A year after wearing prison bushes and five months after his bloody wrong version with a wine glass, Scottie Scheffler returned to more familiar behavior on Sunday evening. For the third time in his short career, he is a big champion.
But mistaken not known for boring. Do not confuse a five -stroke victory for an outright procession.
And don’t assume that the 107th PGA championship the movements to the kind of result that seemed so predictable when Scheffler closed his third round with a lead of three shots.
No. This was not that kind of run for home. This was the day when his weaknesses went for a long -term outing and Jon Rahm, who fading Rebel of Liv, came to dance through an open door to briefly tease the possibility of a comeback for the centuries.
Some details at the moment. Starting the final round, Rahm was five behind Scheffler, with Alex Noren between them. In turn, Rahm and Scheffler were alone, dead level and travel quickly in opposite directions. It was a beautiful theater.
And it was also a wonderful way for Rahm to challenge the perception of challenging all that loot of Liv. But everything that flies risks a fall, and all who enter the green miles of the 16th, 17th and 18th holes risk zapping. That stretch baked life from him – he found water twice and threw five shots, fell all the way to four. Cheeky.
Scottie Scheffler illuminated a victory of five shots on the PGA championship on Sunday
He now has three major titles to his name, even though he is still in the early stages of his career
Jon Rahm pulled the level with Scheffler, but then fell badly over the last holes
It was a damp end of a great effort and therefore Scheffler, as relentlessly stable on the rear nine when he was wobbly at the front, closed the door. He signed for a 71, 11 under par for the week, he walked away to add the Wanamaker trophy to his two green coats. Bryson Deschambeau, Harris English and Davis Riley never fought, but shared the second in six, two for Yorkshireman Matt Fitzpatrick.
Where we spoke about Rory McIlroy’s career slam and wake up again last month, we can now accelerate the conversation around Scheffler, a 28-year-old who has already acquired two of the four pieces.
Just like McIlroy, who left without talking to the media after the 47th on three ends, it turned out that Scheffler was also forced to replace a non-compliant driver at the start of the week. Unlike McIlroy, he suppressed his irritation, drove some unusual misses and, as always, responded to every slip with a sprint on a big Sunday.
A year and a day after the arresting debacle at this tournament this was much more typical for him. It also completed his comeback of the serious hand injury, he sustained Ravioli with a wine glass for Christmas, which was given his status as the best in the world.
With a bit of luck, the US open next month will finally offer a good duel with McIlroy, because the sports world deserves to see them standing when both are at their best. That is a thought for another day; This was completely about a special kind of drama.
If there was hope in the field in the beginning, it was that there was recently precedent for briefs during this tournament. Just like Scheffler, Mito Pereira led through three in the fourth round in 2022 and finished third. But Scheffler is not Pereira, even in weeks where his swing is loose.
That was the theme of his front nine – he would only get four greens in regulations, with countless discs and approaches that were drawn on the left. That was part of the pattern when he was the first, sixth and ninth holes bogey.
External pressure was desperately absent for the initial phase of that run.
A year ago Scheffler was arrested for the PGA championship and he could not add to his two Masters triumphs
Twelve months later Scheffler kept his nerve brilliant on the back after he arrived at one stage
What the tournament needed was a bolter to take advantage of any blips. And there was. And there were. The Bolter was Rahm and the blips came from Scheffler who formed all those shots from draws to hooks. That was half of his problem when he’s turn in nine.
Rahm was the other.
After opening with seven pars, the Spaniard had the controllable eighth gap for seven under the birded and then got two more immediately on the rear nine. The second of these was majestic – focus on the green of a fairway bunker, 170 meters from the flag, he muscleed his way to 20 feet and made the putt. He was a fist and the crowd went in Raziernij-Hij was at nine under par and level with Scheffler.
Out of nowhere we had a collision of Titans. Brilliant. On seven under, worn by Birdies at 14 and 15, even Deschambeau was showing up and became third.
But Scheffler’s greatest feature is his ability to respond to pressure. That meant going up and down from a greenside bunker for Birdie on the 10th to go for again, before Rahm was robbed of a bankable chance of the short par four on 14. His drawing ride was perfect but took a filthy bouncing of a hill and kicked right to sand. He could only be par and that was a wild turning point.
It also brought Scheffler into gear. Where so many greens were missed on his way out, he came in – all fairways and greenery were found between the 10th and 14th, where his ride dripped in the bunker that was abandoned by Rahm. Unfortunately he shot up to seven feet and a birdie. Back on 11 under, he led by two.
When the ball fell, Rahm was two holes removed in sand on the 16th, the gateway to the green miles. His head already rang a three-putt par in the 15th, a par five, and then a feasible par-pututt was missed as soon as he escaped from the fall. A shortage of two was now three.
Sturdy in the Chase mode, he then shot his tee shot on the 17th flag and bounced in water. A Double had finished him and he entered more water on 18 and sent Rahm lower on the rankings than he earned.
Scheffler? Well, he Birdied 15 and bought himself enough breathing space to be the last to bogey. Even if he is shaky, he can win with a green mile.
More to follow …
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