Scottie Scheffler wins PGA Championship for third major title

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — One year and one day after his booking mugshot was the lasting image of the PGA Championship, Scottie Scheffler was raising the Wanamaker Trophy for all to see on Sunday as the world’s No. 1 golfer captured his third career major at Quail Hollow Club.

Scheffler posted an even-par 71 in the final round of the 107th PGA Championship for a five-stroke victory over Harris English, Bryson DeChambeau and Davis Riley. What had seemed inevitable at the start of the day began to slip away, at least for a brief moment, as Scheffler made the turn and was tied with Spain’s Jon Rahm on a sweltering, humid afternoon in North Carolina.

But then Scheffler stepped on the gas on the back nine, as he has done so many times before, and Rahm imploded on the “Green Mile” — Quail Hollow’s treacherous three-hole closing stretch.

After making the final putt, Scheffler threw his arms into the air as the crowd chanted his name. He spiked his hat on the green. He found his wife, Meredith, and son, Bennett. His father, Scott, told him: “Words cannot describe what we just witnessed. You are so tough. We are so proud of you.”

In the span of only 366 days, Scheffler’s story went from being in handcuffs in the back of a squad car to adding the Wanamaker Trophy to an already remarkable career that includes two Masters green jackets.

Scheffler joined Seve Ballesteros as the only golfers in the past 100 years to win each of their first three majors by more than three strokes. He captured the 2002 Masters by three over Rory McIlroy and the 2024 Masters by four over Ludvig Åberg.

It was the 15th PGA Tour victory for the 28-year-old Scheffler. Since World War II, only two other golfers have won 15 times on tour and captured three majors before age 29 — Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods.

After squandering a three-stroke lead, Scheffler reclaimed it with a 9-foot birdie putt on No. 10. He went two in front with a 7-footer on No. 14, then led by three when Rahm made his first bogey of the round on No. 16.

Another birdie on the 15th gave Scheffler a four-shot cushion heading into the “Green Mile.” It would grow to five before he reached the 16th green.

Rahm was tied with Scheffler at 9 under after his 12th hole. He had good looks at birdies on Nos. 13 and 14 but missed both. After making par on the 15th, Rahm hit his tee shot on the par-4 16th way left, leading to a bogey.

On the par-3 17th, his tee shot bounced off the green and into the water, and he made a double-bogey 5. On the last hole, he hit his drive into the creek down the left side, leading to another double bogey. He was five over in his last three holes and tied for eighth at 4 under.

Scheffler started the day with a three-stroke lead, but when he made the turn at 2-over 37, his advantage was down to one over Rahm, who made birdies on Nos. 8 and 10 to make a charge.

Rahm, who started the round five shots behind Scheffler, tied for the lead with another birdie on the par-4 11th. Rahm was wild off the tee, finding only two of the first 10 fairways, but he needed only 13 putts in the first 11 holes. He chipped brilliantly when he missed the green and avoided bogeys.

It was a far different feeling for Scheffler than last year’s PGA Championship at Valhalla Golf Club in Louisville, Kentucky.

On May 17, 2024, Scheffler found himself in the back of a squad car after a Louisville Metro Police officer said the golfer disobeyed his command to stop and tried to drive around a crash scene on a median. Traffic outside the golf course had been stopped after a man was struck and killed by a shuttle bus around 5 a.m. ET.

An arrest report said Det. Bryan Gillis was dragged “to the ground” and suffered “pain, swelling, and abrasions to his left wrist” after Scheffler’s car “accelerated forward.”

Scheffler faced charges of second-degree assault of a police officer, third-degree criminal mischief, reckless driving, and disregarding traffic signals from an officer directing traffic. The assault charge was a felony; the others were misdemeanors.

Twelve days after Scheffler’s arrest, Jefferson County Attorney Mike O’Connell dropped the charges against Scheffler. O’Connell said Scheffler’s characterization that the incident was a “big misunderstanding” was corroborated by the evidence.

Going into last year’s PGA Championship, Scheffler had won four of his past five starts, including his second Masters victory that April. After being booked into a downtown detention center, he was released on bond less than an hour and a half before his second-round tee time.

Somehow, Scheffler posted a 5-under 66 that day. He slipped to a 2-over 73 in the third round, which knocked him out of the hunt. He bounced back with a 65 on Sunday and tied for eighth at 13 under, eight strokes behind winner Xander Schauffele.