Scheffler pulls away for emphatic PGA Championship win

The first couple of hours didn't play out as many anticipated, but the end result was the runaway victory most expected for Scottie Scheffler at the PGA Championship.

Although Scheffler lost his three-stroke edge by the time he reached the back nine, he hit the gas on the closing stretch, watching his challengers crumble as he cruised to a five-shot win over Bryson DeChambeau, Davis Riley, and Harris English at Quail Hollow.

The win puts Scheffler in rarefied air, as he joins Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods as the only men in history to win at least three majors and 15 PGA TOUR events before turning 29.

Scheffler entered Sunday with seven straight wins when holding the 54-hole lead, but wobbled early as he battled to keep his ball from going left on the opening nine. Bogeys on the sixth and ninth holes gave the field hope, with Jon Rahm making a strong charge. By the time Rahm reached the 10th tee, he was tied with Scheffler at the top, appearing to set the stage for a dramatic finish.

A final look at the scoreboard makes that scenario seem unbelievable, but that's where things stood late in the afternoon in Charlotte.

However, Scheffler made the necessary adjustments to his swing and made birdies on the 10th, 14th, and 15th holes to put the pressure on Rahm to match while he played the treacherous "Green Mile" trio of finishing holes.

"I told myself, if I keep making good swings, I'm not going to continue to hit the ball left every time, statistically speaking," Scheffler explained, according to ASAP Sports. "So I just tried to get up there on No. 10 and hit a good shot, and that's really all I was thinking about is trying to get the ball on the fairway. I knew I needed nine really good holes."

Rahm couldn't keep up, making a mess over the iconic stretch with a bogey on No. 16 and back-to-back double-bogeys on 17 and 18 to make things comfortable for Scheffler.

"Am I embarrassed a little bit about how I finished today? Yeah. But I just need to get over it, get over myself," Rahm told ASAP Sports afterward. "I'll get over it. I'll move on. Again, there's a lot more positive than negative to think about this week. I'm really happy I put myself in position and hopefully learn from this and give it another go in the U.S. Open."

The win reasserted Scheffler's dominance over the sport, regardless of what Rory McIlroy has done already this season. He's now the first player since 1983 to win each of his first three majors by at least three strokes.

Perhaps most impressive is that Scheffler won convincingly despite not having his A-game for the majority of the week.

"The first two days I did not swing it my best, and I was able to post a score somehow," Scheffler admitted. "Outside of the last five holes yesterday, that's where I really kind of put myself ahead in the tournament. I mean, the back nine today was pretty special as well. But yesterday the way I finished off that round, I think it was really important for me to have a lead to play with today."