The 48-year-old failed to make the cut at the recently concluded major. That did not stop the 82-time PGA Tour champ from contacting him and congratulating him on his iconic triumph. And Schauffele was all ears for it, and later on, he ended up narrating the conversation while conveying his exhilaration for the same.
Schauffele then went ahead to admit how he agreed with the 15-time major champ, all the while drawing inspiration from him. “I think he is right,” said the golfer, before adding that “he’s been through it all himself.” Tiger Woods had been without a victory since he won the 2013 WGC-Bridgestone Invitational until 2018, when he won the Tour Championship and then the subsequent Masters Tournament in 2019. That’s not all. Woods has been on a winless drought since his 2019 Zozo Championship triumph.
Mr. T thus entered the 106th PGA Championship, hoping to turn the tides and clinch his fifth title at the major. However, what awaited him was nothing short of disappointment when he failed to meet the expectations of millions of fans around the world.
Although Tiger Woods had posted his best major start in over two years, that wasn’t remotely enough for the golfer to become eligible for Moving Day. He scored a total of six birdies, seven bogeys, and two double bogeys over the two days, the last two of which came during the second round. The Hall of Famer, as a result, registered figures of 72-77 on the par-71 Valhalla Golf Club, leading to an overall score of +7.
Schauffele, meanwhile, made the cut while cementing his place at the top of the scoreboard. On Saturday, he carded a total of 25 birdies, 2 bogeys, and a single double bogey before going ahead to dish out 62-68-68-65, totaling 21-under 263. No wonder the legend of the game, Tiger Woods, himself texted him to congratulate the golfer on his win.
Allan Abe is a Senior Golf Writer at EssentiallySports. Armed with a Master’s Degree in English, he has covered many themes in golf as a beat writer, with in-depth coverage of instances of many golfers’ lives, like Bubba Watson and Adam Scott. Allan particularly excels at live coverage and a hole-to-hole analysis of events.