How Xander Schauffele Won His First Major Title
By: Derek Clements | Mon 12 May 2025
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It was meant to be the latest instalment of the Scottie Scheffler Show. He arrived at Valhalla last year as the Masters champion and had also won the Arnold Palmer Invitational, Players Championship and RBC Heritage.
Instead, we witnessed a thrilling shootout between Xander Schauffele and Bryson Dechambeau. Schauffele came into the second major of 2024 carrying the tag of best player not to have won one of golf’s four biggest prizes.
But he holed a six-foot birdie putt at the 18th to win his first major with a record score on a gripping final day at the US PGA Championship.
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The American held off the charging DeChambeau and Viktor Hovland to triumph on 21 under par - the lowest overall total in a major by one shot.
Having led the tournament since equalling the best round at a major when he shot 62 in round one, the 30-year-old Californian finished with a six-under 65 to claim the Wanamaker Trophy by one shot.
"I was emotional after the [winning] putt lipped in," said Schauffele. "It's been a while since I've won - I really did not want to go into a play-off with Bryson. My dad is in Hawaii and I managed to call him but I had to hang up quickly because he was making me cry."
Six birdies in eight holes around the turn briefly put Norwegian Hovland into the lead, but Schauffele responded with magnificent birdies on the 11th and 12th to wrestle it back.
DeChambeau profited with a birdie after his wild drive on 16 hit a tree and bounced back into the fairway, and he also birdied the last to card a 64 and draw level with Schauffele, sparking raucous celebrations on the 18th green.
Hovland then had a putt to also get to 20 under, but crumbled under the pressure, taking three shots from 10 feet as he finished on 18 under.
However, Schauffele, who faced criticism for not closing out tournaments when well placed, stood up to the onslaught, rolling in a birdie of his own to secure the title.
England’s Justin Rose led the British challenge, finishing in a tie for sixth at 14 under par and with that becoming only the second player aged over 40, after the legendary Sam Snead, to make five consecutive top-15 finishes at this tournament.
Playing alongside Rose, Scotland's Robert MacIntyre failed to fire, although he closed with a superb eagle to post a 70 and 13-under total to cap a great week.
Shane Lowry of Ireland, who spectacularly equalled Schauffele’s 62 on Saturday - becoming the fourth player to do so in a major - went cold with his putter as he also carded a 70.
Two-time major champion Collin Morikawa, who led jointly with Schauffele after round three, opened with 14 straight pars before bogeying the 15th. His solitary birdie came at the last in an otherwise disappointing round as he finished five off the pace.
The world’s top two players, Scheffler and Rory McIlroy, rounded off disappointing weekends at eight and nine shots back respectively.
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