PGA Championship at Valhalla made you say, “WTF!?” over and over again

The 2024 PGA Championship produced countless jaw-dropping moments, from Scottie Scheffler’s arrest to Bryson DeChambeau’s close call.

How often did you mutter that three-letter acronym to yourself this past week at the PGA Championship?

Too many to count.

The week began with Jimmy Dunne resigning from the PGA Tour Policy Board, and then Rory McIlroy shockingly filed for divorce—a dramatic appetizer for the events to come.

On Thursday, when play began, Michael Block immediately sent the internet ablaze by making a quadruple bogey eight on his second hole. Then Xander Schauffele posted a 9-under 62, the lowest score in PGA Championship history.

But before Louisville Police arrested Scottie Scheffler early Friday morning, the world number one produced incredible theatre on Thursday afternoon. Playing his first hole as a new father, Scheffler holed out from the fairway on the par-4 1st for a stunning eagle two.

He went on to shoot a 6-under 65, putting himself in contention alongside Sahith Theegala and Mark Hubbard. This trio trailed Schauffele by three.

Then Friday happened.

Everyone’s phones lit up at dawn, as the world watched police lead a hand-cuffed Scheffler into the back of a police car. He then went to jail, where he stretched in a cell and watched the scenes of his arrest unfold on ESPN from the police station.

But all of this transpired because an unfortunate tragedy occurred early Friday morning. John Mills, a security guard hired by the PGA of America, lost his life in a horrible accident involving a shuttle bus around 5:00 a.m. This led to an increased police presence, mile-long traffic jams, and widespread confusion among players trying to get into the course for their second rounds.

It also forced the PGA of America to delay the second round by an hour and 20 minutes.

Nevertheless, amid all of the chaos, Scheffler tried to maneuver around the traffic and enter through Valhalla’s front gates. Other PGA Tour players admitted to doing the same thing, but Scheffler had a “big miscommunication” with police. Given the time of day and the rainy conditions, eyewitnesses on the scene, namely ESPN’s Jeff Darlington, who broke the story, also reported how difficult it was to see.

So, when you first heard the news of Scheffler’s arrest, what did you say to yourself?

Alas, upon Scheffler’s release, and after the police report included the detail that an officer’s $80 pants “were damaged beyond repair,” Scheffler returned to Valhalla 57 minutes before his second-round tee time. He then shot a 5-under 66, a round he would call one of the ‘best of his career’ given all the circumstances.

As for other golfers, Collin Morikawa looked unstoppable on Friday, making five birdies in a row to shoot a 6-under 65. But Tiger Woods stumbled early, making two triple bogies over his first four holes. He missed the cut, as did Jon Rahm, Wyndham Clark, and a host of other big names, including Ludvig Åberg.

And yet, the big story from Friday still focused on Scheffler. How could this have happened? How could Scheffler, a mild-mannered man who centers his life on faith and family, get charged with assaulting a police officer to the second degree? It did not make sense, leading golf fans everywhere to utter that three-letter acronym again.

But Scheffler’s play on Saturday grounded everyone’s grandiose expectations. With his caddy, Ted Scott, missing the third round to attend his daughter’s high school graduation, Scheffler struggled and signed for a 2-over 73, eliminating any chance at victory. He admitted afterward that the dramatic scenes from Friday finally got to him, and he did not have a proper warmup nor a healthy headspace.

Photo by Andrew Redington/Getty Images

And yet, Valhalla, packed to the brim with more than 50,000 fans each day, yielded another record score. Irishman Shane Lowry shot a remarkable 62, coming inches from shooting a 61, which would have marked the lowest score in major championship history.

Schauffele also made a costly mistake on Saturday, at the par-4 15th hole, as he made a double-bogey six to hand the lead over to Morikawa. But Schauffele bounced back with two birdies on the 17th and 18th holes, as he and Morikawa sat in a tie at 15-under through 54 holes.

Lurking two strokes behind sat Bryson DeChambeau, who produced an exhilarating finish on Saturday with a chip-in eagle at 18. Even though DeChambeau did not win the Wanamaker Trophy this weekend, he surely won over the fans of Louisville—a massive victory in and of itself.

Then Championship Sunday arrived.

Theegala began the final round with a long-range bomb at the 1st hole but faltered into the abyss as the round progressed. Surely, Theegala will contend at many more majors to come.

Photo by David Cannon/Getty Images

But with the soft scoring conditions, players knew they needed to go low to grab the Wanamaker Trophy. Viktor Hovland, Schauffele, and DeChambeau did just that, as this trio separated themselves from the rest of the field on the back nine, not unlike how the Kentucky Derby played out two weeks before.

Schauffele rebounded with two birdies at the 11th and 12th holes, after making a mistake on the par-5 10th. Hovland also went flag hunting down the stretch, making birdies at the 12th and the 13th. But the young Norwegian could not capitalize on the par-5 18th, dropping a shot that sealed his fate.

That set the stage for Schauffele and DeChambeau, the latter of whom made massive birdies on the 16th and 18th holds to finish at 20-under par. DeChambeau elicited numerous fist pumps down the stretch, as he had the Kentucky crowd behind him the whole way.

He even won the hearts of golf fans everywhere thanks to a viral moment earlier in the round.

While walking from the 9th green to the 10th tee, DeChambeau tossed a ball to a young child. However, an older adult intercepted DeChambeau’s toss, which led to the 2020 U.S. Open winner pointing him out, tracking him down, and rightfully having the adult deliver the ball to the young fan.

It was one of the more heartwarming moments of the tournament.

Schauffele, meanwhile, sat at 20-under on 17, while DeChambeau had just finished his round. He wound up getting up and down for par on the penultimate hole and needed a birdie on the last to win his first major title.

Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images

He did just that, as his final hole produced plenty of drama. Schauffele’s drive landed on the precipice of the sand trap, forcing him to take an awkward stance. At this point, a birdie looked dire, and a playoff looked assured.

Despite that, Schauffele hit a beautiful 4-iron to the left of the green. From there, he hit his third shot six feet away and got his birdie putt to drop in for the victory.

Valhalla Golf Club yielded record low-scoring conditions and saw a chaotic scene involving the best player in the world. But it produced unbelievable—and mind-blowing—storylines, leaving so many countless people to utter that three-letter acronym an infinite number of times.

Jack Milko is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through. Be sure to check out @_PlayingThrough for more golf coverage. You can follow him on Twitter @jack_milko as well.