MAJOR MOMENT EARNED

Schauffele holds his nerve to win in Valhalla and end 2-year title drought

Faced with a life-changing, six-foot birdie putt, a nervous Xander Schauffele was determined it was finally the moment to seize his first Major title.

He took his putter at the par-five 18th hole in the final round of the PGA Championship, struck the ball and was not sure what happened next. That is when a roaring Valhalla crowd alerted him that, after heartache and near misses, he was at last a Major winner.

"I knew I had to birdie the last hole. I was trying to squeak a birdie in there somehow. I kept telling myself, 'I need to earn this, I need to prove this to myself, and this is my time'," he said.

He fired a six-under 65 to finish on 21-under 263, the lowest to-par score in Major history, and defeat fellow American Bryson DeChambeau by one stroke on May 19.

"Just a whirlwind of emotions," said Schauffele, who rose to world No. 2 following his breakthrough.

"It feels amazing. Just a wide range of emotions for me. Very satisfying win. This is awesome. It's super sweet. But when I break it down, I'm really proud of how I handled certain moments on the course different from the past."

He had 12 top-10 finishes in Majors without a victory until his clutch putt fell into the hole. His triumph also ended a two-year winning drought since the 2022 Scottish Open, a run that included 21 top-10 PGA Tour efforts.