New US PGA champion Xander Schauffele fought back the tears after claiming his long-awaited maiden Major title with a record-breaking performance. “This is my time,” he declared.
The Ryder Cup star saw a six-foot birdie putt drop in the left side of the last hole to beat his fellow American Bryson DeChambeau by a single shot.
After starting with a 62, he closed with a 65 to also set a new Major scoring record of 21-under par. Schauffele, who had last won at the 2022 Genesis Scottish Open, had become the nearly man of Majors after recording 12 top-ten finishes in Majors since 2017.
He also led after the first three holes of the Wells Fargo Championship before losing to Rory McIlroy last week - and repeated the feat here.
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But this time the Olympic champion showed he is a winner by beating the best in the world with a closing 65 after his 25th birdie of an eventful week in Kentucky.
“It is a whirlwind of emotions,” said the world No.3. “I knew I had to birdie the last hole, looking up at the board. I was trying to squeak a birdie in there somehow just to have some kind of cushion. It was a hectic birdie, as well, but it was awesome. I kept telling myself: ‘I need to earn this, I need to prove this to myself, and this is my time’. I just told myself: ‘This is my opportunity, and just capture it’.
Schauffele added: “I was actually kind of emotional after the putt lipped in. It's been a while since I've won. I kept saying it all week, I just need to stay in my lane. Man, was it hard to stay in my lane today, but I tried all day to just keep focus on what I'm trying to do and keep every hole ahead of me. Had some weird kind of breaks coming into the house, but it's all good now.”
Xander Schauffele outlasted the competition to win the PGA Championship (Getty Images)Neither French/German father Stefan or Chinese-born Ping-Yi were in Louisville, but his wife Maya and older brother Nico joined him in his celebrations.
“Actually my mom is back at home in San Diego and my dad is currently in Hawai'i and I was able to call him," he said. "I had to hang up pretty quickly because he started to make me cry. He was sitting on the phone bawling. It means so much to have my wife, my brother here. I've got close friends, as well, that came down from New York. They make me feel very special, and I'm just happy to win this one for my team.”
Runner-up DeChambeau recorded his fourth top-five finish in Majors - and his first since joining LIV.
The 2020 US Open champion, who was given huge support by the Kentucky crowd during his bogey-free 64, said: “Definitely disappointing, but one that gives me a lot of momentum for the rest of the Majors. I said today it was closing time, but it will be closing time hopefully, hopefully over the next couple majors.
“I definitely surprised myself, impressed myself and I know I can do it again, it's just going to take some time. Got to figure some stuff out.”
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