For those who thought Rory McIlroy was going to roll right through the Majors season like a smooth fairway drive, Scottie Scheffler had other plans—plans that came straight off the sweet spot.
This weekend at Quail Hollow, in the 107th playing of the PGA Championship, Scheffler proved once again that when it comes to major moments, he’s got the game—and the guts—to go flag hunting. With a final-round 71 to close out at 11-under-par 273, Scheffler clinched his third major title. Look out folks, Scottie’s on a heater.
After an early stumble on Sunday, Scheffler found his groove on the back nine and never looked back, draining clutch putts and striping fairways with the kind of poise that’s become his trademark. He fended off charges from Bryson DeChambeau, Davis Riley, and Harris English, who all finished in a tie for second at -6, but in truth, we never thought for a second he wasn’t going to win. It was just a question of when he would turn the stripe show back on.
“I didn’t have my best stuff, but I kept myself in it,” Scheffler said during his post-victory press conference. “I stepped up on the back nine and had a really good nine holes.” That’s golf speak for: I just lapped the field.
The win earned Scheffler a cool $3.42 million. It’s also his 15th career PGA Tour win, and back-to-back victories following his 8-stroke blowout at the CJ Cup Byron Nelson. In fact, the last player to pull off back-to-back wins with this kind of dominance? Some guy named Tiger in 2000.
McIlroy, who many believed was poised to ride the momentum of his Masters victory to a win at Quail Hollow, a course he had previously won four other tourneys, fizzled fast. The five-time major champ never got his putter rolling and missed more fairways than he hit this week and finished in a tie for 47th at +3. Safe to say, Rory’s week was disappointing to him, his sponsors, his fans, and those like me who laid some greenbacks down thinking he’d lift his 5th Quail Hollow-embellished trophy on the 18th green.
And while others flirted with leaderboard drama—Jon Rahm briefly tied for the lead before unraveling late with two double bogeys—it was Scheffler who stayed dialed in. Down the stretch, he played like a Hall of Famer because that’s how Hall of Famers play.
With the U.S. Open at Oakmont and The Open Championship at Royal Portrush still ahead, not to mention the FedEx Cup Playoffs and Ryder Cup at Bethpage, the big question remains: Who’s going to own the summer?
Right now, it’s clear—Scottie’s got the driver, the putter, and the momentum. The rest of the field? They’re just trying to keep it in play, Rory and Bryson included.
So yes, the money is firmly back on Scheffler.
And we’re laying a big, fat bet—because this summer, Big Tex isn’t just in the mix… he’s now the dude everyone is chasing down.
Read more: What’s in the Bag (WITB): Scottie Scheffler, 2025 Edition