Schauffele Wins British Open, Adds to Elite Company

Subheading: The American golfer joins a select group of players who have won multiple majors in a year, including Tiger Woods, Rory McIlroy, and Brooks Koepka.

Body:

In a week where Scotland threw everything it had at Royal Troon Golf Club, Xander Schauffele emerged victorious, surviving the elements and 158 other challengers to win the British Open. The American golfer shot a final-round 65 to finish at 9 under par, two strokes ahead of Justin Rose and Billy Horschel.

Schauffele’s win marks the first time since Brooks Koepka in 2018 that a player has won two majors in a year. Only three other players since 2000 have achieved this feat: Tiger Woods (2000 and 2006), Padraig Harrington (2008), and Rory McIlroy (2014).

The troubles began from the jump on Thursday, as the early draw took rain and wind to the face. DeChambeau and McIlroy, the heroes of last month’s U.S. Open, saw their scores balloon. DeChambeau was looking for validation of his new role at the leading edge of the golf world, while McIlroy was seeking redemption after his Pinehurst collapse. However, Troon doesn’t much care for narratives, and both meekly exited the tournament after two days.

Also done early: Tiger Woods, who once again failed to make the cut at a major. Woods hasn’t finished out a weekend at a major outside of Augusta since 2020. This time, however, Woods at least acknowledged that he plans to be back playing majors next year. Between injuries, surgeries, and a lack of tournament reps, Woods simply doesn’t have the form to compete at this level, but that’s not stopping him from taking cuts.

Friday belonged to Shane Lowry, whose lovely 69 gave him a two-stroke cushion on the field heading into the weekend. However, the wind gusted up over 30 miles an hour and annihilated the hopes of most of the unlucky afternoon wave. Five of the world’s top 10 missed the cut as a result of the wicked conditions.

Lowry claimed a three-stroke lead early in the third round, reaching as low as -8, but his easy march to another Claret Jug lasted all of 7 ½ holes on Saturday. In spitting rain, Lowry double-bogeyed the Postage Stamp 8th, and went on to butcher the inward nine to tumble down the leaderboard.

An astounding 12 players began Sunday within four shots of the lead, and the early holes tightened that up even further. Jon Rahm, who has struggled mightily in majors this year, began a too-little, too-late charge with three birdies to open his round. He got to within two strokes of the lead, but ran out of holes and gas.

Of the overnight contenders, Thomas was the first on the day to eject from the tournament, triple-bogeying the first hole to fall to +3. Brown’s storybook week wrapped early, when he couldn’t get out of the greenside bunker at No. 4. Burns bogeyed the third and fourth holes to remove himself from the conversation. Scheffler got to within one stroke of the lead… and then his balky putter betrayed him once more, as he double-bogeyed No. 9.

The outward nine proved favorable territory for a handful of players. Rose, Horschel, Lawrence, and Schauffele all held at least a share of the lead in Sunday’s early going. Lowry found his game once again, shaking off an early bogey to card four birdies in five holes and get back within a shot of the lead.

Lawrence closed off the outward nine by claiming the lead by a single stroke, birdieing the ninth to reach -7. Rose was a stroke back at -6, with Schauffele and Horschel at -5 and Russell Henley at -4. The stage was set, then, for one of the most dramatic horse races to the finish in recent major history… if Schauffele hadn’t caught fire, that is.

Horschel was the first of the front-nine leaders to start leaking oil. A double-bogey at the 10th dropped him to -4, three strokes off the pace. Schauffele birdied the treacherous 11th to close to within a stroke, and minutes later, Rose gave one back to the field, bogeying the 12th to drop to -5.

Schauffele, who has played exceptionally well in all three majors prior to Royal Troon — finishing 8, 1, T7 — started to apply the pressure on the inward nine. He followed the birdie on 11 with another at 13 to tie the lead, and when Lawrence bogeyed the 12th right behind him, Schauffele had the lead with five holes to go. He threw down another birdie on the 14th to extend his lead to two strokes, and yet another on the 16th to push the lead to three and effectively ice the tournament.

Image: A photo of Xander Schauffele holding the Claret Jug, with a caption reading “It wasn’t a great week at Troon for Rory McIlroy. (AP Photo/Peter Morrison)”

Additional Images: Two additional photos of Schauffele, one showing him celebrating his win and the other showing him in action on the course.

Caption: “Schauffele Wins British Open, Adds to Elite Company”

Additional Text: Schauffele’s win marks the first time since Brooks Koepka in 2018 that a player has won two majors in a year. Only three other players since 2000 have achieved this feat: Tiger Woods (2000 and 2006), Padraig Harrington (2008), and Rory McIlroy (2014).