Scottie Scheffler Delivers Ominous Warning With PGA Championship Triumph

Scottie Scheffler celebrates after winning the 2025 PGA Championship.

Ever since he won last year’s Masters, it has taken a series of freakish events to hold back Scottie Scheffler.

At the PGA Championship 12 months ago, he spent the morning before his second round in a jail cell after he was arrested outside the course in a chaotic traffic snarl. He got off to a slow start this season after injuring his hand on a wine glass during a misguided attempt to make homemade ravioli.

But at this year’s PGA Championship, there weren’t any overzealous cops or dangerous pasta shapes to get in the way of the world No. 1. And for the third time in his career, Scheffler is a major champion.

At Quail Hollow in Charlotte, N.C., Scheffler surged on Saturday and survived a shaky start on Sunday en route to what proved to be a commanding victory at 11-under par, five strokes ahead of a trio of players including Bryson DeChambeau.

After seeing a five-stroke lead completely evaporate on the final day, Scheffler was briefly tied with Spain’s Jon Rahm. But he regained his footing on the back nine and in doing so, underscored the gap between himself and everyone else in the sport.

The 28-year-old Texan has now held top spot in the world rankings uninterrupted since May 2023, the longest streak by anyone not named Tiger Woods. Scheffler is also an Olympic gold medalist after a comeback for the ages at the Paris Games last year, a season when he set the PGA Tour record for prize money.

Scottie Scheffler won his third career major title.

With two Masters victories already under his belt, Scheffler is now halfway toward the career grand slam—and hitting his stride right as the two he’s missing, the U.S. and British Opens, come into view.

It was hardly a secret that Scheffler arrived at this PGA Championship in fine form. He won his last start on the PGA Tour at 31-under par, finishing eight strokes clear of the field. Yet in a way, his narrower win on Sunday was even more impressive.

That’s because Scheffler beat the best collection of golfers on the planet even when he spent long periods missing his A-game.

During the opening round, after Quail Hollow had been doused by rain, Scheffler lacked his typically consistent ball striking and complained about “mud balls” affecting his game. Still, even a not-so-pretty day for Scheffler left him at 2 under par. He gained another three strokes on Friday.

Then it took about 90 minutes on Saturday for him to seize control of the tournament.

Over the last five holes in the third round, Scheffler carded an eagle and three birdies to take a three-stroke lead at 11-under. That included birdies on the extremely challenging 17th and 18th holes, part of the “Green Mile” final stretch that gave other players absolute fits. By Sunday, even Scheffler’s rivals were practically ready to give him the tournament as though it were a tap-in for par.

“He’s in a spot where it would be shocking if he didn’t win,” said Xander Schauffele, who won the tournament a year ago.

It turned out there was one player who disagreed.

Rahm, the 2021 U.S. Open winner, began the day five strokes back but quickly entered the mix. With back-to-back birdies on Nos. 10 and 11, the Spaniard moved into a tie with Scheffler.

Jon Rahm reacts to a missed putt on the 18th green during the final round of the PGA Championship.

That coincided with a rare moment when Scheffler was struggling. Four holes into his final round, he was five strokes clear of the field. But that lead disappeared when he wound up finishing the front in two over. It looked as though he was getting cold right as Rahm was getting hot.

Then, once Scheffler made the turn, everything changed. He regained his lead with a birdie on the 10th and suddenly rediscovered the ball striking that had eluded him on the front. Rahm, meanwhile, coughed up a series of good looks at birdie.

From there, Scheffler’s advantage ballooned. A birdie on No. 14 put Scheffler three shots clear again. When Scheffler recorded another birdie on the 15th, he was in total control. Rahm’s miscues on the Green Mile also dropped him to a tie for ninth place, allowing DeChambeau, Davis Riley and Harris English to sneak into second.

In the end, the final holes turned into the Scheffler coronation that everyone expected at the start of the day. Even a bogey on the 18th, which left him even for the day, didn’t dampen the mood as Scheffler tapped in his final putt before spiking his cap on the green.

For the first time, it was time for Scottie Scheffler’s name to be engraved on the Wanamaker Trophy.