Xander Schauffele (-9) has won the 152nd edition of the Open Championship and rounds off a beautiful and round figure by becoming the ninetieth different winner of this tournament, since its first edition in 1860. He has achieved this after signing a groundbreaking card of 65 strokes in the final round. Undeniable. Overwhelming. Let’s bear in mind that this record of 65 equals the best of the week at Royal Troon: if you are able to sign it on Sunday it means that really nobody could reach your shoe soles, said badly and soon.
Eighth in the Masters. PGA winner. Seventh in the US Open and, again, Open winner. The Californian may not make as much noise as others, not gesture as much, not hog the spotlight as much, but now we can confirm that in current golf there is no one better prepared than him for the four exalted appointments of the year, even if it is in tough competition with the current World Number One, Scottie Scheffler, and above all with Brooks Koepka, who we must continue to consider the great specialist (five victories and four second places in the last eight seasons endorse him), although this year he has not been able to peek even once at the leading positions.
It’s not just that he has won two majors in a year, which is quite a lot. It’s that we must remember that Schauffele has never stopped appearing among the best in any of the four major appointments since that year 2017 when he started playing them. It’s that, in addition, he has played thirty and has made the cut in 27, a fact that is only within the reach of players who are out of category. Not to mention his top ten in these tournaments, which are exactly half of the total (15/30). He only lacked to climb to the highest step of the podium and this challenge he has more than fulfilled in 2024. Xander Schauffele, at 30 years old, is called to glory.
Royal Troon and the Scottish sky have given a truce today. The day was only slightly unpleasant, nothing to do with the small great hell of the last five hours of play on Saturday. So there was a free way to gallop, at least for the finest candidates, because this course is not easy in any case and under any condition.
And at times it seemed, the truth, that this edition would have to be decided in a tie, perhaps even in a multiple play off. Thriston Lawrence (-6) was the one who pressed the most at the beginning, with the permission of a Jon Rahm (-1) who started with three consecutive birdies and threatened to get into the fight. The thing is that the Spaniard came from afar and, in addition, saw his progression stopped at hole 11 after sending the ball to the bushes off the tee. Billy Horschel (-7) and Justin Rose (-7) responded gallantly and firmly to the South African’s attack, Schauffele started a little late (his first birdie did not arrive until hole 6), but he did so with sustained rhythm, Shane Lowry (-4) tried to return, Scottie Scheffler (-1) got on hole 8 two strokes from the lead, Henley held his own waiting for his moment…
Everyone was still in the equation well into the day; everyone, except Daniel Brown (PAR), the extraordinary Cinderella of this week, who was losing steam in the early skirmishes, but at least he has had the pleasure of finishing in the top ten.
And suddenly Schauffele stopped time at hole 11. There, in one of the iconic places of this legendary golf course, in that beautiful spot next to the train track where probably Shane Lowry has lost this Open (double bogey on Friday, bogey on Saturday… Today he also made bogey and definitively stopped his momentum), there, the Californian was going to sign the only birdie of the day, hitting a shot from the rough to leave the ball just over half a meter from the hole. Shortly after he holed two medium distance putts on holes 13 and 14 and with this series of three birdies in four holes he left the rest breathless. Then would come two more birdies, because the ‘cracks’ especially like to do what nobody does, like for example that four under par for the second nine of the Old course at Royal Troon, a feat, even if the north wind did not blow violently.
Before Xander certified the final two pars on holes 17 and 18 the others were already, in reality, fighting for a second place that would finally be conquered by a vibrant Justin Rose and a fantastic meritorious like Billy Horschel.
Schauffele had played on Thursday and Friday in the same match as Tiger Woods and yesterday, after the great battle (and carnage) of the movement day, someone asked him if the Cypress man had contacted him in any way before going out to play the third round to wish him luck or whatever… Xander’s answer was priceless. “You have to win things like these (majors, go) for him to send you a message,” he said laughing. Well, surely the Tiger has already done it. You still have thirteen to catch me, but you are welcome to the club of the greatest, he may have written perfectly.
