Scottie Scheffler asserts his domination with five shot PGA win
Major # 3 for Scottie Scheffler – image courtesy of PGA of America
Stuttering finishes over Quail Hollow’s demanding closing stretch of holes have cost Australians Adam Scott and Cam Davis a place inside the top ten of the PGA Championship. The pair finished in a share of 19th place at 2 under when both players had been 6 and 5 under, respectively, with just a few holes to play and vying for a top-ten finish or better.
The Green Mile, as it is known, is statistically the toughest finishing stretch in PGA Tour golf and it proved to be the case today with not only Scott and Davis struggling but for several others looking to close out the event with a strong finish and, in the case of Jon Rahm, a potential win.
The winner would be Scottie Scheffler who confirmed (if indeed it needed any further validation) his place at the top of the game with a five shot win over Bryson DeChambeau, Davis Riley and Harrison English, securing his 15th PGA Tour title and his third major championship to go with his two previous Masters victories.
“Finishing off a major championship is always difficult, and I did a good job of staying patient on the front nine,” said the champion. “I didn’t have my best stuff, but I kept myself in it, and I stepped up on the back nine and had a really good nine holes.
“I’m just really proud of the way I fought this week. I was battling my swing the first couple days. I didn’t have as good a prep week as I wanted to. It was a battle out there.
Teddy (caddie) did a good job of keeping me in it, and Randy (coach) helped me figure out things on my swing. Morris (conditioner) helped get my body right. It was a real team effort this week. I’m proud of the whole squad. Looking forward to celebrating this one.”
Adam Scott moved into a share of second place when he birdied three of his first ten holes to go with one bogey to be at 6 under and although still three back of the leader Scheffler at that stage, things looked promising for the Queenslander to perhaps produce his best PGA Championship finish.
That was until he made a mess of the reachable par 4 14th, missed the green right at the par 3 17th and took three to get down and then, after a superb drive at the last, pulled his second, found the penalty area and eventually double bogeyed to finish in a share of 19th place.
Davis, too, was on track to possibly equal or better his previous best in this championship of 4th place when he birdied the 15th to move to 5 under for the tournament. However, he, too, would fall victim to the closing stretch with bogies at his last three holes to finish at 2 under for the tournament and in 19th position.
After contending early in the week, New Zealand’s Ryan Fox battled through the front nine today in 2 over, but produced the almost obligatory birdie at the driveable 14th, although a double bogey at the par 3 17th after finding the water from the tee proved costly. Fox would though birdie the last to finish at 1 under and in a share of 28th place, no doubt with mixed emotions for the week, given his great win last week and what had been a promising start to this week.
Given the hype and impact of his breakthrough win last week however, it is perhaps understandable that it would have been hard to follow up with another week in strong contention, and his performance overall carries some merit
Elvis Smylie was the only other Australasian to make the weekend but rounds of 77 and 74 over the final 36 holes would see him finish in 72nd position.
What can be said about Scheffler however, with yet another win of three shots or more in his three major titles to date.
Not since Tiger Woods great reign between 1997 and 2008 have we seen such dominance in the game and given the manner in which he goes about his business, there is surely a lot more to come, including major championships. The possibility of him joining the truly greats in the history of the game is now a genuine possibility.
