2024 PGA Championship takeaways: Bryson DeChambeau embraces joy, Scottie Scheffler left wondering, ‘What if?’

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — After leaving a long birdie putt short on the 17th hole Sunday afternoon, Bryson DeChambeau build a brand unique golf ball in play. It used to be fitting that, after he marked his unique ball with everlasting ink, he held it advance his lips and blew on it. DeChambeau performed with fire and used to be on fire right thru the closing round of the 2024 PGA Championship.

Nobody did it better Sunday. Nobody performed with more joie de vivre. Nobody used to be more cherished by the Louisville fans at Valhalla Golf Club than Bryson DeChambeau. Wait. What?!

How did we salvage right here? How did Bryson, who used to be practically universally mocked right thru grand of his time on the PGA Tour, without be aware change into the golfer each person on property used to be congregating in the lend a hand of as he tried to in discovering what would had been his second predominant championship?

There are seemingly lots of diversified answers to that seek recordsdata from, nonetheless no longer decrease than one of them — I cannot factor in I am typing this — is YouTube. DeChambeau’s YouTube channel hosts movies with titles adore, “random golf shot mission with the chaos wheel” and “can I rupture 50 with a long drive champion?”

This snarl is compelling and spirited, and clearly, it is resonating with golf fans. DeChambeau even addressed it after his runner-up salvage at the PGA Championship the assign he briefly shared the all-time scoring file to par until Xander Schauffele got right here thru and beat it by one.

“Yeah, it is basically silly, YouTube has helped me perceive [being a showman and celebrating big moments] a little little bit of bit more,” he mentioned. “When the second comes, realizing what to salvage, what to train, how to act is de facto vital. , when I was younger, I did no longer perceive what it used to be. 

“Yeah, I would comprise distinguished celebrations and whatnot, nonetheless I did no longer know what it intended and what I was doing it basically for. Now, I am doing it grand more for the fans and for the other folks round and searching for to be a little little bit of an entertainer that performs impartial golf every in most cases.”

An entertainer that performs impartial golf every in most cases.

DeChambeau is a little little bit of a pro golf throwback. Obvious, the medium is diversified, nonetheless the message is the identical. Sixty or seventy years ago, golfers at risk of complement their meager purse winnings with exhibition matches and trick-shot clinics for the paying public. Their leisure and their aggressive golf could presumably no longer comprise interacted, nonetheless they surely fulfilled both responsibilities, which absolute self belief spilled into one one other.

The principal skill is diversified in every enviornment, nonetheless they indubitably mesh together. Being a distinguished golfer helps one thrive when making YouTube movies. And discovering out how to be impartial at making YouTube movies helps one thrive when performing for the hundreds on Saturdays and Sundays.

Here is at the second the intersection of DeChambeau, and adore many others, I chanced on it to be scrumptious. Phase of why Bryson has always been a little little bit of a fight — by formula of fandom — is because he always gave the impact puzzled about when he used to be supposed to compete and when he used to be supposed to entertain. Now? He has an outlet to salvage both. 

DeChambeau still has absurd moments adore searching for to in discovering majors with 3D printed irons (which he vulnerable yet again this week impartial as he did at the Masters), beating balls in the darkish at predominant championships and capturing the second-lowest secure in the 164-year historical previous of majors with what he called his “B” sport. Nevertheless that’s all in the gadgets, and in the impartial dosage, it would even be endearing.

Certain, DeChambeau is in some draw a fan accepted at the second. I put no longer need believed it if I wasn’t there to perceive it myself, on the other hand it is ethical. He’s always fancied himself an innovator and a trailblazer. What he seemingly did no longer know is that. even supposing the medium is fresh, he is much more tantamount to golfers of yesteryear than he seemingly ever imagined.

Viktor Hovland is lend a hand

I did no longer factor in in what Hovland brought to the table on Sunday. I thought the texture he had chanced on would soften beneath strain. As a change, it went the improper formula. It got better. This would had been very no longer going to study even per week ago. Hovland himself mentioned he practical withdrawing from the PGA Championship. And yet, he regarded for grand of the day adore he used to be going to in discovering the second predominant of 2024.

Why the short turnaround after taking a perceive lost in the woods and finishing delivery air the highest 10 in every initiate this year earlier than this one? A return to educate Joe Mayo is presumably one predominant motive.

“When I went to perceive Joe earlier in the week, we had dinner, and I mentioned, ‘You build no longer perceive very concerned,'” Hovland disclosed on Saturday. “He had roughly pinpointed a feel that, as soon as I roughly kept working on that, it impartial got better straight. And I thought this used to be seemingly going to be a little little bit of little bit of a venture and presumably snatch six, eight weeks earlier than I would behold roughly quick improvement.

“Yeah, that used to be roughly handiest-case mission impartial there.”

