Scottie Scheffler won his third major at the PGA Championship at Quail Hollow Club. This victory cements his status as one of golf’s elite. The 28-year-old player, who previously won the 2022 Masters and the 2024 Masters, demonstrated remarkable resilience throughout the tournament, particularly given the challenges he faced leading up to the event.
Scheffler’s path to winning the green jacket was fraught with challenges. Yet mere days before the championship, he was hit with an upsetting surprise. It just so happened that he had been playing a nonconforming driver in tests conducted by the United States Golf Association. This was a shocking revelation, not the least of which because he had depended on this driver for a year and a half. Inspite of this misstep, he was able to still compete at a high level throughout the tournament.
The final round showcased his tenacity. After a difficult third round, Scheffler followed with a 2-over 73, taking him out of contention. He staged an incredible recovery on Sunday, shooting a fantastic score of 65. He ended up finishing the tournament tied for eighth at 13 under, eight shots back of winner, Xander Schauffele.
Although his play never diminished, it was during that final round that Scheffler was tested most severely. He uncharacteristically tripled-bogeyed the par-3 17th hole. As for his tee shot, well it bounced off the green and splashed into the water. On the closing hole, his tee shot into the creek on the left side resulted in another double bogey. Even with these hiccups, Scheffler’s outstanding play earlier in the tournament left him enough cushion to still be in contention.
At one point in the tournament, he was tied with Jon Rahm at 9 under following his 12th hole. But Scheffler quickly got back on top, hitting a big 9-foot birdie putt on No. 11 to retake the lead. He followed that with yet another birdie on 15. This left him a four-shot cushion heading into the notorious “Green Mile.”
Looking back on his performance, Scheffler admitted that the moment got to him in the final rounds.
“It was a grind out there. I think at one point on the front, I maybe had a four- or five-shot lead, and making the turn, I think I was tied for the lead. So to step up when I needed to the most, I’ll remember that for a while,” said Scheffler.
Although Scheffler’s path to this championship would be complicated by personal demons turned career-wrecking monsters. As of May 17, 2024, he was charged with felony assault in the second degree. He faced multiple misdemeanors for an incident that occurred earlier that day. He was subsequently booked into a central detention center downtown. Less than an hour and a half before his scheduled second-round tee time, he posted bond and was released.
“It’s definitely very sweet sitting here with the trophy.”
Even through these challenges, Scheffler was able to stay in the zone throughout the tournament. He made the turn at 2-over 37, his lead cut to one over Rahm.
Rahm struggled in his final round as well, and sounded self-critical after the fact.
Either way, Scheffler’s mental strength is impressive given the unique pressures of competing at the highest level, all while trying to juggle your own personal demons. He took the 2022 Masters by three strokes, besting Rory McIlroy. In 2024, he proved it wasn’t a fluke by winning that tournament again, this time by four shots over fellow Swede Ludvig Åberg.
“Am I embarrassed a little bit about how I finished today?” Rahm stated. “Yeah, but I just need to get over it, get over myself. It’s not the end of the world.”
As Scheffler makes his way through his young career and new personal life, he’s still in pursuit of getting better. Looking back on his path through this unprecedented week, he said,
As Scheffler continues to navigate both his professional and personal life, he remains focused on improving his game. Reflecting on his journey through this challenging week, he remarked,
“I think, you know, just maybe thankful as well. It was a long week. I felt like this was as hard as I battled for a tournament in my career. This was a pretty challenging week.”
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