Xander Schauffele has set his sights on a successful defence of his Olympic title after winning a first major in record-breaking fashion at the US PGA Championship on Sunday.
Schauffele holed a decisive birdie on the 18th hole to finish on 21 under par – the lowest score ever at a major – and pip fast-finishing Bryson DeChambeau by one shot.
It answered critics of his ability to close out tournaments and also delivered a timely boost just weeks ahead of the Paris 2024 Olympics, where he is set to represent Team USA.
“It’s just a cherry on top,” said Schauffele, whose biggest career win saw him replace Rory McIlroy as world No2.
“It’s totally separate to competing in the Olympics. The US team is a strong one. It’s a hard one to qualify for. I imagine this win probably secures me into qualifying for the Olympics.
“That’s a whole different ball game, winning that one, but I’ll definitely be able to pull some confidence from this thing.”
Success at the US PGA came days after his “nearly man” tag surfaced again at the Wells Fargo Championship, where he was beaten by McIlroy on the final day.
A week later at Valhalla, former US Open champion DeChambeau threatened to take the 30-year-old to a play-off when he birdied the last to join him on 20 under par.
But Schauffele broke a run of five consecutive pars by holing from six feet – after an emotional pep talk from his dad – to complete a round of 65 and clinch a first win since July 2022.
“I was actually able to call him when I was standing, waiting to walk onto the 18th green. He was a mess. He was crying on the phone,” he added.
“It made me pretty emotional. I told him I had to hang up because I had to walk down. I couldn’t show up looking the way I was.
“I’ve become very patient not knocking off any wins in the last couple years. This is awesome. It’s super sweet.
“All those close calls, even last week, that sort of feeling, it gets to you at some point. It just makes this even sweeter.”
World No5 Viktor Hovland took solo third on 18 under, three clear of one-time leader Collin Morikawa and Belgian Thomas Detry.
England’s Justin Rose and Ireland’s Shane Lowry were a further shot back in sixth, one ahead of a group that included world No1 Scottie Scheffler and Scotland’s Bob MacIntyre.
Schauffele says his US PGA win can help him defend Olympic gold in Paris