While it did no longer lead to a predominant in discovering this week, Hovland now appears lend a hand heading in the right direction for what I thought he could presumably be this year: a predominant contender and anyone who will get his first in the subsequent year and a half of.

One more overlooked alternative

It used to be all impartial in front of Rory McIlroy this week. He entered off of two consecutive victories wherein his tee to green play gave the impact grand more dialed in. He got the distinguished facet of the plan and had the match for the taking Friday afternoon. As a change of taking it, even supposing, he shot 71; it used to be an uphill climb from there. That’s an limitless disappear out for anyone who has mentioned feels adore he is chasing his first predominant in every single assign yet again.

“Clearly started the week smartly, and then, I’ve obviously performed first rate over the weekend,” he mentioned Sunday. “As I mentioned, that own of six-hole stretch on the lend a hand nine the day prior to this, no longer being in a role to hole any putts, I will seemingly rue that. Then the 71 on Friday, as smartly, used to be obviously no longer what I was purchasing for. Clearly build myself too some distance lend a hand. Total taking part in solid, sport is in only form, and I’ve got per week off and then one other busy stretch coming up.”

The grace to be chanced on right here is that McIlroy filed for divorce on Monday and clearly has plenty occurring in my thought. The counter? He blew away the discipline at the Wells Fargo Championship totally 1 week ago. McIlroy remains as racy to chat about as ever, nonetheless because the foremost drought now nears 10 corpulent calendar years, he is officially working out of probabilities in the high of his occupation to add to that four-predominant total.

The stolen slam?

Scottie Scheffler shot his first round over par in 266 days on Saturday, impartial over 24 hours after being build in handcuffs and throw in penal complex for what gave the impact adore a total misunderstanding as he tried to drive thru the entrance to the golf route Friday morning. On the approach down from that adrenaline speed, he regarded lost on the golf route for the foremost time in without waste. (He also performed Saturday’s third round without his unheard of caddie, who used to be attending his daughter’s commencement.)

I will no longer lend a hand nonetheless wonder about what could well presumably had been if Scheffler had a typical week. Especially because I factor in Scheffler is going to in discovering the U.S. Beginning at Pinehurst — a route that gadgets up perfectly for him. If he would no longer salvage thrown in penal complex Friday, does he shoot 66-66 as a change of 66-73? Does he in discovering at Valhalla if no longer for the insane distraction of being arrested? Is the large slam issue still alive if he has a typical four days at Valhalla?

Scheffler would no longer lunge there Sunday.

“I got arrested Friday morning, and I showed up right here and performed a impartial round of golf, as smartly,” he mentioned. “So, I’ve been impartial right thru my occupation or I would snarl that I’ve gotten better right thru my occupation of leaving the off-route distractions at home and roughly conserving a pleasant still personal existence, and this week obviously that used to be no longer the case. 

“I am no longer going to take a seat down right here and snarl that I performed poorly [Saturday] thanks to what took station on Friday. I impartial had a detrimental day out on the route and used to be proud of how I got right here out right here and bounced lend a hand this day.”

This subject could be mentioned long after the dirt settles on the 106th PGA Championship. It used to be, from my vantage level, one of the craziest days in the historical previous of predominant golf, and its build on the handiest player on this planet — and his quest to in discovering all four majors — used to be wretched, preposterous and fully wacky. 

Sadly for Scheffler — no longer decrease than from my vantage level — additionally it is undeniable.

Justin Thomas’ maturation

I was struck this week by the vogue J.T. reflected on his childhood and his upbringing. Reminiscing adore this in most cases brings about gratitude, and it regarded as if it would salvage that for the 30-year-dilapidated Thomas over the weekend. 

“This week has exceeded all my expectations,” mentioned Thomas after capturing 67 in Round 3. “Or no longer it is been better. Or no longer it is been more fun. Or no longer it is been more good than the leisure I in actual fact thought or could presumably comprise imagined. I mean, I am very, very enraged for [Sunday], and it needs to be lots of fun. I am pleasing bummed that the week is practically over. Appropriate revel in [Sunday] as grand as I will and behold what happens.”

All of this on the heels of an emotional reception of a reception he acquired from town about a weeks ago.

Or no longer it is always compelling to stare the emotional, vulnerable facet of diversified avid gamers. And whereas we have considered that from Thomas — no longer decrease than from a screaming and yelling standpoint at Ryder Cups and team events — we have not considered it adore this from a gratitude and joy level of view. 

This week used to be improbable and regarded as if it would comprise reasonably an build on him as a particular person as his tears on Sunday when he walked off the golf route indicated.

Rick Gehman, Greg DuCharme, Patrick McDonald and Mark Immelman recap the 2024 PGA Championship at Valhalla. Put together & hear to The First Lower on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.