Scheffler has his third major, and the future is captivating

CHARLOTTE, N.C. —  The question about Scottie Scheffler should be less about what he has done, and he is already number one in the world rankings, than what he is capable of doing.

Scheffler won his third major Sunday, the PGA Championship, at Quail Hollow Club. At age 28, he has years and years of golf and success remaining. Although the final round turned out a bit more dramatic than many suspected it would be, in the end, the result was exactly what was expected: Scottie finishing first by a significant margin, five shots.

He came in with an even par 71 that, after a few bogeys and a hot streak by Jon Rahm, briefly dropped Scottie into a tie for the lead. But as winners do, Scheffler held control and before darkness was able to hold the Wanamaker Trophy, adding that to the two green jackets from his Masters triumphs in 2022 and 2024.

Scheffler finished with a seventy-two-hole total of eleven under 273. Tied for a distant second at 278 were Harris English (who had the day’s best, 65), two-time U.S. Open champ Bryson DeChambeau (70), and Davis Reilly (72).

To celebrate after the final putt, Scheffler flung his hat on the green, reminding us of Arnold Palmer’s similar tactic.

“It was a long week,” said Scheffler. “I felt like this was as hard as I battled for a tournament in my career. This was a pretty challenging week.”

It was a week of rainstorms, double bogeys (remember, Scottie made one Thursday on 16), and a collection of different leaders, many with non-American passports that at times made you wonder what was going on.

Then Scheffler gave the tournament a star and gave himself more than a chance.  

“The first two days, I did not swing it my best, and I was able to post a score somehow. Outside of the last five holes (Saturday), that’s where I really kind of put myself ahead in the tournament. I mean, the back nine today (Sunday) was pretty special as well.”

Scheffler, who graduated from the University of Texas, has a wonderful perspective about a game that can be as painful as it can be rewarding. 

“I love coming out here and trying to compete and win golf tournaments, and that’s what I’m focused on,” said Scheffler. “After this week, I’m going to go home and get ready for next week’s tournament, and the show goes on. If I show up and miss the cut next week, I’m going to have to answer questions of what went wrong and just start over again on Thursday. That’s one of the things that can be frustrating about our game, and it’s also what’s great about our game. If I had a tough day today and came in with a loss, I could step back up on the tee Thursday next week and have another chance to win a tournament.”

“It’s an endless pursuit, and it’s a lot of fun. It’s definitely one of the great joys of my life to be able to compete out here.” 

He’s halfway to his personal grand slam. Although it is doubtful, he might achieve it in the next two months, with the U.S. Open in June at Oakmont and the British Open in July at Royal Portrush.  

We hardly can wait.