Scottie Scheffler won the PGA Championship by five shots, claiming the third major title of his terrific career.
But it did not come easy. Scheffler struggled on the front nine on Sunday, shooting a 2-over par 37 to open the door for plenty of other contenders. The three-shot lead he held after 54 holes quickly evaporated, as Scheffler found himself in a tie with Jon Rahm as he stood on the 10th tee.
And then Scheffler did what he does best: he cleared his mind, calmed himself down, and posted a 2-under 34 over his final nine holes to win the Wanamaker Trophy with ease. Rahm, meanwhile, saw his putter completely abandon him down the stretch. The Spaniard ultimately tied for eighth, finishing seven behind Scheffler.
Rahm, a two-time major winner himself, is a terrific player in his own right, but he still has a ways to go to become the best golfer in the world. That distinction unequivocally belongs to Scheffler, who revealed why that is the case after his PGA Championship victory.
“I always try to lean as much as I can on my mind. I think that’s probably my greatest strength. You know, like today and this week I really just feel like I did just such a good job of staying patient when I wasn’t swinging it my best but I hit the shots when I needed to,” Scheffler explained on the 18th green after his win.
“I hit the important shots well this week, and that’s why I’m walking away with the trophy. The shots on the golf course that are most important, those are the ones I feel like I did my best at this week and maybe at times out there, some of the easier ones maybe I lost a bit of focus or something but overall when I needed to, I feel like I hit the shots.”
On the front nine, Scheffler routinely missed to the left, a troubling sign for the two-time Masters champion. But his caddy, Ted Scott, told him to aim a little farther right while walking to the 10th tee. Scheffler did that, squaring his shoulders beautifully, and uncorked his best drive of the day on this reachable par-5. He then made a birdie, which separated himself from Rahm and gave him the lead for good. Similar tee shots followed on the 11th, 12th, and 15th holes. By then, the tournament was all but over.
“I didn’t have my best stuff, but I kept myself in it, and I stepped up on the back nine and had a really good nine holes,” Scheffler added.
“That’s about it.”
It’s as simple as that: Scheffler’s mental toughness is better than everyone else’s, similar to what Tiger Woods used to do back in the day.
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