PGA Championship: Valhalla made you say, “WTF!?” numerous occasions

How typically did you mutter that three-letter acronym to your self this previous week on the PGA Championship?

Too many to depend.

The week started with Jimmy Dunne resigning from the PGA Tour Coverage Board, after which Rory McIlroy shockingly filed for divorce—a dramatic appetizer for the occasions to return.

On Thursday, when play started, Michael Block instantly despatched the web ablaze by making a quadruple bogey eight on his second gap. Then Xander Schauffele posted a 9-under 62, the bottom rating in PGA Championship historical past.

However earlier than Louisville Police arrested Scottie Scheffler early Friday morning, the world primary produced unimaginable theatre on Thursday afternoon. Taking part in his first gap as a brand new father, Scheffler holed out from the golf green on the par-4 1st for a beautiful eagle two.

He went on to shoot a 6-under 65, placing himself in rivalry alongside Sahith Theegala and Mark Hubbard. This trio trailed Schauffele by three.

Then Friday occurred.

Everybody’s telephones lit up at daybreak, because the world watched police lead a hand-cuffed Scheffler into the again of a police automotive. He then went to jail, the place he stretched in a cell and watched the scenes of his arrest unfold on ESPN from the police station.

However all of this transpired as a result of an unlucky tragedy occurred early Friday morning. John Mills, a safety guard employed by the PGA of America, misplaced his life in a horrible accident involving a shuttle bus round 5:00 a.m. This led to an elevated police presence, mile-long site visitors jams, and widespread confusion amongst gamers making an attempt to get into the course for his or her second rounds.

It additionally compelled the PGA of America to delay the second spherical by an hour and 20 minutes.

Nonetheless, amid all the chaos, Scheffler tried to maneuver across the site visitors and enter by way of Valhalla’s entrance gates. Different PGA Tour gamers admitted to doing the identical factor, however Scheffler had a “massive miscommunication” with police. Given the time of day and the wet situations, eyewitnesses on the scene, particularly ESPN’s Jeff Darlington, who broke the story, additionally reported how tough it was to see.

So, if you first heard the information of Scheffler’s arrest, what did you say to your self?

Alas, upon Scheffler’s launch, and after the police report included the element that an officer’s $80 pants “had been broken past restore,” Scheffler returned to Valhalla 57 minutes earlier than his second-round tee time. He then shot a 5-under 66, a spherical he would name one of many ‘better of his profession’ given all of the circumstances.

As for different golfers, Collin Morikawa seemed unstoppable on Friday, making 5 birdies in a row to shoot a 6-under 65. However Tiger Woods stumbled early, making two triple bogies over his first 4 holes. He missed the lower, as did Jon Rahm, Wyndham Clark, and a number of different massive names, together with Ludvig Åberg.

And but, the large story from Friday nonetheless targeted on Scheffler. How might this have occurred? How might Scheffler, a mild-mannered man who facilities his life on religion and household, get charged with assaulting a police officer to the second diploma? It didn’t make sense, main golf followers all over the place to utter that three-letter acronym once more.

However Scheffler’s play on Saturday grounded everybody’s grandiose expectations. Along with his caddy, Ted Scott, lacking the third spherical to attend his daughter’s highschool commencement, Scheffler struggled and signed for a 2-over 73, eliminating any probability at victory. He admitted afterward that the dramatic scenes from Friday lastly received to him, and he didn’t have a correct warmup nor a wholesome headspace.

Picture by Andrew Redington/Getty Photos

And but, Valhalla, packed to the brim with greater than 50,000 followers every day, yielded one other report rating. Irishman Shane Lowry shot a outstanding 62, coming inches from taking pictures a 61, which might have marked the bottom rating in main championship historical past.

Schauffele additionally made a expensive mistake on Saturday, on the par-4 fifteenth gap, as he made a double-bogey six at hand the lead over to Morikawa. However Schauffele bounced again with two birdies on the seventeenth and 18th holes, as he and Morikawa sat in a tie at 15-under by way of 54 holes.

Lurking two strokes behind sat Bryson DeChambeau, who produced an exhilarating end on Saturday with a chip-in eagle at 18. Although DeChambeau didn’t win the Wanamaker Trophy this weekend, he certainly gained over the followers of Louisville—a large victory in and of itself.

Then Championship Sunday arrived.

Theegala started the ultimate spherical with a long-range bomb on the 1st gap however faltered into the abyss because the spherical progressed. Absolutely, Theegala will contend at many extra majors to return.

Picture by David Cannon/Getty Photos

However with the tender scoring situations, gamers knew they wanted to go low to seize the Wanamaker Trophy. Viktor Hovland, Schauffele, and DeChambeau did simply that, as this trio separated themselves from the remainder of the sector on the again 9, not in contrast to how the Kentucky Derby performed out two weeks earlier than.

Schauffele rebounded with two birdies on the eleventh and twelfth holes, after making a mistake on the par-5 tenth. Hovland additionally went flag searching down the stretch, making birdies on the twelfth and the thirteenth. However the younger Norwegian couldn’t capitalize on the par-5 18th, dropping a shot that sealed his destiny.

That set the stage for Schauffele and DeChambeau, the latter of whom made large birdies on the sixteenth and 18th holds to complete at 20-under par. DeChambeau elicited quite a few fist pumps down the stretch, as he had the Kentucky crowd behind him the entire means.

He even gained the hearts of golf followers all over the place because of a viral second earlier within the spherical.

Whereas strolling from the ninth inexperienced to the tenth tee, DeChambeau tossed a ball to a younger little one. Nonetheless, an older grownup intercepted DeChambeau’s toss, which led to the 2020 U.S. Open winner pointing him out, monitoring him down, and rightfully having the grownup ship the ball to the younger fan.

It was one of many extra heartwarming moments of the event.

Schauffele, in the meantime, sat at 20-under on 17, whereas DeChambeau had simply completed his spherical. He wound up getting up and down for par on the penultimate gap and wanted a birdie on the final to win his first main title.

Picture by Michael Reaves/Getty Photos

He did simply that, as his ultimate gap produced loads of drama. Schauffele’s drive landed on the precipice of the sand entice, forcing him to take an ungainly stance. At this level, a birdie seemed dire, and a playoff seemed assured.

Regardless of that, Schauffele hit a stupendous 4-iron to the left of the inexperienced. From there, he hit his third shot six toes away and received his birdie putt to drop in for the victory.

Valhalla Golf Membership yielded report low-scoring situations and noticed a chaotic scene involving the most effective participant on the earth. However it produced unbelievable—and mind-blowing—storylines, leaving so many numerous individuals to utter that three-letter acronym an infinite variety of occasions.

Jack Milko is a golf employees author for SB Nation’s Taking part in By way of. Be sure you try @_PlayingThrough for extra golf protection. You’ll be able to comply with him on Twitter @jack_milko as properly.