Coming into 2024 Xander Schauffele was winless within the Majors and customarily seen as a virtually man. He was an Olympic champion however had solely seven wins on the PGA Tour which by no means appeared to match the 30-year-old’s expertise and expertise.
Now he’ll head to Le Golf Nationwide in Paris to defend his Olympic title as a two-time Main winner after including The Open to his PGA Championship victory that he gained in Might.
He’s as much as second on the earth rankings as Royal Troon, a beautiful host for the 152nd Open, acquired the winner it deserved.
Who is aware of what number of Majors Schauffele will choose, however this will probably be remembered for the closing 65 and, specifically, the again 9 of 31.
Listed here are some key parts to how the American turned the primary participant since 2018 to win two Majors in a season.
Simply six bogeys
Over the course of the 4 rounds, the third of which was performed in horrific circumstances, the American dropped simply six photographs which was the joint second better of the week – Justin Rose, very impressively, solely had 5 bogeys over the 72 holes.
There have been no doubles and Schauffele was bogey free on Sunday when he by no means actually regarded like dropping a shot.
“I felt like I restricted the errors fairly effectively. We have been fortunate to solely have one actually laborious spherical within the wind and rain and I managed that day higher than I ever thought I might. I felt like I simply managed a number of what I used to be attempting to do, and the moments the place I used to be shedding management, I wasn’t too apprehensive about it as a result of it’s hyperlinks golf.
“It’s the way you play golf out right here. You don’t need to be excellent or hit the prettiest drives, so long as you’re transferring the ball ahead and dodging bunkers and preserving holes in entrance of you and ensuring your chips are into the wind, all of the stuff that us execs discuss.”
He was second for Strokes Gained Method the place he picked up over 10 photographs on the sphere.
Stamp of approval
A lot of the pre-championship discuss at a Troon Open centres across the Postage Stamp and the brilliance of a gap which measured simply 100 yards on Sunday. Regardless of its size, or lack of it, it’s important to be pinpoint correct and account for a wind with no flags on the grandstand to information you.
Schauffele birdied the par 3 the primary three days and narrowly missed out on a fourth within the ultimate spherical. Schauffele ranked first throughout each the par 3s and 4s and needed to wait till the sixth on Sunday for his first birdie on a par 5.
The again 9 on Sunday
Schauffele’s closing 65 was the bottom spherical of the day and would give him a two-shot win when it regarded like all one among half a dozen gamers would possibly prosper going into the again 9.
The widespread consensus is that it’s important to make your rating on the entrance 9 the place the holes are 300 yards shorter and the wind is extra beneficial – Greg Norman birdied his first six holes when he practically gained right here in 1989 – after which try to maintain issues collectively coming dwelling.
Schauffele performed the again 9 in 31 which included the one birdie of the day on the infamous eleventh. Right here we had watched gamers flail drives onto the railway observe and hack out the tough – Schauffele nailed his tee shot and hit a wedge from 172 yards to inside three ft.
Calmness personified
If ever there was a day to lose your cool it was Saturday afternoon when the leaders confronted a again 9 that was completely brutal with drivers to par 3s and par 4s that couldn’t be situated with two hits of the massive chief.
Whereas Shane Lowry was spherical in 77 and Justin Rose performed his socks off for a 73, Schauffele recorded a really comfy two-under 69. And that was as excessive because it might have been. He was requested when was the final time that he acquired visibly indignant on a golf course?
“I’m undecided. I feel a very long time in the past I simply stored monitoring my rounds the place I acquired indignant, like really deep down indignant, and my errors began compounding. I get indignant however to me it’s all concerning the subsequent shot.
“I do know it’s cliche and other people attempt to discuss it, however you actually could make your self glad for those who attempt to hit an excellent shot as your subsequent one versus simply snowballing the unsuitable method. Simpler stated than performed in fact however I’ve by no means damaged a membership.
“I understand how I should be to carry out at a excessive degree. The identical method I don’t get actually indignant, I additionally don’t let myself get too over the moon as a result of to me it’s the identical factor. If I’m sitting there snapping a membership, that will be the identical as me working round fist pumping.”
The Valhalla impact
Schauffele acquired the higher of Bryson DeChambeau on the PGA Championship after main on day one with a nine-under 62 after which making a birdie on the 72nd gap to lastly notch his first Main.
All of the doubts and all of the questions over his ending capability have been put to at least one aspect and he was seen in one thing of a unique mild. Now, like say the likes of Padraig Harrington or Brooks Koepka earlier than him, he’s seen as the person for the massive event.
“I feel profitable the primary one helped me loads on the again 9. I had some feeling of calmness come by means of. It was very useful on what has been one of many hardest again nines I’ve ever performed in a match. It’s a dream come true to win two Majors in a single yr. It took me perpetually simply to win one, and to have two now’s one thing else.
“I felt like I actually managed a number of it. I form of grabbed onto it, and there was no probability I used to be going to let go of it. I used to be fairly conscious of that and actually needed to ensure I did that.
“All these powerful losses previously or these moments the place I let myself slip up and dream too early on that again 9, I used to be capable of reel myself in and guarantee that didn’t occur.”
Bonnie Scotland
Final week Schauffele completed in a tie for fifteenth on the Scottish Open, a match which he gained in 2022. And he insisted that being within the UK the week forward of The Open was an enormous think about getting his fingers on the Claret Jug.
“I feel it’s important, simply the time zone itself is an enormous factor to beat. Then once you transfer alongside to the fescue and the deep bunkers and the finer sand, and then you definately discuss concerning the wind, after which the greens being slower, actually every little thing is totally totally different than what we do over within the States.
“In the event you can simply give your self an additional week to try to acclimate, I feel it’s a no brainer.”
The caddy
Schauffele and Austin Kaiser have been collectively since making it onto the PGA Tour having each been a part of the identical collegiate staff in San Diego and Schauffele made a degree of ready for Kaiser to affix him on the stroll up Troon’s 18th to share within the second.
“He’s one among my greatest pals nevertheless it’s a staff factor. It’s a staff surroundings that I wish to have for my staff. I used to be marching and I used to be simply attempting to focus, and I type of regarded up and I noticed yellow leaderboards.
“In my head, I used to be like, you’re about to have your second right here and there’s nobody higher to share it than Austin as a result of he deserves it as effectively.”