Scottie Scheffler underlined his ability to cope under immense pressure as he won the PGA Championship at Quail Hollow for the first time, adding to his two Masters triumphs
Scottie Scheffler has been dubbed ‘a monster’ after clinching his third major title. The world No.1 cruised to his third major title in the 107th PGA Championship.
Scheffler overcame an early stumble to card a closing 71 and finish 11 under par, five shots ahead of Bryson DeChambeau, Harris English and Davis Riley.
As well as taking home the Wanamaker Trophy for the first time, Scheffler joined the legendary Seve Ballesteros in an exclusive club of players since 1906 to win their first three majors by three or more shots.
Composure on and off the green has earned Scheffler numerous plaudits, but according to CBS sports commentator and former Masters winner Trevor Immelman, his placid demeanour belies a cutthroat nature beneath the surface that emerges when stakes are high.
Speaking on the Fried Egg Golf podcast, Immelman said: “I have a ton of respect for Scottie, as a human, as a competitor, as a golfer. He lulls you to sleep with his calmness and how he seems not to be too affected by too much. But he’s mean, man, he’s a mean competitor.
“If you pull back some of those layers of the gentlemanly aspect that he portrays and you just isolate the competitor when he’s out on the course, he’s a monster, an absolute monster. I love that, I love watching it.”
To illustrate Immelman’s point, Scheffler drew attention to his mental toughness in clinching the PGA Championship. He said: “This is a special tournament. Any time you can win a major championship is pretty cool and I’m proud of how I did this week just staying in it mentally and hitting the shots when I needed to.
“This back nine will be one that I remember for a long time. It was a grind out there. I think at one point on the front, I maybe had a four or five-shot lead, and making the turn I think I was tied for the lead.
“So to step up when I needed to the most, I’ll remember that for a while. I always try to lean as much as I can on my mind. I think that’s probably my greatest strength.
“Today and this week I really just feel like I did such a good job of staying patient when I wasn’t swinging it my best but I hit the shots when I needed to. I hit the important shots well this week, and that’s why I’m walking away with the trophy.”
Scheffler would be forgiven for taking a break after his victory at Quail Hollow, but he will be back at it straight away after confirming his participation in the Charles Schwab Challenge at Fort Worth, where the victor will collect £1.3million.
Location will have helped his decision as Scheffler resides in nearby Dallas. But he has no intention of just making up the numbers, saying: “I didn’t just show up here to Fort Worth to just walk around and celebrate last week.
“I’m here for a reason, and that ́s not to just play a couple of ceremonious rounds and then ride off in the sunset. I’m here for a reason, that’s to compete.”