TROON, Scotland — Xander Schauffele‘s critics used to say he did not have the nerves or spine to win certainly one of golf’s main championships.
Now, the 30-year-old PGA Tour star from San Diego cannot cease successful them.
Two months after Schauffele captured his first main championship victory on the PGA Championship at Valhalla Golf Membership in Louisville, Kentucky, he added a second one Sunday on the 152nd Open Championship at Royal Troon Golf Membership.
“There’s calmness and tremendous nerve-racking moments while you’re making an attempt to win a significant championship,” Schauffele stated. “I felt them prior to now — those I did not win — and I allow them to get to me. Immediately, I felt like I did a fairly good job of weathering the storm after I wanted to.”
On a day when seven golfers began the ultimate spherical inside one shot of chief Billy Horschel, Schauffele was the person holding the Claret Jug on the iconic hyperlinks course on Scotland’s west coast. He posted a 6-under 65 on Sunday, similar to he did within the last spherical of the PGA Championship, and his 72-hole complete of 9-under 275 put him two strokes forward of Horschel and England’s Justin Rose.
South Africa’s Thriston Lawrence was one other stroke again.
“It was laborious,” Schauffele stated. “It was very tough. I feel successful the primary one helped me so much at the moment on the again 9. I had some feeling of calmness come by means of. It was very useful on what has been one of many hardest again nines I’ve ever performed in a event.
“I imply, it is a dream come true to win two majors in a single yr. It took me without end simply to win one, and to have two now could be one thing else.”
Schauffele described Sunday’s bogey-free spherical because the “finest spherical I’ve performed.”
In line with ESPN Stats & Info, Schauffele is the primary golfer within the Masters period (since 1934) to have a number of last rounds of 65 or higher in majors in the identical yr.
It is the seventh consecutive main gained by an American golfer, the longest such streak since they captured 13 straight from 1974 to 1977.
It is the primary yr since 1982 that U.S. golfers claimed all 4 majors — Scottie Scheffler gained the Masters, and Bryson DeChambeau captured the U.S. Open.
Schauffele is the primary golfer since Brooks Koepka in 2018 (U.S. Open and PGA Championship) to say two majors in a single season. It is solely the seventh time a participant has gained the PGA Championship and The Open in the identical yr; Rory McIlroy was the final to do it, in 2014.
Schauffele’s victory Sunday required endurance. He opened his last spherical with 5 straight pars, and he fell behind Horschel, Lawrence and Rose. Schauffele kick-started his spherical with back-to-back birdies on Nos. 6 and seven and made the flip at 2-under 34.
Though the tough par-4 eleventh, generally known as The Railway, ended loads of golfers’ hopes this week, Schauffele averted bother off the tee and hit his method from 171 yards to 2½ ft for one more birdie to get to six underneath. He moved right into a tie for first when Lawrence made a bogey on the twelfth.
Schauffele then seized management with one other pair of birdies, making a 16-foot uphill putt on the par-4 thirteenth and a 12½-footer on the par-3 14th. He moved to eight underneath and had a two-stroke lead with 4 holes to play.
Schauffele added one other birdie on the par-5 sixteenth to stretch his result in three photographs.
He’ll head to subsequent month’s Olympics event exterior Paris to defend his gold medal.
“He is clearly now studying that the successful is straightforward,” Rose stated of Schauffele. “He has plenty of horsepower, have you learnt what I imply? Within the sense of he is good with a wedge, he is nice with a putter, he hits the ball a good distance, clearly his iron play is powerful. So he is acquired plenty of weapons on the market.
“I feel most likely certainly one of his most unappreciated ones is his mentality. He is such a relaxed man on the market. I do not know what he is feeling, however he actually makes it look very straightforward. He performs with a freedom, which form of tells you as a competitor that he is most likely not feeling a ton of the dangerous stuff. He is acquired plenty of runway forward and plenty of thrilling stuff forward, I am certain.”
Even after ready so lengthy to win a significant, Schauffele admits he can not help however take into consideration the profession Grand Slam after transferring a step nearer. He solely must win the Masters and U.S. Open now to do it.
“I imply, earlier than I had any majors, it is one thing I’ve all the time wished,” Schauffele stated. “I am one step nearer and nonetheless have an extended method to go. However for those who do not see your self doing it, you are by no means going to do it.”
A number of different golfers, together with Scheffler, the No. 1-ranked participant on the planet, faltered down the stretch. Scheffler was searching for his seventh victory and second main championship title this season. He moved into the combination with back-to-back birdies on Nos. 7 and eight.
Scheffler’s probabilities of successful a Claret Jug ended on the par-4 ninth, although. His method shot was 15 yards in need of the inexperienced. He putted to 6½ ft and by some means three-putted from there, lacking from 2 ft, 8 inches on the second try. Scheffler carded a double-bogey 6, dropping him to 2 underneath, 4 photographs behind the leaders as he made the flip.
Scheffler additionally had a double bogey on the 18th. He posted a 1-over 72 and tied for seventh at 1-under 283.
Spain’s Jon Rahm made one of many largest strikes after beginning the day six photographs behind Horschel. The 2-time main champion made 4 birdies in his first seven holes to get to 2 underneath.
On the par-4 eleventh gap, Rahm pushed his tee shot towards the railway on the suitable. He hit a provisional tee shot however ended up discovering his ball in a gorse bush. After a one-stroke penalty for an unplayable lie, Rahm made a bogey 5, dropping him to 1 underneath. He posted a 3-under 68 and completed at 1-under 283.
England’s Daniel Brown, who grew up on a pig and cow farm and almost gave up golf 4 years in the past, carded 4 bogeys in his first six holes to fall again to even, 5 strokes behind the early leaders.
It was the tip of one of many extra outstanding tales in current Open historical past. Brown made the sphere by draining a 20-foot putt in last qualifying. After lacking the reduce in six of his earlier eight begins on the DP World Tour, he began the day just one shot behind Horschel. Brown was trying to grow to be solely the fourth golfer since 1900 to win a significant championship in his debut.
Brown was 3-over 74 within the last 18 holes, ending at even-par 284, which tied him for tenth.
“Poor entrance 9, that is principally it,” Brown stated. “I struggled on the entrance 9, actually. I do not assume I scored in addition to the fellows round me on the entrance 9. The correct-to-left wind, I could not actually become familiar with that, however then felt much more snug when the wind was off the left on the again 9. A little bit bit to work on with a powerful right-to-left breeze.”
Two-time main champion Justin Thomas, who began the ultimate spherical 4 strokes behind Horschel, took himself out of the hunt when he hit a wild tee shot and needed to re-tee on the opening gap, leading to a triple-bogey 7. Thomas tied for thirty first at 6 over after posting a 6-over 77 within the last spherical.
Scotland’s Calum Scott, an All-Large 12 choice final season at Texas Tech, gained the Silver Medal because the low novice. He carded a 5-over 76 on Sunday to complete at 8-over 292.