His 2023 'Magical Carpet Ride' With Rory McIlroy
Related Headlines
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Washington Post
31 minutes ago
- Washington Post
Patrick Corbin finally got a fresh start. He's taking advantage of it.
In the last five years of his six-year contract with the Washington Nationals, Patrick Corbin never ended a season with an ERA better than 4.66. Three times in those five years, he led the National League in losses. His longest streak of starts allowing three runs or fewer was seven, and he did that once. Other than that, he never compiled a streak longer than four.
New York Times
32 minutes ago
- New York Times
Steelers finally get their quarterback in Aaron Rodgers, but buyer beware
It feels like we just watched Aaron Rodgers on a weird, man-on-the-streets version of a reality TV dating show, one in which our dapper dude begrudgingly committed to someone after a far more arduous saga than anyone ever imagined. Resigned to the belief that a third-best option was better than no option at all, our bachelor talked himself into awarding the rose to the only partner left standing. Together, they awkwardly begin their new union, ignoring the signs that suggest this won't end well. Advertisement That's basically what happened between Rodgers and the Pittsburgh Steelers on Thursday. Some 85 days after the revamping New York Jets released him, after the Minnesota Vikings pledged loyalty to second-year pro J.J. McCarthy, and after the New York Giants signed Jameis Winston and Russell Wilson in free agency and drafted Jaxson Dart for good measure, Rodgers is officially a Steeler. Contingency plan Mason Rudolph led the Steelers' first-team offense through its sixth and final voluntary offseason practice session. But the plan now calls for Rodgers to fly to Pittsburgh, where on Tuesday he'll take the field for his new team's three-day mandatory minicamp, catch his breath for six weeks and then report for training camp No. 21 and begin his quest for one last shot at football glory. Their patience — or desperation — rewarded, the Steelers got their guy. They're rolling the dice on yet another long-in-the-tooth quarterback, viewing him as better suited to lead their roster into battle than any journeyman, project quarterback or unproven rookie. This is a buyer-beware situation, however. The Steelers signed a sure-fire Hall of Famer with a Super Bowl ring, four MVPs and 10 Pro Bowl selections on his resume. But Rodgers, who turns 42 in December, is a shell of himself. Coach Mike Tomlin and general manager Omar Khan envision Rodgers replicating what Tom Brady did with Tampa Bay and leading the Steelers on a storybook championship march. But Rodgers is no Brady — who was a robot of a professional, even at 43, with no agenda beyond winning — and this Steelers roster is not on par with those 2020 Buccaneers. To be clear, Rodgers is better than any other quarterback the Steelers have on their roster. Rudolph, on his second stint with the team, is 9-8-1 with 28 touchdowns, 20 interceptions and 13 fumbles in five seasons. Skylar Thompson has three starts and 10 total appearances to his name, with just one touchdown pass and three interceptions. Sixth-round rookie Will Howard is a project quarterback. Advertisement So, Rodgers, who has seen every blitz package and coverage scheme known to man, will prove more proficient in directing a Steelers offense that this offseason swapped out wide receiver George Pickens for DK Metcalf and replaced running back Najee Harris with third-round pick Kaleb Johnson. But this is the same Rodgers who is coming off the most disappointing showing of his career after struggling to effectively direct a Jets offense that featured Pro Bowl-caliber wide receivers Davante Adams and Garrett Wilson and potent running back Breece Hall. Pittsburgh does have a consistently reliable defense. But will Rodgers fare much better with the Steelers, who have fielded pedestrian offenses for years? It's not like team officials made dramatic upgrades to that side of the ball. Metcalf, for whom the Steelers traded before awarding him a $132 million contract, may have Pickens beat in the maturity department. But statistically, the differences are negligible. And that raises the question of why, if Pittsburgh was so intent on this Rodgers fling, it didn't hang onto Pickens for one more season to ensure this over-the-hill legend at least had a dynamic receiver tandem with which to work. Just as Metcalf may not