The 2024 PGA Championship Was The Easiest Major In Golf History

Getty Image / Patrick Smith

The end of the 2024 PGA Championship was absolutely thrilling. Perennial major contender Xander Schaffuele broke through to win his first major, sinking a six-footer on the 18th hole to win by one stroke over Bryson DeChambeau.

When you factor in the saga around Scottie Scheffler’s Friday arrest, the tournament at Valhalla Golf Club in Louisville had a lot to offer. But, let’s face it, as far as major championships go, it was kind of a joke in terms of difficulty.

The winning score was -21, which is a record low in a major championship. But, this wasn’t the case of the winner, Xander Schauffele,  going low and everyone else well back. The deepest field in golf destroyed Valhalla.

Coming into the week,  no PGA championship had ever played under par when you consider the scoring of the entire field. That was not the case this week, to say the least.

In fact, it played nearly 260 strokes easier than any PGA Championship ever! it is believed to be the lowest combined score to par in major history.

While many could criticize the superintendent and staff at Valhalla for too easy of a setup, much of it was under control. There was consistent rain throughout the week, and the course never really dried out and got fast enough to challenge players. Instead, players were able to take dead aim at flags all week. These guys are simply too good to be able to do that, especially on a course that doesn’t have much defense off the tee.

Ultimately, it’s unclear if the PGA of America decides to go back to Valhalla. But, if they don’t it will likely be less about the Scottie Scheffler incident and more about the winning score of -21.