2024 PGA Championship winner Xander Schauffele went on Pardon My Take, a Barstool Sports podcast, to give an interview following his first victory at a major.
During the interview, Schauffele referenced his previous shortcomings in majors, stating, “I feel like I hit this curve where it’s like everyone was betting on me to win and then everyone’s like ‘this guy’s never going to win’ and so they just stopped betting on me and then as soon as they stop betting on me, I win.”
Last week, right before recording his first major win at Valhalla Golf Club in Louisville, Kentucky on Sunday, Schauffele was atop the leaderboard, sitting one stroke ahead of Rory McIlroy at the Wells Fargo Championship. The elevated purse and FedExCup points at this Signature Event were within reach for Schauffele until he recorded three bogeys on the back-nine to fall out of contention against McIlroy.
PGA Championship odds and previous major finishes
Following his fourth-round collapse against McIlroy at Quail Hollow Club during the Wells Fargo Championship, oddsmakers valued Schauffele at +1,400 in the outright winner market ahead of Round 1 at the 2024 PGA Championship. He was the third betting favorite, tied with Brooks Koepka while sitting behind Scottie Scheffler (+400) and McIlroy (+750) on all licensed and regulated online sportsbooks.
Schauffele started hot in Round 1, carding nine birdies and zero bogeys to tie the course record at Valhalla with a final scorecard of 62. This allowed the Californian to stay atop the leaderboard after back-to-back 3-under rounds on Friday and Saturday. On Sunday, Schauffele was flawless on the front-nine, going 4-under, but a bogey on the 10th hole looked like the major was Bryson DeChambeau’s for the taking.
Instead of collapsing as he did at Quail Hollow the week before, Schauffele responded with back-to-back birdies on the 11th and 12th hole. This allowed him to sink the winning putt from just over six feet out on the 18th hole.
Before Valhalla, capturing his first win at a major, Schauffele had previously recorded 12 Top-10 finishes at majors. This includes two runner-up finishes since joining the PGA Tour in January 2016. It marks the eighth win of his PGA Tour career and his first outright win since the 2022 Genesis Scottish Open.
