Scottie Scheffler Wins the PGA Championship by Five at Quail Hollow for His Third Major

Scottie Scheffler spent the front nine at Quail Hollow on Sunday hitting it left, watching a five-shot lead disappear and hearing Jon Rahm's footsteps. Then the world No. 1 walked to the 10th tee and won the PGA Championship the way he wins almost everything now: without fuss, and by a lot.

Scheffler shot an even-par 71 to finish at 11-under 273 and win by five strokes over Bryson DeChambeau, Harris English and Davis Riley. It is his third major title, after Masters wins in 2022 and 2024, and his 15th PGA TOUR victory. He is 28 years old.

A Front Nine to Forget

Nothing about the opening hour suggested a romp. Scheffler took a five-shot lead to the sixth tee, per the AP, and then the driver went sideways. He hit only two fairways and four greens on the front side, made three bogeys against one birdie and turned in 2-over 37. On eight of his nine front-nine holes, his misses went left.

"I just kept hitting it left," Scheffler said on the 18th green, per Sports Illustrated.

While that was happening, Rahm was doing what Rahm does. Five shots back to start the day, the two-time major champion ran off a string of birdies and stood tied with Scheffler at 9 under when the leader reached the 10th tee. Suddenly, the PGA Championship had a real fight on its hands.

The Reset at 10

Scheffler answered immediately. A 9-foot birdie putt on the par-5 10th gave him the outright lead back, and the swing that had gone missing showed up again. From that point on, according to the AP, he did not miss a shot off the tee or from the fairway until the lead was back to four.

He rolled in a 7-footer for birdie on the drivable 14th and birdied the par-5 15th as well. That was three birdies on the back nine, and it was all he needed. On the Green Mile, he got up and down on 16 and 17 and, with the tournament in hand, tapped in for bogey on 18.

"I didn't have my best stuff, but I kept myself in it," Scheffler said.

Rahm's Green Mile Collapse

Rahm's afternoon came apart in the cruelest possible place. He missed birdie chances on 13 and 14, where a 7-footer never had a chance, and could not convert a 12-footer on the par-5 15th. Then the closing stretch took over. A wild tee shot on 16 led to bogey. His tee ball on the par-3 17th found the water for a double bogey. On 18, his drive went left into the creek for another double.

Bogey, double, double. Rahm played the last three holes in 5 over, shot 73 and dropped into a tie for eighth at 4 under, seven shots back.

"Am I embarrassed a little bit about how I finished today? Yeah," Rahm said, per ESPN and Golf Channel.

The Best of the Rest

English posted the best score among the contenders, a 7-under 65 that put him in the clubhouse at 6 under well before the leaders finished. It was a pure number to wait on, and English was realistic about it, saying after his round that he did not expect Scheffler to come back to the field.

DeChambeau, six back to start, made it interesting for a moment with birdies on 14 and 15 that pulled him within two. A bogey on 18 left him with a 70 and a share of second. Riley's runner-up finish was the gutsiest of the three: a triple bogey on the seventh, then bogey-free golf the rest of the way for a 72.

J.T. Poston, in the penultimate group, bogeyed his last two holes for a 73 and slid into a tie for fifth. Alex Noren, who started the day alone in second, could not keep pace in the final pairing and shot 76 to finish at 3 under.

History Keeps Calling

The numbers around Scheffler are getting silly. He is the first player since Seve Ballesteros to win each of his first three majors by three shots or more, per the AP. He is the third-fastest player since 1950 to reach 15 PGA TOUR wins, behind only Tiger Woods and Jack Nicklaus. And this was his second straight start won by five or more, after an eight-shot romp at the CJ Cup Byron Nelson, something no one had done in the same season since Woods in 2000.

His five-shot margin is tied for the fourth largest in PGA Championship history, per ESPN, alongside Woods at Medinah in 2006 and Davis Love III at Winged Foot in 1997. It was his 14th top-10 finish in 23 major starts, according to the PGA of America. His wife, Meredith, and their young son, Bennett, were waiting on the 18th green, along with his parents.

The Takeaway

Quail Hollow tested everyone this week, from Thursday's mud balls to Saturday's storms to Sunday's Green Mile. Scheffler hit it sideways for nine holes on the final day and still won by five. That is the gap between him and the rest of the sport right now, and the only person who seems unbothered by it is the man holding the Wanamaker Trophy.

Relive the week in our recaps of Round 1, Round 2 and Round 3. For more, see the PGA TOUR's final-round story (opens in a new tab) and the PGA of America's report (opens in a new tab).

Sources: PGA TOUR, PGA of America (pgachampionship.com), AP, ESPN, Golf Channel, Sports Illustrated. More golf coverage on Undrafted.

Photo: PGA TOUR.