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Xander Schauffele Wins First Major Title at PGA Championship

The Californian capped off a record week with a final-round 65 that held off a hard-charging Bryson DeChambeau.

John Schwarb

Xander Schauffele is finally a major champion.
Xander Schauffele is finally a major champion. / Adam Cairns-USA TODAY Sports

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Xander Schauffele is a first-time major champion, winning the PGA Championship on Sunday by one shot over a hard-charging Bryson DeChambeau.

The 30-year-old from San Diego, Calif., shot a final-round 65 at Valhalla Golf Club with a winning birdie at the 72nd hole, completing a week where he opened with a major championship-record-tying round of 62 Thursday and ended at 21 under par, setting a 72-hole scoring record.

Schauffele led or co-led after each round, but came to the 18th hole Sunday tied with DeChambeau at 20 under after the captain of LIV Golf's Crushers team capped off a thrilling bogey-free 7-under 64 with a birdie at the par-5 18th.

Schauffele’s drive at the last caught the left rough next to a fairway bunker, requiring him to stand in the bunker for his second. He hit an iron up the left side leaving a 36-yard pitch shot, which he hit to 5 feet. His putt caught the side of the cup and rolled in.

The world No. 3 came into the week as arguably the best player in golf to not yet own a major. He had 12 top-10s in majors including top-3 finishes in the Masters, U.S. Open and British Open. He had won seven times previously on the PGA Tour, most recently at the 2022 Genesis Scottish Open. 

He proved nearly unflappable in the final round. He went out in 4-under 31 and after a bogey at the par-5 10th hole stuffed an iron shot into the par-3 11th and made birdie. He then added another at the 12th to maintain a one-shot lead.

Collin Morikawa co-led after 54 holes with Schauffele but had an ice-cold putter in the final round, making 14 straight pars, a bogey at the 15th and a too-late birdie at the 18th to finish an even-par round that left him tied for fourth with Thomas Detry at 17 under.

Viktor Hovland, perhaps now the best player without a major, finished solo third at 18 under. He and DeChambeau, playing together in the third-to-last group, put on a fabulous show with 13 combined birdies. But the Norwegian needed to birdie the last to match DeChambeau and missed a 10-footer. He then missed the par putt for his lone bogey of the day but third place was already secured. 

The course was ripe for picking Sunday just as it had all week. Scoring got progressively lower with every round, bottoming out at 69.256 for the final round. Schauffele and Shane Lowry both tied the record low rounds in a major with 9-under 62s.

At the 72nd hole, DeChambeau drove into the left fairway bunker and with an awkward stance, hit a low iron flew out to the left of the green. He chipped up to 10 feet, 9 inches, and his birdie putt wouldn’t have gone in if it was 10 feet, 11 inches.

DeChambeau then headed to the range for a possible three-hole playoff, and could only watch as Schauffele birdied to win it.

Defending champion Brooks Koepka finished T26, shooting his best round of the week on Sunday with a 66 but his hopes to defend vanished Saturday with a 74.

Scottie Scheffler also shot his best round of the week on Sunday, a 65 to surge up to T8, eight shots back. He is scheduled for arraignment Tuesday in Louisville following his arrest Friday morning on multiple charges, including second-degree assault on a police officer stemming from an incident while he was driving into the course.

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John Schwarb
JOHN SCHWARB

John Schwarb is a senior editor for Sports Illustrated covering golf. Prior to joining SI in March 2022, he worked for ESPN.com, PGATour.com, Tampa Bay Times and Indianapolis Motor Speedway. He is the author of The Little 500: The Story of the World's Greatest College Weekend. A member of the Golf Writers Association of America, Schwarb has a bachelor's in journalism from Indiana University.

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