Xander Schauffele called it a “dream come true” after winning. Read more 👇👇
Xander Schauffele called it a “dream come true” after winning his second consecutive major title at the 152nd British Open and becoming the U.S. champion of the most prestigious title of all time. SchaUffele delivered a unwavering 65 -Flashy fencer tour, finished 9 under the peer, and won two shots in front of the night leader, Billy Outside Check and Justin Rose. Rose, who had been aiming to become the first English winner of Claret Jug since 1992, has finally failed, but has finally failed. South African Triston Lawrence, who led after 11 holes in the final round, shot 68 to finish in fourth place, one stroke behind Horschel and Rose.
“I can’t wait to drink it,” Schauffele said, holding up a pitcher of claret. “It’s truly a dream come true to be able to host this event, it means a lot, this is what we all play for. It certainly hasn’t gotten to me yet and I can’t wait to sit back and enjoy this burgundy jug.
Schauffele, who set a major record of 21 under par by winning the US PGA at Valhalla in May, became the first player to win two majors in one year since Brooks Koepka in 2018. The world number three is also the seventh American winner in the last eight Opens at Royal Troon, with the exception of Swede Henrik Stenson after his thrilling duel with Phil Mickelson in 2016. Now Schauffele heads to Paris to defend his Olympic title, enjoying his recent form. He has finished no worse than 18th in his last 10 starts, with standout performances including an eighth-place finish at the Masters and a seventh at the US Open, as well as a US PGA triumph when he birdied the 72nd hole to beat Bryson DeChambeau by a shot. Thinking about his performance, Shauffle noted: “I thought it would help me, and it happened. I had such a feeling of calm that I had no match in PGA. “I told my caddie Austin (Kiser) I was calm on the 18th tee and he said I was going to puke.”
Rose was trying to become the first qualifier to win the Claret Jug since Paul Lawrie in 1999 and set a new record 4,053 days after winning the 2013 U.S. Open at Merion. Birdies on the second and fourth holes put him ahead of Horschel, then another birdie on the eighth hole brightened his prospects. But the ghost of 12 stopped him at the crucial moment.
Playing alongside Horschel, Lawrence took an aggressive approach, birdieing the third, fourth, seventh and ninth holes to take the lead. But it was Schauffele who made the decisive move, covering the front nine from 34. A great approach to the 11th gave Schauffele his only birdie of the day on the formidable par-4. Another birdie on the 13th gave the pair a shared lead, and a bogey by Lawrence on the 12th gave Schauffele an advantage he never relinquished.
More birdies on the 14th and 16th gave Schauffele a three-stroke lead. He completed a composed final two holes with pars before Rose birdied the 18th to cap off a superb 67. Horschel also finished strong with birdies on the 16th, 17th, and 18th, joining Rose in second place. Lawrence made one more putt and eventually saved par despite a difficult second shot that hit the face of a bunker and bounced over his head onto the fairway.
Islander Shane Lowry led by two strokes at halftime but struggled on Saturday with a 77 and a final-round 68 to finish in sixth place. Jon Rahm, Sungjae Lim and Scottie Scheffler finished in seventh place, three strokes behind. Masters champion and world number one Scheffler was two strokes behind, but an unexpected four-putt on the ninth hole resulted in a double bogey, ending his title challenge.