Xander Schauffele wins first major at PGA Championship in a thriller at Valhalla

Xander Schauffele faced many challenges on his journey to becoming a major champion, as evidenced by the difficulties he encountered with each step on Sunday in Louisville, Kentucky.

Not only did Bryson DeChambeau make a strong effort in the PGA Championship, but he also managed to tie with Schauffele by making a birdie on the final hole at Valhalla.

Schauffele encountered some setbacks during his golf game. There was mud on his golf ball after he made a successful drive on the 16th. On the 17th, his shot from the tee went backwards into a bunker instead of forwards onto the fairway. He needed to score a birdie on the par-5 18th in order to win, but when he approached his supposed good drive, he realized it was too close to a bunker, making it difficult for him to take a clear shot at the green.

Schauffele expressed that he continuously reminded himself that he had to put in the effort to earn his position. When he reached the end, he chuckled and thought about the challenges that one has to face to become a major champion.

During the second half of the course, he also shared one more idea with the audience.

Schauffele expressed that he considered this as his chance and was determined to seize it.

With a daring hit from the fairway, he found himself in a bunker with the ball positioned above his feet, causing him to concern himself with the ball shooting off course. He managed to hit the ball about 35 yards away from him with great accuracy and at the perfect angle. Then, his pitch up the incline was successful, with the ball stopping 6 feet away from the hole, which was a moment he had always hoped for.

Next, the runner-up from California, who has been unlucky in the past two months with losses to Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy, exhibited some impressive skills.

In an exciting match at Valhalla, Schauffele sunk a 6-foot birdie putt on the last hole to emerge victorious. This putt prevented DeChambeau and LIV Golf from securing another major title, and also led Schauffele to make history with the lowest 72-hole score ever achieved in a major championship.

Schauffele stated that he continuously reminded himself that he had to work hard to deserve this opportunity and to relish the moment. He managed to do so successfully. He did not recollect the moment when the ball went into the hole, but he could hear the loud cheers from everyone. Finally, he looked up to the sky with a sense of relief.

After an eventful week at Valhalla, the champion who won the Olympic gold medal garnered a highly treasured item made of silver. This was the massive Wanamaker Trophy.

He finished off with a splendid performance, shooting 6-under 65 to triumph over DeChambeau. DeChambeau put on a thrilling show till the end, managing to transform a major setback into a remarkable birdie on the 16th hole, followed by a 10-foot birdie on the par-5 18th, earning him a 64.

DeChambeau expressed that he scored 20-under par in a major championship, which although disappointing, has given him plenty of impetus to perform well in the future major tournaments.

Schauffele achieved a remarkable feat by winning the PGA Championship with a birdie on the final hole. He is the first player to do so since Phil Mickelson in 2005 at Baltusrol. Schauffele emerged victorious with a narrow one-point lead.

The final shot was full of excitement. Schauffele bent down to examine the putt, but was unsure of which direction it would go. He decided to aim it straight, with a suitable amount of force so that it barely grazed the cup's rim, before the power of gravity began to affect it.

Schauffele, who radiates a relaxed vibe typical of California, lifted both his arms overhead and flashed the biggest grin. He then proceeded to embrace his caddie, Austin Kaiser, who was his former teammate at San Diego State, in a tight hug.

DeChambeau was practicing on the range, preparing for a possible playoff and keeping tabs on Schauffele via a huge video display. When Schauffele sank the winning putt, DeChambeau noticed it and then made his way back to the 18th to join the throng of other players eager to offer their congratulations to the 30-year-old.

Last year, Brooks Koepka emerged victorious as the PGA Championship winner and still holds the title for the only LIV Golf player to have won a major tournament. However, DeChambeau came close to achieving the same feat.

"I put forth my maximum effort and knew my B game would suffice," stated DeChambeau. "However, it is evident that someone performed extremely well. Xander fully deserves to win a major championship."

Viktor Hovland, the winner of FedEx Cup, wasn't certain if he qualified for the Valhalla golf course because he was struggling with his performance. He attempted to bounce back from his bad performance. Hovland had a chance to tie with DeChambeau by making a ten-foot putt for birdie. However, he missed the shot, followed by another miss of a disregarded par putt. As a result, he ended up in the third position after shooting 66.

Schauffele started the championship with a splendid 62, which made him tie the record for major championships. He ended the tournament with a birdie that earned him a total score of 21-under 263, surpassing Koepka's record of the 2018 PGA Championship at Bellerive and Henrik Stenson's record of the 2016 British Open at Royal Troon by just one shot.

Another remarkable week at Valhalla has come to a close.

Scheffler got arrested on Friday morning, just five days after his first child was born. The reason for his arrest was that he didn't obey the police's instructions while they were investigating a car accident that resulted in the death of a pedestrian, which happened an hour before Scheffler's arrest. He was only detained for a short period.

After being released from prison, he arrived at the golf course just in time for the second round and managed to score 66. However, his luck didn't hold up over the weekend. Scheffler's performance suffered on Saturday, as he shot 73 - his first round above par since August of the previous year. Despite this setback, he finished strong with a score of 65, earning him a tie for eighth place.

A couple of athletes, Schauffele during Thursday's game and Shane Lowry on Saturday, equaled the biggest achievement in majors by scoring 62. Nearly every day, the track, which was affected by the rain, resulted in shattered scoring records.

After everything, the defining moment was just one putt that Schauffele will always remember.

However, he showed his greatness right from the beginning by sinking a 30-foot birdie putt at hole number one, which broke the tie he had with Collin Morikawa. Schauffele played the first nine holes in just 31 strokes and assumed he had a significant advantage. However, upon looking at the leaderboard, he realized that DeChambeau and Hovland were not far behind and were poised to catch up.

After that, Schauffele had a minor setback with a bogey on the par-5 10th, which should have been an easy hole at Valhalla, and he found himself tied with his opponent. You couldn't help but think what could happen next, if he would be defeated by another impressive round such as Scheffler's 64 at The Players Championship or McIlroy's 65 last week at the Wells Fargo Championship.

Kaiser remembers Schauffele saying, "We need to obtain it."

He used a 7-iron to hit the ball to 8 feet away from the hole on the 11th and another 7-iron to land the ball just 6 feet away from the hole on the 12th, regaining his lead. Despite dealing with muddy conditions, he managed to maintain his position with pars. He made a critical save on the 17th hole, leading to a defining moment that belonged to him.

In many respects, this victory was long overdue. For almost two years, he had not won at the Scottish Open. Before coming to Valhalla, Schauffele had achieved eight straight top-20 finishes at major golf tournaments. He had also come close to winning twice and had six top-5 finishes.

He secured his eighth win on the PGA Tour, in addition to the gold medal he received at the Tokyo Games in 2021. As a result of this latest triumph, he has claimed the number two position in the world rankings, though he remains quite a distance behind Scheffler. Nonetheless, this achievement has guaranteed that Schauffele will be representing the United States at the forthcoming Olympics.

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