LOUISVILLE, Ky. — The putt that barely toppled in on the 18th hole. The tee shot that hit a tree on No. 16 but careened back into the fairway. The chip-ins from off the green, the fist pumps in the air and the fist bumps with the fans.
Bryson DeChambeau put on the kind of show, and got the sort of breaks, that make players larger than life and sometimes win them major titles, too. Yet somehow, when he looked up at the scoreboard for the last time Sunday at the PGA Championship, his name was stuck in second.
One of golf's most entertaining characters trickled in his last putt for a birdie to close a thrill-a-minute round of 7-under 64 — tied for best of the day — and put him in a tie for the lead at 20-under par.
A half-hour later, Xander Schauffele made birdie from virtually the same angle — his putt lipped halfway around the cup before falling in — to break the tie, break the all-time major scoring record, and capture his first major.
DeChambeau left not with a shiny new trophy, but looking at all the bright spots that came out of his thrilling performance at Valhalla.
''I gave it my all,'' he said. ''I put as much effort as I possibly could into it and I knew that my ‘B' game would be enough. It's just clearly somebody (else) played incredibly well.''
Warming up for a possible playoff, DeChambeau stood with his hands on his hips, stared at the big board near the driving range and watched Schauffele's winning putt go in. Once it landed, DeChambeau turned quickly and exited stage left, making his way to 18 to congratulate the winner.
"I seriously thought 18 was going to do it," DeChambeau said. ''Then when I saw what Xander was doing, it's like, 'Man, he's playing some unbelievable golf.'''
