Scottie Scheffler fends off challenge, cruises to PGA Championship win
The final score didn't come close to telling the whole story.
By many accounts, this PGA was over. Scottie Scheffler had grabbed its reins and taken off, poised to win his third major title, first non-Masters, by a mile after a near-perfect Green Mile on Saturday at Quail Hollow Club. Thanks to a 5-under finish over his final five holes, Scheffler had a three-stroke lead entering the final round and arguably all the momentum.
Yet, major championships usually don't end a day early, even for the world No. 1. And by the time he turned on Sunday afternoon, Scheffler had company. Jon Rahm, playing two groups ahead, turned in a birdie barrage, gaining shots on Nos. 8, 11 and 12 to climb to 9 under. Scheffler, meanwhile, hit just two fairways and four greens in his front nine, turning with three bogeys and one birdie to find himself tied with Rahm for the lead.
But then Scheffler found his footing, getting his solo advantage back with a birdie at the par-5 10th hole. As Scheffler's 9-foot putt dropped, the applause could be heard ahead on the 12th green, where Rahm was preparing to strike his 14-footer for birdie. Rahm missed, and he missed several more birdie attempts coming in – 20 feet at No. 13, 7 feet at No. 14 and 13 feet at No. 15 – while Scheffler pulled away for good with birdies at Nos. 14 and 15.
Rahm then completely ejected with a bogey-double-double performance on the Green Mile, Nos. 16-18, to finish 4 under.
Alex Noren, paired with Scheffler on Sunday, shot 5-over 76 to end up 3 under. Harris English's closing 65 was the only score better than 68 among those T-17 or better on the final leaderboard.
Scheffler bogeyed the par-4 18th to polish off a level 71, then celebrated with a few hard high-fives and chest bumps with his caddie, Ted Scott.
The PGA was now officially over, and Scheffler was the champ – just not like many expected.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Boston Globe
3 minutes ago
- Boston Globe
Russell Henley birdies last 3 holes for a 61 to lead Tour Championship over Scottie Scheffler
The entertainment came from Rory McIlroy, who bladed a bunker shot on the par-5 18th hole over the green and off the grandstands, and then back onto the green. He made an 18-foot putt for a most unlikely birdie. Scheffler was rooting hard for McIlroy, not so much for the birdie but so they could avoid a lengthy ruling to finish. Seconds after Scheffler holed his 4-foot birdie putt, the horn sounded to stop play because of approaching storms that led to East Lake being evacuated. Advertisement Left behind was a leaderboard filled with red numbers in a tournament that has a $40 million purse in official money for the top 30 players, all of them with an equal chance. Only two players were over par. Rain hammered East Lake on Wednesday — and again after the first round ended — leaving the course soft enough that players could lift, clean, and place their golf balls in the short grass. Advertisement 'I felt like with it being lift, clean and place and somewhat soft compared to last year when the greens were brand new, it was a little bit softer, so it was just a little bit more gettable,' Henley said. There was also that no-so-small matter of putting. Henley already has a great reputation with the putter, and on this day he holed some 207 feet worth of putts. 'Probably the most I've ever made,' he said. Three of the five players who got in at 64 was enough to wonder which cup was on their minds. Justin Thomas, Collin Morikawa, and Patrick Cantlay all finished outside the top six who qualified for the Ryder Cup and have to wait on being one of six captain's picks. All three are seen as likely picks. 'I don't think you're ever comfortable until you get that call and you're on the team,' Morikawa said. 'Look, I hope I've done enough. We'll have to wait and see. But I think, yeah, my focus right now is to try and go out and win this golf tournament. I think if I do that, then hopefully that's enough, and we'll see how everything plays out.' Scheffler is coming off his fifth victory of the season last week at the BMW Championship and didn't miss a step. All that slowed him was some swirling wind as the storm approached, making it a little tougher to get close for birdie chances with a wedge in hand. The only fairway he missed — except for No. 18, in which the ball rolled through the middle into the first cut — was at the 16th, and that left him in his biggest predicament. From the rough he went down a deep swale to the right, the one place he knew to avoid. Advertisement 'I knew going down there right of 16 was a huge penalty. We had talked about it in the practice rounds,' he said. 'And our job was just to get the ball back on the green, which I did, and it was nice to hole that long putt. But it was a reminder of how key it was to keep the ball in play. 'I missed one [fairway] on 16 and all of a sudden I'm almost playing for bogey,' he said. 'It's pretty important around this place.' Tommy Fleetwood, who keeps giving himself chances at his first win on the PGA Tour, also was at 66, along with BMW Championship runner-up Robert MacIntyre, who is ready for a return to Scotland given how hot it has been in Memphis, Baltimore, and Atlanta. 'I wear as much sun cream as I possibly can. I look like Casper the Ghost out there, to be honest. I get a lot of shouts about my sun cream,' MacIntyre said. It beats the shouts he got last week at Caves Valley when he lost a four-shot lead to Scheffler in the final round and was hearing from the pro-American crowd along the way. MacIntyre was as upset about how he handled the crowd as he was his golf, but figures it will be a great teaching moment for him at Bethpage Black for the Ryder Cup next month. Advertisement 'There's a couple of things that I know that I'm going to change, but do you know what it's really going to help me for? Bethpage,' he said. 'I'm always going to be fiery, I'm always going to yell, swear, yell, get angry. 'But just the way I interacted with the crowd, I was trying to keep them out of the way, but instead of doing what I did on Saturday and bringing them into it.'
