This year’s second major has just concluded and with it, a most deserving champion has emerged. Xander Schauffele finally won his first major and boy, did he do it in nail-biting fashion!

Schauffele has always placed well in big events, his potential evident early on in his career. While he hasn’t won in nearly two years, his record in majors, not to mention his Olympic gold medal in 2020, says a lot about his game.

He has come second in a few majors, namely the 2018 Open Championship, the 2019 Masters, and third in the 2019 US Open and the 2021 Masters.

A few bad breaks and a few loose swings was all that separated Xander from his first major.

I vividly remember the 2021 Masters. Xander was four back of Hideki Matsuyama at the 15th hole.

Hideki sailed the green with his second shot and dunked his ball behind the green, while Schauffele got up and down from the greenside bunker for birdie.

Hideki’s bogey to Xander’s birdie made what seemed like a stress-free last four holes into an exciting finish. That is until Xander promptly dunked his tee shot on the very next hole, the par 3 16th, into the water.

But despite coming close a number of times and not breaking through, it was always evident that Schauffele had game.

Not only that, he has the ability to go low on the biggest of stages. He shares two record low rounds in majors.

Schauffele shot an opening round 62 in the US Open last year, a record score he shares with Rickie Fowler.

In this year’s PGA Championship, he also shares the record with Shane Lowry, after Xander shot another opening 62 at a major. The difference this time is he kept on pushing, holding or sharing the lead after each of four days.

This year’s PGA Championship had everything from record rounds to controversy off the course.

On Friday, World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler hogged the news not for his play but for a freak incident before his second round even started.

Not every year do the words “handcuffs” and “felony” make their way into major golf news. But after a tragic accident, miscommunication, and a heavy-handed Louisville police officer, Scottie ended up in cuffs and did his pre-game stretching inside a jail cell.

How Scheffler shot a 4-under par after that episode is beyond me.

Scheffler actually birdied his first hole fresh from jail. Talk about focus and nerves of steel.

But the week belonged to Xander. Nothing could take it away from him, although a Sunday charge from Bryson DeChambeau almost did.

Bryson’s final round 64 almost stole the show from Schauffele.

Starting the final day two shots back, DeChambeau steadily climbed the leaderboard and tied the lead with birdie on the 72nd hole.

Schauffele has always placed well in big events, his potential evident early on in his career.

Bryson in at -20 left Schauffele needing pars coming in to force a playoff, or a birdie for the outright win.

Of course, that’s easier said than done. What made matters worse was that Xander just drove it in the fairway bunker at 17, and he was near the lip.

He managed to hit towards the right of the green and made an up and down for par. One hole to go, birdie wins it.

Watching on TV, I can’t help but feel nervous, remembering Schauffele’s near misses in previous majors.

His drive on the last hole was pulled slightly, ending up in an awkward spot.

His ball was in the first cut just outside a fairway bunker, with no stance. He had to hit his second shot with the ball above his feet, his stance inside the bunker while the ball was outside.

I was thinking this stance had a hook or worse, chunk, written all over it. The heel of his club could also get stuck since he was addressing the ball with the toe up due to his stance and lie.

But calm as a champion has to be, he struck the ball solidly and left himself about a 30-yard pitch for eagle from left of the green. A mediocre pitch left Schauffele about an eight-footer for birdie.

The winning putt used all of the hole.

On TV, the camera angle showed the putt from behind the hole. I actually thought it would lip out.

Either Xander hit it too firmly, or he aimed a little too much to the left, or he pulled the putt slightly. But the putt dropped after going round almost the entire edge.

It was just the right speed, and caught just the right amount of the hole.

Bryson, watching from a big screen while at the range keeping loose, saw it drop and with it, so did his chance at a playoff.

It was Schauffele’s tournament, and he needed all of his game and a bit of luck to win it.

Leading a tournament wire to wire must be the most stressful way to win. Being caught by the chasing pack just as the pressure was getting to Schauffele must have been the worst feeling in the world.

His drives on 17 and 18 had nerves written all over them. But past losses and the lessons from those must have come in handy in the heat of competition.

Xander won his first major under the most intense pressure. Lesser players would have unraveled.

Adam Scott’s collapse at the 2012 Open Championship came to my mind when the pressure was mounting for Schauffele.

Xander deserves this win, and boy did it take every ounce of grit from him.

As far as majors go, the PGA isn’t my favorite. The course at Valhalla also didn’t look and feel “major worthy” in my opinion.

But the excitement, the tight and stacked leaderboard on the final day, and the finish of this year’s second major was one for the books.

Losing sleep the past weekend to watch it live was definitely worth it.