For elite professional golfers, the ultimate achievement is winning a major championship. It's a rarefied realm, and those who haven't secured a major victory are often perceived as lacking something on their résumé.
This conversation has long centred around Xander Schauffele. A multiple tour winner, member of successful Ryder Cup team, and Olympic Champion, Xander was arguably the best "majorless" player – until the PGA Championship at Valhalla in Kentucky. This is the story of a world-leading golfer who finally entered the major-winning circle.
Xander's record in majors is wildly impressive. In the last twenty men's majors, he has never finished outside the top twenty. This golfer possesses incredible consistency, always hovering near the top of the leaderboard.
The 2024 PGA Tour season serves as the perfect metaphor for Schauffele's career. Frequently contending into the weekend and playing scintillating golf, it has been another great year for the American. The 3M Championship, which he may look back on as a turning point, was seen by many as one he let slip away. A poor putting performance in the closing stages saw Xander squander a great chance to add to his Tour win tally.
The often harsh golf commentariat lamented another close call, suggesting he wasn't putting well enough and had lost some of his edge. However, as is often the case, this proved to be wrong and gave Schauffele a point to prove.
Word from the Tour is that from that week, Xander was working tirelessly to sharpen his game and create more winning opportunities. He spent hours on the practice green, honing a clinical putting stroke to avoid disappointments like the 3M again.
Then came the trip to Valhalla for the PGA Championship.
Hot Out of the Blocks
Xander set out his stall early, shooting a record-equalling 62 in the first round. One of only nine 62s in men's major golf, notably, Xander is now the only person to own two of those. Going out so emphatically in the first round is great, but even in his press conference that day, he was clear that there was a lot of golf remaining, and he was clearly pacing himself.
As a multiple Tour winner, Schauffele knows what it takes to win golf tournaments. He's also no stranger to contending at a major championship, so everything was fairly normal at this point.
As the event progressed, challengers emerged, and the gap closed. Incredible drama on day two, which resulted in the very sad death of a tournament staff member, created a redirection of attention. Fresh from jail, yes, jail, world number one Scottie Scheffler was gaining all the headlines. This would have helped Xander stay more inconspicuous. He entered the weekend with just a one-shot lead.
A Tense Chase for the Wanamaker Trophy
Moving day, Saturday, came, and the gap closed further. Incredible rounds from the likes of Collin Morikawa and Shane Lowry set up a very healthy leaderboard going into the final day. Sahith Theegala, Bryson DeChambeau, and Viktor Hovland rounded out the chasing pack.
Xander clearly had another chance to win his first major, but, of course, that's easier said than done! As you would expect, on the final day, there was a tense chase. Going into the tournament, it was one of the most open PGA Championships in recent years, but the fight for the trophy was scintillating. Xander held command and looked great until a bad decision after a poor shot on the 10th brought about a dropped shot. Suddenly, there was a proper fight, and Schauffele's lead was downgraded to a co-lead.
This is when we saw a new Xander. He played like he was accustomed to being in this position in a major. Back-to-back birdies followed that bogey, which steadied the ship and restored his solo lead.
Bryson DeChambeau then grabbed the chance to be the main contender and birdied the last to huge celebrations, giving him a chance of a play-off. He went straight to the range to stay hot and prepare for more golf.
Xander hit a poor tee shot on 18, and the golf world collectively paused, awaiting yet more drama. This is when we saw the most composed and impressive display of golf from Xander. A smart lay-up led to a wedge to six feet. It was time to let his putter do the work.
The putter that had let him down just a few weeks before was the key to his destiny. He put a decent stroke on it, and the ball disappeared into the left-hand side of the cup. Had he hit it just a smidge harder, it would have lipped.
Xander went wire-to-wire to win his very first major championship and entered the rarefied air of major golf champions. A very worthy winner and surely the first of many.