Yahoo
31 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Six Golfers Relegated From LIV Golf League Following 2025 Campaign
The LIV Golf League, which began in 2021, has continued to grow in popularity, with the 2025 season officially concluding on Sunday. The league's year-end rules differ significantly from the PGA Tour. The standings are divided into three zones: Lock Zone, Open Zone, and Relegation. The top 24 golfers automatically secure their spots for next season, while those ranked 25 through 48 can remain in the league—but their current teams are not obligated to re-sign them if they are on an expiring contract. At the bottom of the standings is the Relegation Zone. This year, six players who finished 49th or lower were relegated following Sunday's final tournament in Indianapolis. Who Got Relegated The relegated players include 2016 Open Champion Henrik Stenson, co-captain of the Majestics; Mito Pereira; Andy Ogletree; Yubin Jang; Anthony Kim; and Frederik Kjettrup, who ended the season with zero points. The relegation system in LIV Golf is ruthless, but it undeniably adds competitiveness to every tournament and places a premium on consistency. This year, LIV Golf star and soon-to-be U.S. Ryder Cup member Bryson DeChambeau weighed in on the system and how the league could evolve moving forward. Relegation, in particular, was something he suggested could use adjustments. 'I would say that there are definitely grounds upon which we can change some things,' DeChambeau said. 'Definitely relegation for sure, more pathways into LIV. I think a global tour, more association to a global tour would be great for a feeder system into LIV. Those things, I think, could help quite a bit. Albeit I don't know the details, I think those are a few of the bigger points.' How Can LIV Players Can Return From Relegation While the six relegated players are now techincally out of the league, the door isn't fully closed. They still have opportunities to earn their way back into the field—whether by climbing into the top 48 through the International Series or LIV Golf promotions. The next promotions tournament is set to begin on Dec. 12 at the Riyadh Golf Club in Saudi Arabia. Its sole purpose is for players to compete and earn their spot into the LIV Golf story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Aug 19, 2025, where it first appeared in the Golf section. Add Athlon Sports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
PGA Tour Reacts to Historic Scottie Scheffler News
PGA Tour Reacts to Historic Scottie Scheffler News originally appeared on Athlon Sports. Scottie Scheffler notched his 18th career PGA Tour victory on Sunday, taking down Robert MacIntyre by two strokes at the BMW Championship. After entering the final round trailing by four strokes, the World No. 1 golfer ultimately came out on top with a 3-under 67 at Caves Valley Golf Club. Sunday's victory marked Scheffler's fifth PGA Tour victory of the 2025 season. In 2024, he recorded an even more impressive seven PGA Tour wins. This sustained greatness over the last two seasons puts Scheffler among elite company. The 29-year-old golfer is now the first athlete since Tiger Woods to notch back-to-back five-win seasons on the PGA Tour. Woods recorded consecutive five-win seasons from 1999-2003 and 2005-2007. The PGA Tour recognized Scheffler's accomplishment with a social media post. "Elite company joined," the league wrote on X. Scheffler arrived on the par-3 17th tee with a one-shot lead over MacIntyre. After finding the left rough on a wayward tee shot, he found himself with a downhill chip shot toward the water. Miraculously, he holed the shot from more than 80 feet out to give him a two-shot lead heading into the 18th hole. "I knew it was just going to be really fast, and do my best to get it down there and give myself a good look for par," he said after the win. "When it came out, it came out how we wanted to and then it started breaking and it started looking better and better. "And yeah, it was definitely nice to see that one go in." Scheffler now turns his attention toward the Tour Championship at East Lake Golf Club, where he'll look to defend his title. This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Aug 18, 2025, where it first appeared.