be a legit upgrade over Pickens, Rodgers might not be any better than Russell Wilson. Compare the aging former NFC rivals' last three seasons. The numbers are eerily similar. Rodgers completed 63.7 percent of his passes; Wilson 63.4 percent. Rodgers had 54 touchdown passes and 23 interceptions. Wilson had 58 touchdown passes and 24 interceptions. Rodgers went 14-21; Wilson 17-24. But an eight-year playoff win drought and a refusal to do what it takes to acquire a top-flight rookie quarterback and endure the development stages have clouded the Steelers' judgment. Did they forget that Father Time remains undefeated? Sure, Brady and Peyton Manning managed to deliver Super Bowls to new teams as the sun set on their careers. But those occurrences are rare. Just ask Joe Montana and the Chiefs, Joe Namath and the Rams, Johnny Unitas and the Chargers, Warren Moon and the Vikings and Seahawks and Cam Newton and the Patriots. Advertisement Eventually, the magic fades. But it's not the physical decline that should concern the Steelers the most. A team that prides itself on professionalism and discipline, led by the ultimate culture guy in Tomlin, needs only to examine Rodgers' off-field behavior the last three years to realize this is not an ideal fit. Tomlin always preaches, 'The standard is the standard. We're going to do things the Steeler way.' He's all about accountability and team above self — yet he hitched himself to a quarterback notorious for finger-pointing when things go south. Did Pittsburgh forget how Rodgers' time in Green Bay ended? Unhappy with the way team president Mark Murphy and general manager Brian Gutekunst were running the team and his lack of input, Rodgers was publicly critical of both and wanted Gutekunst fired. Fatigued by his antics and growing non-football interests, the Packers moved on with Rodgers in the dark. Did the Steelers forget how Rodgers criticized the dysfunctional ways of the Jets organization, eventually leading to head coach Robert Saleh and general manager Joe Douglas getting fired? Rather than accept accountability for New York's shortcomings during last year's 5-12 debacle, Rodgers regularly used his buddy Pat McAfee's show as a platform to call out teammates and Jets leadership. Pittsburgh officials are guilty of arrogance, viewing themselves as a far superior franchise to the Jets and immune to such a debacle. Perhaps they see more similarities to Green Bay and believe Rodgers will embrace a return to structure and simply play his role. But that would require Rodgers to possess a keen focus and unquenchable thirst for winning at all costs and the humility necessary to adapt and alter his approach. If Tomlin thinks he's getting a laser-focused Rodgers who's all about sacrificing for the greater good, he should think again. Sure, Rodgers may have expressed respect during this drawn-out courtship, which seemingly even included Tomlin cutting a deal that let the quarterback skip all but three days of the offseason program. But as he welcomes Rodgers aboard, Tomlin is putting himself and the franchise at great risk. Advertisement League insiders have long regarded Tomlin as a strong leader of men with a knack for managing complicated personalities and getting his charges to exceed expectations and overcome adversity. He draws praise for having never experienced a losing season in 18 years as head coach. However, he'll have to use every management and relationship-massaging trick he's got to prevent Rodgers from taking a stick of dynamite to the Steelers' near pristine culture if things play out poorly. Critics have long said that while Tomlin's avoidance of losing records is remarkable, his unwillingness to evolve in the areas of team operations, staff construction and talent evaluation actually holds the Steelers back. If losses mount and Rodgers makes the same observations about an antiquated approach, he'll certainly pull back the curtain on this boss, as he has on others, and subject a proud franchise to embarrassment. Speaking of relationships, one of the most important ones will be that of the quarterback and offensive coordinator Arthur Smith. Many league insiders believe that to avoid a combustible situation, Tomlin will give Rodgers freedom to operate as he pleases. It will take work for Smith to align his conservative, run-first philosophies with those of Rodgers, who still views himself as a gunslinger. The two have never worked together. Smith worked under Matt LaFleur, Rodgers' head