World number one Scotty Scheffler outperformed the final round challenge from John Rahm, recording a five-stroke victory in the second major in golf.
Scotty Schaeffler has stopped his energetic efforts to secure a five-shot PGA Championship victory for Spain’s John Lahm’s third career major title.
Top Rank Schaeffler, who was three shots from Sweden’s Alex Noren at the beginning of the day, left the tee early on Sunday, but left him under the age of 11 a week with the boat right to right to right to make it to the back nine.
“I knew it would be a challenging day. Finishing a major championship is always challenging,” Schaeffler said in the 18th Green after being presented with the Wanamaker trophy.
“I didn’t have the best of my own…but I put it on the back nine.”
Ryder Cup Hopeful Harris English began his 11th day shot Adrift, shooting a low round of the day, 65, and finished with a distant share in second place alongside fellow Americans Bryson Dechambeau (70) and Davis Riley (72).
Two-time champion Rahm (73) gave Schaeffler a terror early on in the back nine, but he was surprisingly dismembered with five drop shots in the final three holes, returning to eighth share.
Starting a five-shot for Reed and playing two groups ahead of Schaeffler, Rahm took a while to go to the final round, but found his groove in time to set up a back nine drama at Quail Hollow Club.
The Spaniards joined Scheffler on the leaderboard. In 11th place on the par 4, he made the third birdie with a four-hole stretch, but Schaeffler regained a full lead with a 9-foot birdie in 10 minutes.
Rahm responded quickly, but his 3-foot par 3-foot birdie attempt misinterpreted the birdie putts in the next two holes and then curled around the cup after misinterpreting a cruel closing stretch.
Schaeffler added birdies at 14 and 15, then saw his lead grow to five at JT Poston after Rahm made a double bogey at a par 3 schlee 17, where he blew a tee shot into the water.
“It’s a difficult medicine to swallow right now,” Rahm said.
“It’s a pretty fresh scar now. But there have been a lot of good events this week and a lot of positive feelings for the rest of the year.”
US Open champion Deccanbo, who finished runner-up at last year’s PGA Championship, was driving the ball and giving him a chance, but struggled with the Greens.
“It felt like there was a game to win this week, and the golf course suited me very well.
“It was a good fight, it was a good fight, it was a lot of fights. It’s just a bigger fire in my belly.”
Noren played alone in second place alongside Schaeffler, played alone to start the day, staying in the mix until the Bosey trio and round were unleashed early in the back nine.
Schaeffler received the top prize of $3.422 billion from a record $19 million wallet.
