PGYAY!

Last weekend’s PGA Golf Championship, the second of the four major tournaments was fun to watch from start to finish.

You had to feel good after viewing this one, but on the morning of the second day it looked like it would go down as a harrowing weekend unlike any in history.

If you tuned in early Friday morningyou saw in the semi-darkness someone in handcuffs being guided into a police car.

On the rainy streets of Louisville amid police cars and ambulances with flashing lights, Scottie Scheffler, the world’s number one golfer, on his way to jail.

Tragically, a man had been struck by a vehicle and killed.

Scheffler was taken in after his drove past a police officer demanding he stop, and was charged with dragging the officer until he finally stopped.

What an eerie moment.

Scheffler was booked, mug shot taken and spent about an hour behind bars before being released to make his early second round tee time.

The shocking turn of events nearly became the story of the championship.

But it wasn’t. Thanks to the superb competition involving much more than a handful of contenders. And thanks to the persistent play of the ultimate  champion.

One of the coolest and classiest golfers on the tour , who had been knocking on the door of all the major championships, Xander Schauffele, finally broke through and captured the PGA title with a dramatic birdie putt on the final hole of the famed Valhalla Golf Club.

It was a study in focus and concentration the way the 30-year old fended off all challengers, especially after momentarily losing his lead midway through the final round.

So many golfers were in position to make a move. At one point in the 3rd round 21 players were within four shots of the lead.

Even on the final day, 13 were within five shots of the co-leaders.

The one who came the closest was Bryan DeChambeau, who left the PGA tour for the rival LIV Tour.

DeChambeau, along with Norwegian Viktor Hovland, were the primary chasers down the stretch.

In a post-match revelation, Hovland revealed he nearly withdrew earlier in the championship. He had been struggling on the tour, but three straight rounds of 66 may have indicated the end of Hovland’s troubles.

DeChambeau caught a break when his drive on 16,  heading for the trees, bounced into the fairway. His second shot on the par 4 stopped within 4 feet of the hole and the resulting birdie brought DeChambeau to within one,

Fast forward to the par 5 finishing hole.

The two were tied as DeChambeau took off for the practice range to prep for a possible playoff.

Schauffele needed a birdie to win outright.

There was a big screen on the range as DeChambeau hit drives and watched the action on the 18th.

When Schauffele’s 6-foot putt lipped into the cup for the crown, DeChambeau simply walked away.

The champion who had not won a tournament in two years, and could never close the deal, came through to the delight of many of his colleagues who were seen congratulating him as he made his way to the scorer’s tent.

It was his first major championship, and now won’t have to face the same painful question from reporters every time he competes.

Schauffele set the tone with a 9-under-par 62 in the opening round, and wound up with the lowest score in major championship history, 21-under-par.

Going in, as I opined last week, the story would be about the best golfer going, Scottie Scheffler, and Rory McIlroy, who was on fire, winning the previous week and primed to win his first major title since his last four years ago at the same Valhalla course.

But McIlroy, once again, for all his immense talent, never indicated he would contend.

It’s become a broken record for the Irishman.

Always the expectations. Somehow, never delivering.

As for Scheffler, who still has won four of his last five tournaments including the Masters this April, it was a strange week to be sure.

He was in the mix after the first round, then, after his early morning arrest, amazed the golfing world with a sensational 66, only to falter with a two-over 73 in the third round, knocking him out of contention.

When it was all over, Scheffler reflected on his week.

He felt that adrenaline took over when he responded to jail time with a brilliant day on the golf course.

But slipped the next day after the events of Friday morning finally hit him straight on.

So, the tremendous golf exploits of Scottie Scheffler are still very much alive as the U.S. Open awaits.

Looking back, you would have thought that the image of the sport’s top performer in handcuffs would unquestionably be the story of this major championship.

But it turned out to be nothing more than a sidebar, an added story to the four-day competition.

The big story was the play on the course.

So many fighting to win, so many with a real chance to hoist the Wanamaker Trophy.

When it was finally over, the man holding the hardware was the real story.

Xander Schauffele, the likable, even-tempered golfer who had known so much heartbreak in getting to where he wanted to go, was finally a major champion outlasting so many, in a rousing, well-played tournament.