Xander Schauffele's triumph could open the floodgates for his career

Xander Schauffele finally shed his long-standing "choker" label with a final-round 65 at Valhalla Golf Club to win the PGA Championship. The World No. 2 lipped in a six-foot birdie putt on the 72nd hole to inch ahead of runner-up Bryson DeChambeau and claim his first major championship title. 

After so many close calls, blown leads and Sundays to forget, this is the performance that could open the floodgates for Schauffele's career.

Schauffele has long been known as the most talented golfer in the world with no killer instinct. Leading up to this week, the American had only seven PGA Tour wins to go along with 14 runner-up finishes and 42 top-fives in 174 career starts. 

He hadn't won on Tour since the 2022 Genesis Scottish Open despite his four runner-up finishes and 14 top-fives over the last two years. His major record of 12 top-10 finishes in 27 starts was impressive, but he always fell short of lifting the trophy at the end. 

Schauffele had held eight 54-hole leads in his career, but he converted only two of them into wins. That's why, when he shared the lead with Collin Morikawa heading into the final round of the PGA Championship, he was written off before his first tee shot was in the air. 

But this time, Schauffele silenced the critics with a 6-under 65 on Sunday to claim — as CBS' Jim Nantz eloquently put it — "victory at Valhalla."