Scottie Scheffler had every reason to believe the PGA Championship was slipping from his grasp.
A five-shot lead early on Sunday at Quail Hollow vanished in just four holes. His shots were consistently missing left, and Jon Rahm was on a birdie run, threatening to overtake him. But that’s when Scheffler reminded everyone why he’s held the world’s No. 1 ranking for two consecutive years, why he’s racked up PGA Tour titles faster than anyone not named Tiger Woods or Jack Nicklaus since 1950—and why he now owns the Wanamaker Trophy, alongside two Masters wins.
Scheffler turned a tense final round into a dominant finish, delivering clutch golf when it mattered most. He didn’t miss a shot under pressure, calmly sealing his third major title with a final-round 71, finishing five shots clear of the field at 11-under-par 273.
“This back nine will be one that I remember for a long time,” Scheffler said. “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.”
It wasn’t flashy. It was fairways, greens, and clutch putting. Rahm, in his first real contention at a major since winning the 2023 Masters before leaving for LIV Golf, faltered late with missed birdie opportunities on Quail Hollow’s two easiest back-nine holes. His hopes faded with a bogey at 16, followed by a double bogey at 17, and another double on 18. He finished with a 73 and tied for eighth, seven shots back.
Scheffler’s turning point came on the par-5 15th. After watching Rahm struggle in a greenside bunker, Scheffler ripped a 3-wood over the green, then delicately rolled his putt to within a foot for birdie, giving himself a three-shot cushion. He would bogey the final hole, but by then the outcome was sealed.
His five-shot win made him the first player since Seve Ballesteros to claim his first three major championships by at least three shots.
Though the final margin was comfortable, the pressure Scheffler faced was very real. He lost control of his swing on the front nine, finding only two fairways and missing left on eight of the first nine holes. He failed to capitalize on birdie chances at the par-5 seventh and the short par-4 eighth. By the 10th tee, he was tied with Rahm.
Bryson DeChambeau made a brief push with birdies on 14 and 15 to get within two, but couldn’t generate another good look at birdie. A bogey on 18 left him with a 70 and in a tie for second with Harris English (65) and Davis Riley (72), who bounced back after a triple bogey on the 7th hole.
J.T. Poston, a North Carolina native who had an outside chance, faded with bogeys on the final two holes to finish tied for fifth. English, who finished his round well before the leaders reached the back nine, joked about Scheffler’s lead: “I don’t see him slipping a whole lot. I see myself catching my flight.”
Scheffler now has 15 career PGA Tour wins in just six seasons, making him the third-fastest to reach that milestone since 1950—behind only Tiger Woods and Jack Nicklaus. His win also marks the first time since Woods in 2000 that a player has won consecutive PGA Tour starts by five or more shots in the same season.
This victory comes a month after Rory McIlroy completed the career Grand Slam at the Masters. While the PGA Championship didn’t match the drama of Augusta, it served as a powerful reminder of Scheffler’s dominance—and how difficult he’ll be to dethrone.
McIlroy, meanwhile, made the cut on the number and shot 72-72 over the weekend to finish tied for 47th—his lowest result in a major in four years. He declined media interviews all four days.
As for Scheffler, his consistency, poise, and precision have once again set him apart.
“I hit the important shots well this week,” he said. “And that’s why I’m walking away with the trophy.”
