LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Bryson DeChambeau called his near-miss at the PGA Championship Sunday at Valhalla, where he did everything but win, “definitely disappointing.’’
But after shooting a final-round 64 to finish 20-under par — one shot shy of winner Xander Schauffele — DeChambeau was energized by his performance.
“It’s one that gives me a lot of momentum for the rest of the majors,” DeChambeau said. “I said today was ‘closing time,’ but it will be closing time hopefully over the next couple majors.”
DeChambeau electrified the huge crowds this week.
DeChambeau, who birdied 18 Sunday to get to 20-under and tie Schauffele, forcing him to birdie the last to win, said he thought 18-under par was going to be enough to win.
“Then when I saw what Xander was doing, it’s like, ‘Man, he’s playing some unbelievable golf,’ ” DeChambeau said. “I gave it my all. I put as much effort as I possibly could into it. Somebody [Schauffele] played incredibly well.
“I got to learn from this. Look, I learned a lot about myself over the last year, and being able to perform at Augusta [where he finished tied for sixth] and being able to perform today shooting 7-under.’’
Had DeChambeau won the tournament, his final round would have been remembered for the huge break he got on the 16th hole, where his tee shot was pulled into the left trees and a tree spit the ball out to the fairway.
DeChambeau took advantage of the break and stuffed an 8-iron to inside 3 feet for a birdie that inched him to one shot off the lead at 19-under.
He would birdie 18th to get to 20-under and tie Schauffele, setting up the Schauffele birdie to win.
“I said, ‘Thank you’ to the tree,” DeChambeau joked.
“I just wasn’t driving it my absolute best this week and was uncomfortable on the tee shot and I pulled it left, and I got super lucky. I looked at G-Bo [his caddie, Greg Bodine], ‘OK, this is what it takes to win major championships. You got to have breaks like that happen.’
“Sometimes I just go look myself in the face and just say, ‘You got to get it done.’ No matter what’s going on, no matter what you feel right now, you got to get the ball in the hole in the least amount of shots. Be better. I got to do better. And I did, I just was one shot short.’’
Asked what he learned this week, DeChambeau, who’s notorious for being obsessed with equipment, said, “Equipment matters. I’ve learned I can play golf with my golf swing even when I’m not hitting it well. When I’m hitting it well, I got to take advantage. I wasn’t able to do that at Augusta [where] my putting failed me.
“But then clearly I putted well this week. I figured some good stuff out. Just got to remember those things and use that for the U.S. Open. I’m excited for Pinehurst.”