Inside Xander Schauffele's victory | Seen and Heard at the Open Championship

Welcome to GOLF.com's “Seen & Heard” video series, where we give you an inside look at golf's biggest events through the eyes and ears of our local team. On deck this week: the 2024 Open Championship at Royal Troon.

CYMI: The tiger speaks, Rory's confession | Seen and heard on Open Championship Day 1
CYMI: Scheffler's rust, MacIntyre's wild celebration | Seen and Heard at the Open Championship Day 2
CYMI: Big disappointment for Tiger, Lowry battles | Seen and Heard at the Open Championship

The 54-hole qualifier for the 2024 Open Championship presented many what-ifs. Billy Horschel led the charge by one shot, but there were a dozen players you could argue had a legitimate shot at the title.

After the bad weather on Saturday, Sunday will be dry and windy. Eighteen holes remain to crown the champion.

GOLF's Sean Zak was bullish on Xander Schauffele's chances from the start.

“You play links golf, it's all about controlling the golf ball. It's a skill that is underestimated,” he said. “I think Xander will handle them today.”

Zak's prediction paid off, and Xander Schauffele was crowned Champion Golfer of the Year by two shots – earning his second championship and leaving the chasers, like Shane Lowry and Justin Rose, disappointed but proud of their efforts.

As for Schauffele, he was content to cheer after the win.

He said: “It's really one of the coolest feelings I've ever had in my life. “I got a cold while walking on the floor [18].

“I'm curious to see what my father will choose as his first drink this time.”

GOLFs' James Colgan caught up with Schauffele's father, Stefan, after the round, and he made a surprising prediction.

“He said, of all golfers alive right now, Xander is the closest to completing a career slam,” Colgan said. “And then he looked at me after he said that, he smiled, and he said, 'How's that?'”

How about that, really.

Schauffele and his peers have been waiting a long time for the next major Masters test in 2025. Before that, we have the Olympics, the FedEx Cup and the President's Cup to enjoy. But for those of us intrigued by Stefan Schauffele's predictions, the countdown to Augusta begins … now.

To watch a video of the GOLF team's full Sunday experience at the Open, check out the video above. You can also watch the entire “Seen & Heard” series on YouTube here.

Golf.com Editor

As a four-year member of Columbia's first varsity golf class, Jessica knows how to outrun everyone on the golf course. He can pass them through the office, too, where he is primarily responsible for producing both print and online features, and overseeing major special projects, such as GOLF's first Style Issue, which began in February 2018. His first interview series, “A Round With,” released in November 2015, and appeared in both magazine and video form on GOLF.com.