Scottie Scheffler knows what Xander Schauffele thinks of him after PGA Championship

Xander Schauffele believes it would have been "shocking" if had not triumphed at the . Schauffele's title defence did not go to plan, as Scheffler was simply too good for the rest of the pack.

Despite a seemingly , the final round saw him confront more challenges than the leaderboard suggested. He relinquished a three-shot lead during the front nine and watched . Nonetheless, Scheffler demonstrated remarkable calm, recapturing his lead while Rahm faltered. Witnessing Scheffler's masterclass, Schauffele could only commend his compatriot's performance.

Reflecting on Scheffler's composed nature during the tournament, Schauffele said: "Yeah, I played with him. It's cliche. He does all those small things really well. I played with him, and he didn't hit it great.

"He finished strong, which he always does, gives himself some sort of momentum. He goes and practices after his rounds, does his thing with his team, and he rinses and repeats. He's in a spot where it would be shocking if he didn't win today."

These comments from Schauffele highlight Scheffler's unyielding professionalism and elite mentality, especially considering his rebound from a tough Masters tournament. After slipping behind early in Augusta, Scheffler managed to finish fourth, only three shots adrift from leaders Rory McIlroy and Justin Rose.

It was a different story at Quail Hollow where it seemed that Scheffler might suffer yet another descent down the leaderboard after recording three bogeys in the first half of his Sunday round. Meanwhile, Rahm began to rally, notching up three birdies within a stretch of four holes.

Despite this resurgence, as Scheffler hit his stride on the back nine with an impressive display that included three birdies and only a single bogey, Rahm faltered gravely. The Spaniard's final holes were marked by a bogey and two double bogeys, tarnishing his scorecard and ending any hopes of victory.

Upon claiming the major trophy, Scheffler admitted the sheer effort it took to overcome his initial sluggish performance took a lot out of him. He said: "To step up when I needed to the most, this back nine will be one that I remember for a long time. I felt like this was as hard as I battled for a tournament in my career. It was a pretty challenging week.

"The first two days I did not swing it my best and I was able to post a score somehow. The last five holes yesterday (Saturday), that's where I really kind of put myself ahead in the tournament. With this closing stretch, you can never be complacent with your game. I had seen that Jon and I were tied when I was playing the 10th maybe. I did my best to keep executing shots and stay in my little bubble.

"I just prepared for Jon to go out and have a great back nine as well. He's a great player and a great champion, and he does a really good job of stepping up in the big moments. I didn't really relax until I got the ball over the water on 17. I felt like after that, I could kind of limp on 18 with the lead that I had."