Xander Schauffele Wins The Open for His Second Major of the Season
Xander Schauffele conquered the awful Scotland weather conditions and a one-shot Sunday deficit to win The Open Championship for his second major of the season. The third-ranked golfer in the world fired off an impressive six-under-par 65 on Sunday at Royal Troon to cruise to a two-shot victory over Justin Rose and Billy Horschel. Schauffele began this season as the best golfer in the world to never win a major, and now, within the last four months, he has two major championships under his belt. Here is how it unfolded at Royal Troon.
American Billy Horschel woke up on Sunday morning with the lead all to himself at four-under-par after he shot a 69 on Saturday. However, he had six players right behind him at three-under-par, so it was bound to be a tough battle, especially given the windy and cold conditions all week. Horschel came out of the gates strong with a birdie on the first hole, but he was unable to keep any momentum as he bogeyed multiple holes on the front nine following birdies. Horschel’s inconsistency opened the door for an unlikely name to emerge at the top, Thriston Lawrence. Lawrence has had recent success on the DP World Tour, but he has yet to make a name for himself on the PGA Tour stage; until today, that is. Lawrence fired off four birdies on the front nine, and he would take the solo lead into the back nine. However, with Schauffele lurking behind, combined with Lawrence's inexperience in high-pressure situations, he was unable to hold off Schuaffele, who played some incredible golf down the stretch.
Schauffele was one stroke behind Rose and two strokes behind Lawrence heading into the last nine holes, but he went on to birdie three of his first five holes on the back nine while Rose and Lawrence both played those five holes at one-over par. After that point, Schauffele left the rest of the field for dead, and there was no looking back. It is apparent that Schauffele is poised to become one of the most dominant golfers in the world every time he takes the course. He showed tremendous patience this week, given the harsh weather conditions and the fact that he did not play up to his standards over the first two days. He even shot one-over-par on Friday, but he remained within striking distance and came through when it mattered most. Finally, now that The Open has concluded, that officially puts a wrap on the major championships for the 2024 season, and there is some patriotic history that has been made. This season marks the first time since 1982 that all four major champions in one season are American-born players. Scottie Scheffler took home The Masters in April, Bryson Dechambeau won the U.S Open in dramatic fashion in June, Schauffele beat out Dechambeau for the PGA Championship, and his Open Championship victory on Sunday put a cap on the majors for the 2024 season.
