It was an exciting Sunday at the PGA Championship, but Tony Finau started off too slow to be part of the fun.
He went one-under par on the front nine thanks to a bogey and two birdies, and began a slide down the leaderboard that eventually landed him in a tie for 18th place.
Finau ended up one-under par for the day and 11-under for the tournament. Eighteenth isn’t too bad, but it has to be disappointing after such a promising day on Thursday.
Finau was tied for second place after the first round and remained very much in contention after Friday’s second round, ending the day in a tie for eighth place.
But going two-under par on Saturday was not enough to remain a legitimate contender, and Sunday was more of the same.
Meanwhile, Thursday’s leader, Xander Schauffele, held onto at least a share of the lead after Friday’s and Saturday’s rounds and made it through a tense Sunday to claim his first major.
For Schauffle on Sunday, it all came down to the 18th hole. He teed off tied at 20-under with LIV Golf’s Bryson DeChambeau, who had already finished his round, and was able to end his day with a birdie to move to 21-under and secure the win.
“I really didn’t want to go into a playoff against Bryson,” Schauffele told reporters after his big win, per ESPN. “I’m assuming we probably would have played 18. It would have been a lot of work. I just told myself, this is my opportunity, and just capture it.”
Capture it, he did, ending a long wait for his first major title.
“The Californian had finished runner-up twice and 12 times inside the top 10 at the majors” before Sunday’s win, according to CNN.