Xander Schauffele came out of the starting gate on fire, then outlasted the best field in major championship golf in a wire-to-wire win that resembled a Churchill Downs run for the roses to win the 106th PGA Championship. On the heels of Louisville’s beloved Kentucky Derby horse race, Schauffele galloped into the major championship winner’s circle for the first time with a record performance at Valhalla Golf Club on May 16-19, 2024.
“Winning is a result,” said Schauffele, sitting next to the Wanamaker Trophy after a dramatic birdie on Valhalla’s final hole to defeat Bryson DeChambeau by a stroke. “This is awesome. It’s super sweet. But when I break it down, I’m real proud of how I handled certain moments on the course today, different from the past.”
Starting from his days as a junior golf prodigy in San Diego, Schauffele has had plenty of good results: an Olympic gold medal, Ryder Cup appearances and multiple PGA TOUR titles. But at 30 years old, Schauffele still had yet to land that elusive first major.
From the first round, when Schauffele put a charge in the large Valhalla galleries with a record round of 62, there was no doubt he was poised to remove himself from the “best player never to win a major” list. Only five players in the history of the game have shot 62 in a major, and Schauffele now has done it twice, first accomplishing the feat at last summer’s U.S. Open.
Schauffele led or co-led after each round, finishing the job with a brilliant final-round 6-under 65 at Valhalla. When he might have faltered in the past, Schauffele collected himself for one final birdie on Valhalla’s dramatic 18th, draining a pressure-packed putt from 6 feet, 2 inches that fell into the side of the cup and engraved his name in golf history.
Schauffele’s 72nd-hole heroics allowed him to edge DeChambeau by one shot, that last birdie pushing him to an all-time major championship scoring record of 21-under 263.
The putt Schauffele made for birdie at 18 wasn’t exactly the one that Schauffele would choose if he had the option, but he didn’t. It was up the hill, 6 feet, and he played it straight, even though it seemed to have a little wrinkle in it to fall left. The putt started on the left edge; when it caught the cup and fell, a warm wave of emotions ran through him.
“When it lipped in – I don’t really remember it lipping in – I just heard everyone roaring and I just looked up to the sky in relief,” he said. It was as if the entire state of Kentucky was there to witness it.
Shattuck Claimed Low PGA Club Professional Honors
The 106th PGA Championship started with PGA of America Golf Professional Michael Block striking the opening tee shot at Valhalla. At week’s end, 29-year-old Braden Shattuck (71-70-68-74—283) found himself on the 18th green with Schauffele and PGA of America President John Lindert as the Low PGA of America Club Professional.
Shattuck, the PGA of America Director of In struction at Rolling Green Golf Club in Springfield, Pennsylvania, was one of two Corebridge Financial Team members to make the cut at Valhalla. Jeremy Wells, the PGA of America Director of Player Development at Cypress Lake Golf Club in Fort Myers, Florida, also made the cut while playing in front of his family in his second consecutive PGA Championship.
It was an emotional week for Shattuck, the 2023 PGA Professional Champion. He played wearing a ribbon honoring his fellow Philadelphia PGA Section Professional Dustin Wallis, who had passed away in April at age 45. The week was also a chance for Shattuck, who finished 72nd, to savor his comeback from an auto accident five years ago that nearly ended his golf career.
“This week has been obviously awesome,” Shattuck said after the final round. “It felt like less pressure than the first two days. It felt fairly relaxed, especially today. There were no nerves whatsoever. So, it was fun, and the pace of play was great.”
Following the trophy presentation on Valhalla’s 18th green, Shattuck was set to make the 10-hour drive home to play in a Philadelphia PGA Section event on Monday morning – as the only player in that event’s field to have used the Sunday at the 106th PGA Championship as a practice round.
By the way, Shattuck won that Philadelphia PGA Section event on May 20, 2024 by shooting a course-record 63 in the Delaware Valley Open at Bellewood Country Club in Pottstown, Pennsylvania. —Don Jozwiak