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His best major finish in six years slipped through Adam Scott’s fingers as American Scottie Scheffler survived a Sunday scare to claim the 107th PGA Championship at Quail Hollow.
The world No.1 seemed destined to convert a three-stroke lead into a third major championship triumph at the start of play, yet a front-nine struggle gave others a glimpse at causing a boil over.
Two-under on his round courtesy of birdies at four, seven and 10, Scott was briefly in a share of second and just three strokes off the lead as Scheffler played the front nine in 2-over to drop back to 9-under for the championship.
Tied with Spain’s Jon Rahm, Scheffler moved one clear again with birdie at the par-5 10th and then picked up shots at both 14 and 15 to apply a squeeze that crushed the hopes of Rahm and any other potential contenders, the five-stroke margin of victory testament to his toughness and pure will to win.
Scott’s hopes effectively ended with a bogey at the short par-4 14th.
In the right rough with his tee shot, the 44-year-old took a full swing with lob wedge but came up short in the greenside bunker, unable to get up-and-down to save par to drop back to 5-under.
He missed a birdie chance from 22 feet at the par-5 15th and then made bogey at the par-3 17th when his chip from the right of the green came up 18 feet short of the hole.
A blistered drive of 331 yards into the left fairway on 18 was squandered when Scott’s approach shot finished left of the hazard that runs along the left side, a miraculous chip from a downhill lie inside the penalty area a final piece of wizardry on his way to a double-bogey at the 72nd hole.
Those three dropped shots in two holes saw Scott fall to a tie for 19th with a round of 2-over 73 and level with fellow Australian Cam Davis (72) at 2-under.
Davis made three birdies in succession on the front nine as he made the turn 1-under, moving to 2-under on his round with birdie at the par-5 10th.
But after a birdie on 15, the infamous ‘Green Mile’ would hit Davis hard also, dropping shots at each of the final three holes to end the week at 2-under.
The week after a maiden PGA TOUR win, Kiwi Ryan Fox closed with a round of 2-over 73 to finish tied 28th as Elvis Smylie rounded out his first weekend at a major with a round of 3-over 74.