coach in Green Bay, when LaFleur was the offensive coordinator in Tennessee. And Steelers quarterbacks coach Tom Arth had a brief stint as an offseason teammate of Rodgers' in 2006. But there are no pre-existing ties to ensure this thing remains on track. Blending existing concepts with those of a veteran quarterback isn't easy. Just ask Bruce Arians and Byron Leftwich, who spent half of the 2020 season trying to do so for Brady before finding the perfect mix late in that season. And that was while working with the laser-focused Brady and not a quarterback like Rodgers with meandering interests and a strong sense of entitlement. Ideally, Smith would have had all offseason to cultivate a relationship with his quarterback and integrate his favorite concepts and plays into the Steelers' playbook. The two could have experimented, massaged and tweaked throughout the offseason. But instead, they will receive one three-day on-field stretch together before reconvening for training camp. Advertisement How will Rodgers respond if the offense sputters, should he and Smith clash? Will he eventually go rogue and get into on-field trouble while overestimating his declining physical gifts? And then there's chemistry with teammates. Unlike the Jets' experiment, Pittsburgh isn't going out to get as many hand-picked former Packers for Rodgers. Instead, he will have to start from scratch on Tuesday and continue throughout training camp. And even then, will it be enough? If he threw Jets teammates he'd known for nearly two years under the bus, what will he do to Pittsburgh players he hardly knows? Will Tomlin and Steelers owner Dan Rooney be able to stomach weekly outlandish comments from their quarterback on McAfee's show? Pittsburgh's desperation for a deep playoff run is real — so real it feels like the usually conservative Tomlin and Steelers were willing to ignore a dozen red flags, including that they were nowhere close to his first choice. But maybe things will not go as disastrously as they could. Maybe Rodgers will change his stripes and be the model teammate and ultimate professional — a big maybe. He doesn't make the Steelers better than the AFC North rival Baltimore Ravens. He might not even have the capability to carry Pittsburgh past Joe Burrow and the Cincinnati Bengals. We won't even talk about the Kansas City Chiefs. So, is this soul-selling dance worth it? There's no Super Bowl run left in this version of Aaron Rodgers. If we're being honest, the best realistic scenario involves this experiment going woefully wrong, and at last, the Steelers find themselves in position to draft a top-flight quarterback. At worst, Rodgers and the Steelers labor through another season and finish a tick above .500 — as is customary — only to remain stuck in football purgatory with no clear path out.
New York Times
36 minutes ago
- New York Times
Mookie Betts solidified himself at shortstop. Now he's helping other Dodgers
LOS ANGELES — A night after committing his ninth error of the season, Max Muncy went back to work with a Gold Glover behind him. The Los Angeles Dodgers third baseman's mentor for the day was an interesting one. Mookie Betts' six Gold Gloves came in the outfield, where he was a singular presence as the best right fielder in the sport. Betts spent his winter focusing on an unprecedented move to shortstop in his 30s. It's worked for Betts, who has graded out positively in just about every public metric, along with the eyes of team brass. Unlike a year ago, manager Dave Roberts said he doesn't foresee a situation where the Dodgers ask Betts to move off the position come October. Advertisement Betts' progress at the position has gone so well that he's even working with Muncy on the finer points of his defense. Take Wednesday, as infield coach Chris Woodward chopped Muncy ground ball after ground ball to recreate the funky hop that a Starling Marte ground ball took in the fifth inning of Tuesday's win over the Mets. Standing behind Muncy for each ground ball was Betts. Between reps, Betts reinforced the finer points of attacking the baseball, rather than playing the hop cautiously and having it bounce unpredictably. At the end of the session, the three huddled. Woodward heard the same principles he echoed to Betts this winter being echoed from Betts to Muncy. 'He's obviously learned a lot,' Woodward said. 