5 quotes that tell the story from Valhalla this week
Scottie Scheffler went to jail, Bryson DeChambeau won the crowds over, and Xander Schauffele will leave Kentucky with his first career major title.
A memorable week from the PGA Championship is complete with no shortage of drama from the season's second major - both on and off the course.
Here are five quotes that tell the story from an incredible stretch at Valhalla.
Xander Schauffele
"I just kept telling myself I need to prove this to myself."
Schauffele's inability to close out tournaments has been well-documented over the years - he lost despite holding a 54-hole lead just seven days ago. However, the 30-year-old flipped the script on Sunday, making back-to-back birdies on Nos. 11 and 12 to grab the lead and set himself up well down the stretch. After DeChambeau birdied the 72nd hole to match Schauffele's 20-under total, the World No. 3 knew he also needed a birdie to win his first major.
That's exactly what he did: He drove a pitch from 36 yards to six feet and poured in the putt for the victory to become the first man to hit 21-under for a major championship. The 30-year-old is just the 11th man to go wire-to-wire in winning the PGA Championship.
If Schauffele can now combine a closer's mentality with his elite all-around game, it's likely Sunday will be the first of many major championship wins.
Viktor Hovland
"I was almost considering pulling out of this event because I wasn't playing good at all."
![](https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/629508/cropped_GettyImages-2153730828.jpg?ts=1716165079)
After leaving 2023 as the hottest golfer on the planet, the start of 2024 was a mess for Viktor Hovland. He had yet to post a top-15 finish on the schedule and missed the cut after an 81 at Augusta National. That poor result forced him to skip next week's RBC Heritage to try and get his game in order.
The Norwegian actually told Jason Sobel of Sirius XM that he considered pulling out of the PGA Championship before it began because of his struggles. Instead, he stayed in the field and finished solo third at 18-under. So what changed for Hovland? A reunion with his former coach, Joe Mayo.
Hovland made the puzzling decision to part ways with Mayo over the winter despite experiencing more success than ever before. After not meshing well with several coaches through the beginning of 2024, Hovland linked up with Mayo leading into Valhalla, creating instant results.
Hovland appears to be back on track and should be considered a real threat to win at Pinehurst next month.
Scottie Scheffler
"I did spend some time stretching in a jail cell. That was a first for me."
The golfing world awoke on Friday morning to breaking news that Scottie Scheffler was on his way to jail after being arrested just outside Valhalla. The World No. 1 was detained for a traffic-related incident while attempting to bypass a backup caused by a fatal accident earlier in the morning.
Soon, images and video of Scheffler being handcuffed and placed in the back of a police car were all over the television and social media. He ended up at the station, dressed in an orange jumpsuit top for a mug shot, and charged with second-degree assault of a police officer and three misdemeanors. Eyewitness accounts and the police report painted different pictures, and Scheffler is scheduled to be arraigned on Tuesday morning.
From that point on, it became a race for Scheffler to make his tee time, and the owner of Valhalla supplied the golfer with a ride from the station back to the course. He arrived with 50 minutes to spare, zipped through a quick warmup and proceeded to birdie his first hole en route to an incredible 5-under 66.
Afterwards, Scheffler detailed his experience and admitted to the media that he did his pre-round stretching in the jail cell.
Schauffele may have won the 2024 PGA Championship, but the week in Louisville will forever be remembered for Scottie's trip to jail.
Bryson DeChambeau
"YouTube has helped me understand that a little bit more."
![](https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/629509/cropped_GettyImages-2153739543.jpg?ts=1716165217)
It feels odd to use the iconic "Gladiator" quote "You win the crowd, you win your freedom" when describing Bryson DeChambeau, but there's very little conventionality when talking about LIV Golf's brawny superstar. The 30-year-old undoubtedly won the massive crowds in Louisville with his incredibly entertaining style of play.
The massive distance off the tee catches eyeballs, but DeChambeau's short game brought the pop this week - three separate hole-outs from off the green sent the galleries into hysterics. He saved his best for Sunday's final hole, getting up-and-down for a birdie to force Schauffele to match to win.
DeChambeau credited his ever-growing YouTube channel for helping him understand the combo of golfer and entertainer.
"Yeah, it's actually funny. YouTube has helped me understand that a little bit more," he said, according to ASAP Sports. "When the moment comes, knowing what to do, what to say, how to act is really important."
It's back to the lab - and LIV Golf - for the sport's foremost scientist before he returns to the major stage at Pinehurst next month.
Shane Lowry
"When you go out in 29, you think, wow, I have a good day going here."
Your eyes aren't deceiving you - Shane Lowry actually went out in 29 over his opening nine on Saturday at a major championship. What's crazier is that his round of 62 matched the lowest round ever at a major championship, but was only good enough to tie for best round of the week. That's how easy pillow-soft conditions made the Valhalla course - a layout that yielded a 62 to both Schauffele and Lowry. The final combined score was the lowest in the PGA Championship's history - by a lot.
Lowest combined score to par by field, PGA Championship history
— Justin Ray (@JustinRayGolf) May 19, 2024
2024 Valhalla, -214
1995 Riviera, +40
2018 Bellerive, +59
The biggest challenge at Valhalla is driving the ball long and straight. If that happens, the lack of complex greens and shallow bunkers make the course very gettable. The combo of skill and equipment makes driving the ball easier than ever, so the Louisville course no longer presents a challenge worthy of major championship golf.
HEADLINES
- Quintana gets 100th win as Mets blank Reds for 9th straight victory
- Cortes upset Yankees moved him to bullpen: 'I've been the workhorse'
- Dodgers' Hernández avoids major foot injury, could return by Tuesday
- Report: Mavs bring back vet Markieff Morris
- Braves' Merrifield fractures foot same week he was hit in head by pitch