X-MAN finally found his A-game when it mattered most, with Xander Schauffele achieving a record-setting triumph at the USPGA Championship.
Schauffele put aside his ‘choker’ mark with a brilliant final round 65 to defeat a fierce challenge from Viktor Hovland and Bryson DeChambeau.
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These five subpar efforts boosted Shauffele to 21 under total, setting a new record for any Major championship as he completed a stunning write to victory.
Four previous Major winners have finished at twenty under, and it was the second time Shauffele had written his name on the record books in Valhalla.
He became the first man to shoot 62 twice in the four major first-round events, setting the tone for an unforgettable week.
The San Diego golfer with a German father had to banish the demons that plagued him at the Majors – and elsewhere – as many people questioned whether he had the bottle to add to the Olympic gold medal he won in Tokyo three years ago .
World No. 3 Schauffele, 30, had posted six top-five finishes without looking like he would get over the line in the Majors before then.
And he has also wasted a number of winning opportunities since his last victory, at the 2022 Scottish Open, with three runner-up finishes and as many third-place finishes.
Two of those second-place finishes have come in recent months, with Schauffele meekly surrendering the 54-hole lead in The Players Championship in March and again in Wells Fargo one week ago.
The fact that it was the two men ahead of him in the world rankings – Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy – who denied him those titles offered some mitigation.
But Schauffele was criticized for his timid approach and poor placing when glory beckoned. But not this time!
He had to pull out all the stops as DeChambeau advanced to twenty under with an excellent closing 64.
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The Incredible Bulk posted this issue with a totally different style of golf to the one he became known for, especially when he won the 2020 Open by dominating Shinnecock Hills.
There was still plenty of muscle – especially with an incredible drive that took a bunker 341 yards off the tee on the 17th.
But it was mainly his brilliance in short games that brought DeChambeau to the brink of a second important victory. He led the field in the fight, saving par 18 twenty times after kissing the green.
Another brilliant up-and-down on the par-five last – where he made a ten-footer for birdie – left Schauffele needing to match his four to claim victory.
That seems unlikely as Schauffele drove toward a fairway bunker. He stayed out of the sand, but he stood in an awkward posture, balancing right on the edge of the trap.
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But Schauffele made perfect contact to leave the ball just short of the green and stroked a chip down to his feet for the winning birdie.
That must have eased the pain for Hovland, who traded blow for blow with his playing partner DeChambeau before messing up the 18th.
Hovland faced a birdie putt of nearly identical length to DeChambeau’s, but three-putted for a bogey that dropped him to 18 under.
So, after finishing second a year ago, the Norwegian this time was pushed into third place.
His time will certainly come – but this was Schauffele’s day and he certainly deserved it.
This story originally appeared on The-sun.com read the full story
