The 152nd Open is now in the books and the tournament is one that is likely to live long in the memory.
With the wind howling and the rain never ceasing, for three days, the very best in the world had to battle both physically and mentally to remain in the hunt for one of the game’s greatest prizes.
What it meant is that by the time Sunday rolled around, ten players started the day within four strokes of leader Billy Horschel and with the conditions set to remain fair, the final round was guaranteed to produce fireworks.
Despite the close clustering on the leaderboard, two names stood out as the real dangers. The first was world number one Scottie Scheffler and the second was recent PGA Champion Xander Schauffele.
Sharing two of the year’s first three majors between them, they are the best players in golf right now and although both started in the chasing pack, many expected them to make hay in the better conditions and for Schauffele that certainly turned out to be the case.
Schauffele Completely Rewrites Script as he Blazes His Way to a First Open Title
Coming into the 2024 season the consensus on Xander Schauffele was that he was a hugely talented ball striker who didn’t quite have the ability to get the job done when the pressure was at its highest.
Despite being an Olympic champion and winning numerous PGA titles all over the world, it is the majors where a player is judged and it was in the major arena where the Californian would often come up short.
Seemingly unable to live up to the biggest moments in the sport, Schauffele found himself leading both the 2024 Players Championship and 2024 Wells Fargo but costly mistakes in the final round of both tournaments would see him just miss out.
Now firmly the carrier of the title of ‘the best player in golf not to have won a major’, after yet another top ten finish at the Masters, Schauffele headed into the PGA Championship with a point to prove.
Heading into the final round as the leader, this time the script would be different. Despite a host of challengers all around him, Schauffele kept his nerve and would finally land that first major that his talents clearly deserved.
Since that major breakthrough, Schauffele has been a different beast entirely. Now with the major monkey firmly off his back, Schauffele is swinging the club with a freedom that few in the game can achieve or ever reach .
With a determined stride in his step and hunger in his eyes, it was clear from the very first round that Schauffele felt this year’s Open was a tournament he could win.
Schauffele Shows Just Why he is One of The Best Players in The World With Superb Saturday Showing
Despite lighting up the course in his final round with a magnificent round of 65, where this tournament was won was on the Saturday.
With the early starters benefitting from some of the best conditions of the week and with a clubhouse score of -3 already being posted, Schauffele and his fellow leaders headed out for their third rounds in the thick of howling winds and steady persistent rain.
Saturday’s golf was survival golf at its very best. One by one the leaders dropped back to the chasing pack, but Schauffele was the only man on the course able to move in the other direction.
Showing superb acumen and accuracy off the tee, he was able to put himself in plenty of positions off the fairway where he could make easy, manageable pars. Completely unmoved by the conditions and drama around him, Schauffele’s round of 69 will go down as one of the best of his career. Finishing the day just one shot shy of Billy Horschel, a first Open Championship was very much for there for the taking on Sunday and the Californian wouldn’t blink.
Despite Sunday moves from Thriston Lawrence and Justin Rose, Schauffele would remain undeterred and with others starting to feel the pressure he would grab the initiative on the 11th hole.
Regarded as the trickiest hole on the golf course, his stunning birdie meant that for the first time Schauffele would have the lead and once he grabbed it, he wouldn’t give it back.
Two more birdies would follow on the 13th and 14th holes and his lead was now out to two. However the hammer blow was dealt on the 16th with yet another birdie and with just two holes to play his lead was out to three.
With a lead that couldn’t be clawed back, Schauffele was able to enjoy one of the best walks in all of sport. Able to take in the raptures of those gathered around the 18th green, two putts would ensure that the Claret Jug would be his.
Careful and deliberate, Schauffele would make no mistake. Claiming his second major of the year and becoming the first man to win the PGA Championship and Open since Rory McIlroy back in 2014, Schauffele now joins the likes of Jon Rahm, Dustin Johnson, Justin Thomas, Bryson DeChambeau and Scottie Scheffler as two time major winners.
With how the golf season is arranged it will now be nine long months before the majors come back into view but there will still be plenty for Schauffele to play for before the year is out.
Having made history this year already, Schauffele will hope to make even more and become the first man in history to defend his Olympic title. From there attentions will turn to the FedEx Playoffs, currently sitting second in the race, he will hope to turn this already successful year into an even more lucrative one by getting his hands on the $15 million dollar prize.
Now the danger man every time he tees it up and with a bundle of time still on his hands, Schauffele has enjoyed a meteoric rise which has turned him from a major also ran to a player who could well win enough majors to be considered as one of the best ever in the game.
Jack Hartman
A keen golfer and huge fan of the game, Jack has been covering golf for the last five years. Bringing you all the latest coverage and news from the PGA, LIV, LPGA and DP World Tours, never before has golf been so popular and Jack can’t wait to bring all the excitement to his readers.
