JUST-NOW: He cheated PGA officials have handed down a harsh punishment to Scottie Scheffler, officially disqualifying him after. Get all the details below!
JUST-NOW: He cheated PGA officials have handed down a harsh punishment to Scottie Scheffler, officially disqualifying him after. Get all the details below!
Not even the biggest triumph of his career to date was enough to save Xander Schauffele from some difficult truths in the wake of his win at the PGA Championship
Xander Schauffele’s coach couldn’t help but share some constructive criticism after his PGA Championship win
A landmark victory at the PGA Championship wasn’t enough to keep Xander Schauffele from being schooled after the fact.
The Californian finally eked his way to a maiden major title after putting under pressure to beat Bryson DeChambeau by a single stroke on Sunday. But every day’s a school day, it seems, after golf star Schauffele revealed even he was learning on the job at Valhalla Golf Club.
Appearing on the Pardon My Take podcast following his breakthrough win in Kentucky, he was asked about the prospect of a playoff on a par five against notorious big hitter DeChambeau. However, it became evident he wasn’t the only one being availed to new information.
“One hundred percent. Absolutely,” replied Schauffele when asked if the play-off ramifications were running through his head approaching the 18th on Sunday. “I didn’t even know, but the playoff is actually an aggregate. It’s three holes.”
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It was just as well the 30-year-old followed DeChambeau’s lead by birdieing the final hole to keep his nose in front and clinch the crown. And Schauffele acknowledged all the momentum would have been running in his foe’s favour had he messed up that title-clinching putt, forcing a playoff where he “felt like he shouldn’t be.”
In regards to that pressure putt, Schauffele also revealed how a savage text from his coach following his first major trophy swiftly brought him back down to Earth. And it also served as a quick reminder there’s always work to be done.
Schauffele was in high spirits despite being critiqued on the biggest moment of his career
“I was like, ‘Screw it, I need to commit to this,’” said Schauffele when detailing his read of the final putt as he prepared to take the shot. “And so I actually didn’t take that much time, because I was like, ‘The longer I look at this, the more stuff I’m going to see [and potentially over-analyse].’ So I was nervous.
“I ended up hitting it pretty straight. Actually, my putting coach texted me and was like, ‘You pulled it.’ I was like, ‘Thanks, man.’ He’s right! I’ve watched that putt like six times, and it looks like it’s gonna miss every time [laughs].”