Bryson DeChambeau was left ‘baffled’ by his failure to make the most of major contention at the PGA Championship, as Jon Rahm admitted his final-round collapse was a “tough pill to swallow”.

DeChambeau finished runner-up for the second successive year, with a one-under 70 leaving him five strokes behind Scottie Scheffler and in tied-second alongside Harris English and Davis Riley.

The two-time US Open champion briefly led during the third round and was back within two strokes of the lead late in the final day, only to end the week on six under as Scheffler closed out a third major victory.

“I felt like I had the game to win this week and the golf course suited me pretty well,” DeChambeau admitted. “Missed a few putts coming down the stretch and got a little unlucky in this great game of golf. It kind of is what it is.

“I’m sure you heard me out there really baffled quite a bit. It was a good fight, good battle, take a lot from it. It’s just burning a bigger fire in my belly.

He later added: “I’m baffled right now. Just felt like things just didn’t go my way this week. Drove it really well. I drove it as good as I can, as of right now, I gave myself a good chance. I just felt like a couple breaks went a different way.”

DeChambeau now has top-six finishes in five of the last six majors, including last year’s dramatic one-shot win over Rory McIlroy at the US Open, although was left disappointed not to add to that tally during the first two majors of the year.

“Definitely had an opportunity to beat Rory [McIlroy at The Masters] and definitely had an opportunity to give Scottie [Scheffler] a run this week,” DeChambeau added. “I was leading after 16 holes on the third round, but man, I just didn’t get it done.

“I’ve got to learn how to be a little more precise with the wind, not let the wind affect the ball as much. It’s a tough task to do because I laid it so high and the ball just kind of moves it in the air. I’ve got to figure that out.

“I’ve got some tricks up my sleeve that I’m going to be working on and hopefully bring for the U.S. Open, but I’ve got to get some equipment here soon.”

Rahm: Late major collapse ‘tough pill to swallow’

Taylor Pendrith, Jhonattan Vegas and JT Poston ended the week in tied-fifth on five under, with Rahm a further shot back in a share of eighth despite briefly sharing the lead during a thrilling Sunday.

Rahm made three birdies in a four-hole stretch from the eighth but missed birdie chances over the 14th and 15th, before dropping five strokes over the final three holes to miss out on a third major victory.

“It was really close,” Rahm said. “God, it’s been a while since I had that much fun on a golf course, 15 holes. Even the first seven of the day where I was swinging well and things weren’t happening. I kept myself in it, made the pars that I needed, and played really good golf from the eighth to the 15th.

“The last three holes, it’s a tough pill to swallow right now. A lot of positives to take from this week. Pretty fresh wound right now. But there’s been a lot of good happening this week and a lot of positive feelings to take for the rest of the year.”

Rahm had overturned 54-hole deficits to win his previous two titles, the 2021 US Open and the 2023 Masters, while the former world No 1 was looking to become the first Spanish winner of the PGA Championship and complete the third leg of the career Grand Slam.

“I think it’s the first time I’ve been in position to win a major that close and haven’t done it,” Rahm added. “The only times I think I’ve been in the lead in a major on a Sunday, I’ve been able to close it out and this is a very different situation.

I always like to go back a little bit on something that Charles Barkley likes to remind basketball players all the time. Like, I play golf for a living. It’s incredible. Am I embarrassed a little bit about how I finished today? Yeah. But I just need to get over it, get over myself.

“It’s not the end of the world. It’s not like I’m a doctor or a first responder, where somebody if they have a bad day, truly bad things happen. I’ll get over it. I’ll move on.

“There’s a lot more positive than negative to think about this week. I’m really happy I put myself in position and hopefully learn from this and give it another go in the US Open.”

What’s next?

DeChambeau and Rahm will both be back in action on the LIV Golf League at their next event in Virginia, taking place at the Robert Trent Jones Golf Club from June 6-8, before chasing major glory at the US Open the following week. Get Sky Sports or stream with no contract on NOW.