For a few fleeting moments on Sunday, it appeared that Utah’s Tony Finau, his good friend Jon Rahm, and others were going to give world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler a battle for the 107th PGA Championship.
However, midway through their final rounds, the also-rans faltered and Scheffler kept the pedal to the metal, resulting in the Texans’ easy five-shot victory in the second major golf championship of the year.
Scheffler posted an 11-under score and won by five shots over Bryson DeChambeau, Harris English and Davis Riley at Quail Hollow Golf Club.
Finau was in contention at the turn and in excellent shape to record his fourth top-10 finish at the PGA, but the former Salt Lake City resident made a bogey on the par-5 10th and another bogey on the par-3 13th.
He recovered with a birdie on the easy 330-yard par-4 14th hole, but down the stretch he gave it all back. He made a double bogey on No. 17 and a bogey on No. 18 to finish the day with a 3-over 74 and the tournament at 2-under 282.
That dropped Finau into a tie for 19th place after he tied for 18th place last year in the PGA at Valhalla Golf Club in Louisville, Kentucky.
On 17, Finau hit his tee shot in the water left of the green and had to make a 7-footer to salvage the double bogey. On 18, he found the fairway with his tee shot, but missed the green with his approach and then missed a 9-footer for par, taking a costly bogey.
Had he made pars on the final two holes, Finau would have tied for fifth.
Finau was under par in all three of his first three rounds before Sunday’s collapse, shooting 70-69-69-74 at 7,600-yard Quail Hollow.
The 35-year-old father of six’s next chance to win his first major comes in July at The Open Championship at Royal Portrush Golf Club in Northern Ireland.