World No. 1 player Scheffler pulls away to win PGA Championship for third major title

Doug Ferguson · The Associated Press

· Posted: May 18, 2025 8:08 PM EDT | Last Updated: 2 minutes ago

Scottie Scheffler worked harder than helium imagined and got the effect everyone expected Sunday successful the PGA Championship: A astir pleasant locomotion to the 18th greenish with different large rubric unafraid successful the hands of golf's No. 1 player.

Scheffler was flawless erstwhile helium had to beryllium connected the backmost 9 of Quail Hollow, leaving the blunders to Jon Rahm and everyone other trying to drawback him connected a last time that turned tense until Scheffler pulled distant with a dependable fare of fairways and greens.

He closed with a bogey helium could spend for an even-par 71, giving him a five-shot triumph and his 3rd large title. Scheffler became the archetypal subordinate since Seve Ballesteros to triumph his archetypal 3 majors by 3 shots oregon more.

A snoozer? Not adjacent close. That overmuch was wide erstwhile Scheffler raised his arms connected the 18th greenish and past ferociously slammed his headdress to the turf, a marque of emotion seldom seen by the 28-year-old Texas star.

Scheffler was 5 shots up coming to the past spread erstwhile helium won his archetypal Masters greenish overgarment successful 2022. He was 4 shots wide of the tract erstwhile helium won astatine Augusta National past year. And helium had a six-shot pb astatine Quail Hollow.

But this definite didn't consciousness similar a locomotion successful the park.

He had a five-shot pb lasting connected the sixth tee. But with a shaky plaything that led to 2 bogeys, and with Rahm making 3 birdies successful a four-hole agelong astir the crook — they were tied erstwhile Scheffler got to the 10th tee.

It looked similar a duel to the finish, with Bryson DeChambeau doing each helium could to get successful the mix. Under the astir unit helium felt each day, Scheffler didn't miss a changeable disconnected the tee oregon from the fairway until his pb backmost to 4 shots.

Rahm coiled up 7 shots behind, but the two-time large champion was the lone superior threat. His chances began to slice erstwhile helium failed to birdie the 14th and 15th holes, the 2 easiest holes connected the backmost 9 and the past bully scoring chances.

He drilled a 345-yard thrust connected the par-5 15th and his 4-iron went conscionable implicit the back. Rahm putted it excessively hard and it rolled 12 feet. He missed that birdie putt and past came unglued.

A bogey connected the 16th spread went helium went from unsmooth to bunker. Having to instrumentality connected a unsafe pin astatine the par-3 17th, it bounded implicit the sun-baked greenish into the h2o for treble bogey. And his past tee changeable went near disconnected the grassy slope and into the watercourse for different treble bogey.

All that enactment to marque up a five-shot shortage astatine the commencement of the time and Rahm closed with a 73 to necktie for eighth.

"Yeah, the past 3 holes, it's a pugnacious pill to swallow close now," said Rahm, his archetypal clip earnestly contending successful a large since helium near for the Saudi riches of LIV Golf 2 years ago.

DeChambeau birdied the 14th and 15th to get wrong 2 shots, but helium ne'er had different bully look astatine birdie and bogeyed the 18th for a 70. He tied for 2nd with Harris English (65) and Davis Riley, who overcame a triple bogey connected No. 7 to play bogey-free the remainder of the mode and salvaged a 72.

Canada's Pendrith finishes tied for 5th

J.T. Poston, the North Carolina autochthonal who besides flirted with an extracurricular chance, bogeyed the past 2 holes for a 73 to necktie for 5th with Canadian Taylor Pendrith and Jhonattan Vegas.

English finished his Sunday-best people arsenic Scheffler was making his mode down the 3rd hole. He had a formation to drawback that afternoon. He besides was the clubhouse leader. But helium looked astatine Scheffler's sanction atop the leaderboard and said with a smile, "I don't spot him slipping a full lot. I spot myself catching my flight."

That was a communal feeling. "He's successful a spot wherever it would beryllium shocking if helium didn't triumph today," defending champion Xander Schauffele said.

But portion of Scheffler's greatness is his quality to deterioration down a field, which helium did astatine the Masters twice.

He finished astatine 11-under 273 and picked up his 15th triumph successful conscionable his sixth twelvemonth connected the PGA Tour. Dating to 1950, Scheffler is the third-fastest subordinate to spell from 1 to 15 circuit wins, down lone Tiger Woods and Jack Nicklaus, and adjacent past by a substance of months.

His triumph comes a period aft Rory McIlroy captured the Masters to implicit the vocation Grand Slam. The PGA Championship was ever going to beryllium a pugnacious enactment to travel and it didn't travel adjacent successful presumption of drama. But it served arsenic a reminder wherefore Scheffler has been No. 1 for 2 consecutive years, and wherefore it volition instrumentality a batch to regenerate him.

McIlroy made the chopped connected the number, changeable 72-72 connected the play and tied for 47th. It was his lowest 72-hole decorativeness successful 4 years successful the majors. McIlroy declined each 4 days to talk to the media.

Scheffler came into the PGA Championship disconnected an eight-shot triumph successful the CJ Cup Byron Nelson. And past helium won a large by five. It was the archetypal clip since Woods successful 2000 that a subordinate won consecutive PGA Tour starts by 5 shots oregon much successful the aforesaid season.