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

How many times have you tweeted that three-letter acronym at the PGA Championship this past week?

There are too many to count.

This week began with Jimmy Dunn resigning from the PGA Tour Policy Committee, followed by Rory McIlroy’s shocking filing for divorce. This was a dramatic appetizer to the upcoming event.

When play began Thursday, Michael Brock immediately set the internet on fire with a quadruple-bogey 8 on the second hole. And Xander Schauffele posted the lowest score in PGA Championship history with a 9-under 62.

But before Louisville police arrested Scotty Scheffler early Friday morning, the world’s No. 1 chef put on an incredible show Thursday afternoon. Playing his first hole as a new father, Scheffler holed out from the fairway on the par-4 first stunning eagle 2.

He shot a 6-under 65, putting him in contention along with Saheeth Segala and Mark Hubbard. The trio trailed Schauffele by three points.

Then Friday happened.

At dawn, everyone’s cellphones lit up as the world watched as police ushered a handcuffed Scheffler into the back of a squad car. He then went to jail, stretched in his cell and watched the arrest on ESPN from the police station.

But all this happened due to an unfortunate tragedy that occurred early Friday morning. John Mills, a security guard employed by the PGA of America, lost his life in a horrific accident involving a shuttle bus around 5 a.m. This led to increased police presence, a mile-long traffic jam and widespread confusion among players trying to play. Enter the course for the second round.

Additionally, as a result of this, the PGA of America decided to delay the second round by one hour and 20 minutes.

Nevertheless, amidst the chaos, Scheffler attempted to avoid traffic and pass through Valhalla’s main gates. Other PGA Tour players have admitted similar behavior, but Scheffler had a “major misunderstanding” with police. Given the time of day and rain conditions, witnesses at the scene, namely ESPN’s Jeff Darlington, broke the storyI also reported that it was difficult to see.

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

Sadly, after Scheffler was released and the police report included the detail that the officer’s $80 pants were “damaged beyond repair,” Scheffler missed tee time for the second round. I returned to Valhalla 57 minutes before. He then shot a 5-under 66, a round he called one of the “best of his career” considering all the circumstances.

As for other golfers, Collin Morikawa looked unstoppable Friday with five straight birdies for a 6-under 65, but Tiger Woods stumbled early and finished 2 in the first four holes. He hit two triple bogeys. He missed out, as did many other big names, including Jon Rahm, Windham Clark, and Ludwig Oberg.

Still, the big story Friday still focused on Scheffler. How could this have happened? Why was Scheffler, a gentle man who puts his faith and family at the center of his life, charged with second-degree assault on a police officer? Golf fans around the world are once again using his three-letter acronym to make sense of it.

But Scheffler’s play on Saturday defied everyone’s grand expectations. With caddy Ted Scott absent from the third round to attend his daughter’s high school graduation, Scheffler struggled to finish with a 2-over 73, ending his chances of winning. He admitted afterwards that Friday’s dramatic scenes were finally starting to sink in and he didn’t have a proper warm-up or a healthy headspace.

Still, Valhalla was packed to capacity with more than 50,000 fans each day, producing new record scores. Irishman Shane Rowley shot an incredible 62, just shy of the lowest score in major tournament history, a 61.

Schauffele also made a disappointing mistake on Saturday, hitting a double-bogey six on the par-4 15th hole, handing the lead to Morikawa. However, Schauffele made a comeback with two birdies on the 17th and 18th, and after 54 holes, he was tied with Morikawa at 15 under.

Sitting two shots behind is Bryson DeChambeau, who chipped in for eagle at the age of 18 on Saturday for an exhilarating finish. DeChambeau didn’t win the Wanamaker Trophy this weekend, but he certainly captivated Louisville fans. of itself.

Then came Championship Sunday.

Segala started the final round with a long-range bomb on the first hole, but as the round progressed he fell into the abyss. Certainly, Segala will likely compete in many more major tournaments in the future.

Photo credit: David Cannon/Getty Images

However, the scoring conditions were lenient, and the players knew they had to go low to win the Wanamaker Trophy. Viktor Hovland, Schaufel and DeChambeau did just that, and the trio pulled away from the rest of the field on the back nine, similar to how the Kentucky Derby unfolded two weeks ago.

Schauffele made a mistake on the par-5 10th hole, but bounced back with two birdies on the 11th and 12th. Hovland continued his flag-hunting in the final stages, making birdies on the 12th and 13th. However, the young Norwegian failed to take advantage of the opportunity on the par-5 18th hole, dropping the shot that sealed his fate.

This set up Schauffele and DeChambeau, with the latter making a ton of birdies on the 16th and 18th holds and finishing at 20 under. DeChambeau had the Kentucky crowd on his back the entire time, prompting many fist pumps along the way.

He captured the hearts of golf fans around the world. viral moment early in the round.

On his way from the 9th green to the 10th tee, DeChambeau threw the ball to a young child. However, an older adult intercepted DeChambeau’s toss, prompting the 2020 U.S. Open champion to point out and track DeChambeau, naturally forcing the adult to deliver the ball to the young fan.

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

Meanwhile, Schauffele remained at 20 under on No. 17, and DeChambeau had just finished his round. He went up and down for par on the penultimate hole and needed a birdie on the final hole to win his first major title.

Photo by: Michael Reeves/Getty Images

There was a lot of drama on the final hole and he did just that. Schauffele’s drive fell into the sand trap cliff, forcing him into an awkward position. At this point, Vardy seemed in jeopardy, but the playoffs seemed certain.

Despite this, Schauffele successfully hit the 4-iron to the left of the green. From there, he hit his third shot 6 feet out and sank the birdie putt for the win.

Valhalla Golf Club witnessed record low scores and chaotic scenes involving some of the world’s best players. But it created an incredible and shocking storyline that left countless people saying his three-letter acronym over and over again.

Jack Mirko is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through.Be sure to check it out @_PlayingThrough Cover more golf. You can follow him on Twitter @jack_milko In the same way.