LOUISVILLE, Kentucky: Xander Schauffele cashed in at just the right time Sunday, swirling in a 6-foot birdie putt on the final hole to win the PGA Championship for his first major with the lowest score in major championship history.

The Olympic gold medalist got something even more valuable in silver — that enormous Wanamaker Trophy after a wild week at Valhalla.

Schauffele closed with a 6-under 65 to beat Bryson DeChambeau, entertaining to the very end with a 10-foot birdie of his own on the par-5 18th for a 64.

Schauffele became the first player since Phil Mickelson in 2005 at Baltusrol to win the PGA Championship with a birdie on the last hole to win by one. And this took all he had.

He already had mud on his golf ball on two key holes along the back nine that kept him from attacking the flag. His drive on the 17th bounced back into a bunker, forcing him to scramble for par and stay tied with DeChambeau, who had finished two groups ahead of him. And then his tee shot rolled just far enough toward the edge of a bunker to present another problem.

Schauffele had to stand with his feet in the sand, gripping well down on the 4-iron, aiming out to the right and hoping for the best. He drilled a beauty, some 35 yards short but with a good angle. He pitched to 6 feet and was never closer to finally winning a major.

“I told myself this is my opportunity — capture it,” Schauffele said.

The putt broke just enough left to catch the left edge of the cup and swirled around before disappearing. Schauffele, who exudes California chill, raised both arms above his head with the biggest smile before a hard hug with Austin Kaiser, his caddie and former teammate at San Diego State.

DeChambeau was on the range, staying loose for a potential playoff, watching Schauffele from a large video board. He saw the winning putt fall, and walked all the way back to the 18th to join in with so many other players wanting to congratulate the 30-year-old.

“I gave it my all. I put as much effort as I possibly could into it and I knew that my B game would be enough,” DeChambeau said. “It’s just clearly somebody played incredibly well. Xander’s well deserving of a major championship.”

Viktor Hovland, the FedEx Cup champion who wasn’t sure he even belonged at Valhalla while trying to work his way out of a slump, also had a 10-foot putt after DeChambeau hit his to tie for the lead. He missed the birdie, then missed a meaningless par putt and shot 66 to finish third.

Schauffele, who began this championship with a 62 to tie the major championship record, finished at 21-under 263 with that winning birdie. That beats by one shot the major record previously shared by Brooks Koepka in the 2018 PGA Championship at Bellerive and Henrik Stenson in the 2016 British Open at Royal Troon.

And so ended another memorable week at Valhalla.

Masters champion Scottie Scheffler, who arrived five days after the birth of his first child, was arrested and briefly jailed on Friday morning for not following directions of police investigating a fatal car crash involving a pedestrian an hour earlier.

He got out of jail and to the course in time to play the second round and shot 66. But it caught up with him on the weekend. Scheffler fell out of contention with a 73 on Saturday — his first round over par since last August. He closed with a 65 to tie for eighth.

Two players — Schauffele on Thursday and Shane Lowry on Saturday — tied the major record with a 62. Scoring records seemed to fall just about every day on a rain-softened course.

All that, and it came down to one putt that Schauffele will never forget.

“I really didn’t want to go into a playoff with Bryson,” he said.

In so many ways, this time was overdue. He had gone nearly two years since last winning at the Scottish Open. Schauffele had eight consecutive finishes in the top 20 at majors coming into Valhalla. He already had a pair of runner-up finishes and six top 5s.

And in the last two months alone, he lost 54-hole leads when he was chased down by Scheffler’s 64 at The Players Championship and by Rory McIlroy’s 65 last week at the Wells Fargo Championship.

The victory was his eighth on the PGA Tour — that doesn’t include his Olympic gold from the Tokyo Games in 2021. This one moves him to a career-best No. 2 in the world, still a long way from Scheffler but assuring Schauffele of qualifying for the US team in the Olympics.
 

SEOUL: Hyo-Joo Kim took advantage of an early-morning start to claim the maiden Aramco Team Series presented by PIF – Korea title on Sunday at New Korea Country Club in Seoul.

The South Korean LPGA star joined the Ladies European Tour event to tee up in Seoul in front of her devoted fans, and they were rewarded with a performance to remember.

Resuming the rest of her second round after rain stopped play, Kim was able to move to 6-under-par, setting up a blockbuster final grouping with Mariajo Uribe (-4) and Charley Hull (-3).

Despite a strong start from Hull, Kim was able to remain focused on the task in hand — stepping up a gear on the back nine, with birdies on 14, 16 and 17 putting her in the driving seat.

However, for large parts it was close, with just one stroke in it on the 10th hole — with LPGA stars Hull and Kim showing their class before Kim’s final-round 4-under meant she finished three strokes clear of her rival.

“Playing alongside Charley certainly brought out my competitive edge,” said the South Korean.

“When there are so many birdies in a group, it elevates everyone’s competitive spirit, and I think it worked pretty well for me. Thanks to Charley, I was able to focus even more.

“I’m really happy to have won. It was my first victory at an LET tournament, and it feels special to now have a winning record on each tour.

“I’m now going to have a two-day party here in Korea before I get back to practice.”

It was not to be on the day for Hull who, despite her final round of 4-under-par, came up just short.

But for Hull, who recorded a string of five birdies in seven holes on the front nine, there were plenty of positives to take as she bids for her first win since 2022.

She said: “It’s a tricky course, and the greens are tough, and there’s not many positions you can put the pins in — they slope so you have to hit it in the right sides.

“But I played really well today and I’m really happy with the round. Hyo-Joo kind of ran away with it in the end, and she holed some great putts for birdie. I’m happy with the week overall, but it’s hard when you don’t win and you’re second again.”

The early-morning session also saw the exciting conclusion of the team event, as Team Uribe were unable to catch Team Kang, who took the title with a score of 23-under-par.

Danielle Kang later heaped praise on the team format, with the win ensuring her visit to Korea was a memorable one.

She said: “Golf is often seen as an individual sport, so playing as a team was refreshing.

“The support from teammates makes a big difference, especially mentally. Personally, I prefer the team format as it motivates me to perform better for the team rather than just myself. It feels more fulfilling than winning alone.”

The Aramco Team Series presented by PIF will next head to London on July 3-5, with a strong field set to be announced soon.