Scottie Scheffler cruised to his third major title in the 107th US PGA Championship after Jon Rahm’s bid to win the third leg of a career grand slam imploded at Quail Hollow.
Scheffler overcame an early stumble to card a closing 71 and finish 11 under par, five shots ahead of Bryson DeChambeau, Harris English and Davis Riley.
The world number one is the 10th straight American winner of the US PGA and joins the late Seve Ballesteros as the only players since 1906 to win each of their first three majors by three or more shots.
Rahm held a share of the lead with seven holes to play, but the former Masters and US Open winner dropped five shots over the last three holes to slump to a nine-way tie for eighth – which included England’s Matt Fitzpatrick – seven shots behind Scheffler.
The Spaniard had wiped out his five-shot overnight deficit with a combination of three birdies in his first 11 holes and a front nine of 37 from Scheffler, only to run out of steam – and a little luck – on the closing stretch.
Rahm, who had largely struggled in the game’s biggest events since his shock move to LIV Golf, saw his birdie attempt on the 13th lip out before failing to take advantage of the driveable 14th after his tee shot took an unfortunate bounce into a greenside bunker.
Rahm then three-putted the 15th for par from just off the green and knew his challenge was likely over following a pulled drive on the next, the first hole of the so-called ‘Green Mile’.
“That’s f*****,” Rahm exclaimed as the ball disappeared into the rough and he was soon proved right, the resulting bogey and Scheffler’s birdie on the 14th giving the world number one some vital breathing space.
Scheffler also birdied the par-five 15th, two-putting from the same place where Rahm had taken three, before Rahm’s tee shots on both the 17th and 18th found a watery grave.
Scheffler had taken a three-shot lead over Sweden’s Alex Noren into the final round and found himself five clear after Noren dropped shots on the first and fourth.
Bogeys on the sixth and ninth allowed Rahm to move into a share of the lead on nine under par, but a birdie on the 10th gave Scheffler a lead he would not relinquish.
English’s superb closing 65 had established a very early clubhouse target of six under par, although he had already boarded a 5pm flight by the time Scheffler’s early stumble briefly threatened to necessitate a change of plans.
“I mean, the best player in the world is even (par) through 3. I don’t see him slipping a whole lot,” English said.
“I see myself catching my flight. If we have to turn that thing around, we can do it.”
