Xander Schauffele pips DeChambeau by one shot to win US PGA Championship

Xander Schauffele pips DeChambeau by one shot to win US PGA Championship

It seemed appropriate that this staging of the US PGA Championship played out in the home city of Muhammad Ali. Viktor Hovland swung and missed at Xander Schauffele all afternoon. Bryson DeChambeau, with typical force, did likewise. Schauffele is golf’s nearly man no more. He withstood immense pressure to claim the Wanamaker Trophy.

Bare statistics disguise epic sporting theatre during what quickly became a three-horse sprint. Schauffele, at 21 under par, saw off DeChambeau by one, breaking the record score to par in majors by the same margin. Hovland, such an integral part of the Valhalla story, closed at minus 18.

The level of golf and excitement were equally extraordinary. Neither Schauffele, Hovland nor DeChambeau had dropped a shot until the 10th. There, Schauffele needlessly used a wood from a fairway bunker and could not play himself back into position. His response was impressive; he made birdies at the 11th and 12th.

Hovland and DeChambeau played the front nine in 32. Schauffele had beaten that by one. On a course set up to deliver a birdie-fest, the drama was unrelenting. Pars were no use whatsoever in this environment.

The light should have gone out for DeChambeau on the 16th. Instead, a wayward drive clattered into trees and rebounded into the middle of the fairway. Within 10 minutes, DeChambeau was tapping in for an unlikely birdie. His trouble was, he still trailed Schauffele by one.

Hovland’s situation was identical, hence his visible angst after missing a great opportunity on the penultimate hole. The Norwegian could still have reached 20 under at the last but under-borrowed. Hovland, head clearly spinning, missed his short par attempt as well. And then there were two.

DeChambeau bounded from the final green while offering fist pumps and roars to the Valhalla galleries. He had not tied the lead at all on Sunday before his last birdie putt just – and only just – reached the hole. This was the final one of 64 shots from DeChambeau.

The ball was now firmly in the court of Schauffele, who had found a bunker from the tee at the 17th. The 30-year-old missed the green but rescued par. A birdie at the 72nd hole would secure a precious victory. To produce that, Schauffele would have to safely negotiate an uneven lie caused by striking his drive to the edge of a fairway bunker on the par five. He advanced the ball to within 35 yards of the cup, from where he left 6ft for the tournament. The emotional scene as Schauffele holed out demonstrated his earlier years of frustration. DeChambeau’s playoff dream was crushed but to his credit he made a point of congratulating the champion.