'He's very knowledgeable about how to attack ground balls. A lot of the stuff that I was telling Max, he's obviously reassuring him in the same way.' The ground balls that Betts gets at shortstop are different from Muncy's at third. The hops vary. Muncy has to react much quicker. But the principles of the exercise are the same, hammered home to Betts through a winter of reps with Woodward, video coordinator Pedro Montero and former All-Star shortstop Troy Tulowitzki. So Betts decided to help. 'Mook wants to win,' Muncy said. 'He wants to win more than anything.' If it looked uncommon, that's because it was. As much as Miguel Rojas was a veteran presence helping Betts' transition to shortstop the last two seasons, much of Rojas' heft came from experience. Betts is still gathering that. While third base may not be Muncy's natural infield spot, he's played nearly double the amount of games at that specific spot as Betts has played in the infield entirely as a big leaguer. Still, the two had taken ground balls together dating back to when the Dodgers' position player group reported early to spring training in Arizona. He's seen Muncy go about his work. Max Muncy has been working on his defense with the coaches and Mookie Betts. — Dodger Blue (@DodgerBlue1958) June 4, 2025 More than anything, Betts said, he felt like he went through the same thing with his crash course at the position last season. He has faith in what he's learned and now wants to be a missionary in spreading that message. 'I've been there,' Betts said. 'I know what it feels like. I know what it's like to be in a tough spot. … He has way more experience than me, but this offseason, I learned a lot. I really feel like mentally — I have to go out there and do it — but mentally, I really know what I'm doing. I know exactly what I'm doing. Know exactly what it's supposed to look like. I know exactly what you're supposed to do. And I can teach him. I really can teach him.' Advertisement Betts rallied from that abandoned experiment from last year and remade his defensive work. He's graded out positively by Defensive Runs Saved (2) according to Baseball Info Solutions and Outs Above Average (3) according to Baseball Savant. He looks like a shortstop, Roberts said, which is as good a compliment as any. 'He knows that he has to play well at shortstop,' Woodward said. 'He's said it, 'I'm not going to play there if I can't be a reliable everyday shortstop that can win a World Series.' He's worked his way up to that. He's still got a lot of ways to go. He's playing well, but he still knows he has to maintain it.' His confidence in trying to instruct Muncy is a testament to the strides Betts has made at the position and his aptitude for the mental side of the sport. This is also just who Betts is. When Andy Pages' early-season defensive struggles in the outfield percolated with a poor read on a Bryce Harper double in Philadelphia in early April, Betts huddled Pages and Teoscar Hernández into a corner of the visiting clubhouse and talked through the mechanics of the play and how Betts would have gone about getting a good jump. 'It's just one of those things where everyone leads in their own way,' Muncy said. 'This is how he leads. He tries to make guys better on the field. Some guys are better at leading in the clubhouse. Some guys are better at leading off the field. Some guys are better at leading on the field. This is one of the things that he excels at. He's so good at making everyone else around him better because he's always trying to spread the knowledge that he has.' Muncy's defense has been a sticking point for the Dodgers. Even as his bat has rebounded from the biggest power drought of his career to start the season, the 34-year-old's defensive struggles have mounted. Only three players — Manny Machado, Willy Adames and Elly De La Cruz — have committed more errors. He's been worth -8 OAA at third base, according to Statcast. Only Kansas City's Jonathan India has graded worse at the position. So Muncy has gone to work, with Betts alongside him. Advertisement Together they've sought out 'the little wins,' Betts said. Like Wednesday, when Marte again chopped a ball in Muncy's direction. The third baseman had a good first step toward the ball and attacked it, using the same finishing motion that Betts had repeated behind him earlier that afternoon. Muncy fielded it cleanly and got the out. 'Nobody cheers when Muncy makes a nice play that really is a nice play, but to you guys it just looks like a play,' Betts said. 'But I know the depth and the detail that goes into it. That's what kind of gets me fired up.'
