The R&A, 21 July 2024
Drama. Tension. And, in the end, unbridled joy.
Xander Schauffele emerged from the pack and produced the round of his life to become Champion Golfer of the Year on an enthralling final day at Royal Troon.
The 30-year-old separated himself from the rest of the field with a run of four birdies in six holes on Troon’s treacherous back nine. From there, he was uncatchable.
His total of 275 was enough for nine-under-par and a two-stroke winning margin over Justin Rose and Billy Horschel, who could only stand and applaud after Schauffele’s final-round 65 took it out of their hands.
This was not a Championship lost, but a Championship won. And won in a style that will be talked about for generations.
After spending so long as a major winner in waiting, Schauffele now has two in three months after May’s PGA Championship success. He has become the man for the big occasion.
The reigning Olympic champion prepared for Sunday by re-watching Henrik Stenson and Phil Mickelson’s epic final day in 2016. What transpired was eerily similar – a punch-for-punch battle royale between the best players in the world.
But in the end, Schauffele was the last man standing – and standing with the Claret Jug in his hands. His childhood dreams fulfilled.
“As a kid you dream of it,” he said.
“I tried to force myself to dream of it as of late. It’s surreal. It is a dream come true.
“It’s always a special trip coming over here. Growing up in the States, it’s a privilege to travel playing golf.
“It’s something I always look forward to. The wind, the rain, the fans, the deep bunkers – you name it. It’s something I always enjoy and it probably helped me win this thing.”
A super Sunday
For so long on Sunday, the lead of The 152nd Open changed hands left and right.
Horschel started with a one-shot advantage over six players, but by the time he reached the 1st green, it had evaporated. Rose, playing alongside Schauffele, birdied the 2nd to join Horschel on four-under-par.
The American replied with a birdie of his own on 1 to wrestle it straight back in a five-minute period that set the tone for the day.
Rose also birdied the 4th and the locals responded, cheering the 1998 Silver Medal winner on in his quest to become the first English Champion in 32 years. Rose came through Final Qualifying just to be at Royal Troon and fist-pumped his way through the first four holes, his face a picture of grit and determination.
Then came Thriston Lawrence. The South African shot 65 on Saturday to move into contention and was buoyant about his final-day chances.
He birdied 3, 4, 7 and 9 to reach the turn in just 32 strokes – playing with a serenity that defied the occasion.
Up ahead, Shane Lowry also made a run. The Irishman started the day three off the lead, but four birdies in five holes, including one at the Postage Stamp, had Royal Troon swooning.
At one stage, there were seven players within one shot of the lead. At another, four players shared it.
A three-way fight
But as the round progressed, three separated from the pack. Scottie Scheffler dropped out of contention with a double-bogey on 9, while Horschel and Russell Henley – another who started the day one back – struggled to live with the pace Lawrence set.
Rose and then Schauffele went with him. Rose backed up those two early birdies with another on 8 and turned in 33, while Schauffele followed five opening pars with birdies on 6 and 7.
But Troon’s back nine is a different beast. If the front nine is for thriving, the back nine is for surviving.
Lawrence was calmness personified as he negotiated the tricky 10th, while his tee shot on the nerve-jangling 11th was perhaps his shot of the day.
However, an errant tee shot on 12 led to a bogey and the momentum ebbed away. At the same time, a hole ahead, Schauffele was just getting started.
Schauffele takes control
A par at 11 is always a fine result but Schauffele made the only birdie of the day there thanks to a 171-yard approach that landed on a dime. The two-foot birdie putt was a formality.
Sensing the moment, Schauffele then took the Championship by the scruff of the neck. He drained a 16-foot putt on 13 and a 12-foot putt on 14, both for birdies, before a fabulous up-and-down on 16 brought him another.
This is not supposed to happen at Royal Troon. Not in 20mph cross-winds on the back nine. It was a masterclass as good as any in Open history.
Rose stuck at it gallantly, but found himself scrambling for pars rather than attacking for birdies on the back nine. He bogeyed 12, before birdies on 16 and 18. But by then, it was too late.
Lawrence did not go away either, and finished with six straight pars to finish fourth, while Horschel re-emerged with three straight birdies on 16, 17 and 18. It moved him to seven-under and a share for second.
Henley was also impressive, his bogey-free two-under-par 69 good enough for fifth, just one shot behind Lawrence, and one place ahead of Lowry, who was five shots back. Jon Rahm, Sungjae Im and Scheffler all finished tied-seventh and eight off the lead.
On another day, anyone of them could have won. But today, none of them could match Xander Schauffele: the Champion Golfer of the Year with an all-time performance.
Silver for Scott
Schauffele’s performance will go down as one for the ages, and there to share the limelight with him during the presentation was Calum Scott.
The Scottish player won the Silver Medal for low amateur, and struggled to contain his emotions as he walked up the 18th.
“I could hear all my friends and family and people I know through golf out there,” Scott said. “The support has been brilliant.
“My caddie and assistant coach said to me to ‘soak this in’ on the 18th. I pretty much had it at that point so he was just like soak it in. I did and the last 100 yards walking I got kind of emotional.”
He was not the only one. From Schauffele’s victory, to Scott’s Silver Medal, it was a Sunday to savour.
