Xander Schauffele held his nerve to sink a birdie putt on the 18th hole to seal his first major with a record-breaking score at the US PGA Championship.
The 30-year-old led the way since carding a 62 in the first round at Valhalla, equalling the best round in major history.
The Californian however came under intense pressure from Bryson DeChambeau and Viktor Hovland on the final afternoon in Kentucky before finishing 21 under, courtesy of a six-foot putt on the last which rolled in via the lip of the cup to complete a final round 65.
A run of six birdies in eight holes around the turn took Norwegian Hovland into the lead, but Schauffele replied with back-to-back birdies at 11 and 12 to restore his advantage.
Hovland’s challenge faded with a three-putt from 10-feet but DeChambeau drew level at the top of the leaderboard after birdying two of the final three holes, getting a lucky break on 16 when his tee shot bounced back into the fairway off a tree and then sinking his putt at 18 to complete a seven-under round of 64 to spark wild celebrations.
However the world No3 replied with a neat chip and six-foot putt on the last to add a major title to his Olympic gold medal and end a run of nearly two years without a tournament win and 12 top-10 major finishes without winning one.
“It’s been a while since I’ve won one,” said Schauffele. “I really did not want to go into a play-off with Bryson.
“I was emotional after the (final) putt lipped in. I managed to call my dad in Hawaii but I had to hang up quickly because he was making me cry.”
