By Frank Pingue
In Charlotte, North Carolina, Scottie Scheffler successfully defended against a strong challenge from Spanish golfer Jon Rahm, winning the PGA Championship by five strokes at the Quail Hollow Club on Sunday. This triumph marks his third major championship win in his career.
The world's top-ranked player, Scottie Scheffler, began the day with a three-shot lead over Swedish golfer Alex Noren. Although he faced some challenges initially on the course, particularly from the tee, he managed to regain his composure during the latter part of the round. Finishing with an even-par score of 71 for the day put him at 11-under overall for the tournament.
Scheffler stated on the 18th green, having just received the Wanamaker Trophy, 'I anticipated this would be a tough day; wrapping up a significant championship is always difficult.'
I wasn't at my peak performance, but I elevated my game during the last nine holes.
Harris English, a contender for the Ryder Cup, started his day 11 strokes behind but managed to shoot a remarkable 65, which turned out to be the best score of the day. He ended up sharing second place far behind the leader, along with compatriots Bryson DeChambeau (who scored 70) and Davis Riley (with a 72).
Twice major champion Rahm (73) gave Scheffler a scare early on the back nine but came apart in stunning fashion with five dropped shots over his final three holes to slide back into a share of eighth place.
Rahm, who began the day five shots back of the lead and playing two groups ahead of Scheffler, took a while to get going in the final round but found his groove right in time to set up some back-nine drama at Quail Hollow Club.
When the Spaniard reached the top of the leaderboard alongside Scheffler after notching his third birdie during a span of four holes starting from the par-four 11th, Scheffler quickly took back sole possession of the lead with a nine-foot birdie putt at the following hole, which was numbered as the 10th.
Rahm almost responded immediately, but his well-timed 19-foot birdie try at the par-three 13th curved around the rim and stayed out before he missed birdie opportunities at the subsequent two holes. This was followed by his tough finish.
Scheffler picked up birdies at holes 14 and 15, which caused his lead to surge unexpectedly to five strokes ahead of J.T. Poston when Rahm had a double bogey at the par-three 17th hole following a tee shot that landed in the water.
"It's quite hard to accept at the moment," stated Rahm.
It's still quite a recent injury. However, this week has brought numerous positives and uplifting emotions to carry forward for the remainder of the year.
The U.S. Open winner DeChambeau, who came second at the previous year's PGA Championship, was hitting the ball well and creating opportunities but had difficulty with his putting.
"I felt confident about winning the tournament this week, as the golf course really played into my strengths. Unfortunately, I missed some crucial putts towards the end and encountered a bit of bad luck in this fantastic game of golf," said DeChambeau.
The match was intense and well-fought; I've learned a great deal from it. Now, all I can think about is igniting an even stronger flame within me.
Starting the day tied for second place alongside Scheffler, Noren remained competitive until his round fell apart due to three consecutive bogeys early on the latter half of the course.
(Reporting by Frank Pingue; Edited by Ken Ferris, Pritha Sarkar, and Stephen Coates)
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