The true story of how Xander Schauffele won the 2024 Open Championship

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Entering 2024 Xander Schauffele had not made it to the Majors and was generally considered an almost man. He was an Olympic champion but only won seven on the PGA Tour which never seemed to match the skills and talent of this 30-year-old.

He will now head to Le Golf National in Paris to defend his Olympic title as a two-time Major winner after adding The Open to his PGA Championship victory in May.

He climbed to second in the world rankings as Royal Troon, the magnificent host of the 152nd Open, got a deserved winner.

Who knows how many Majors Schauffele will live on, but this will be remembered for the closing 65 and, in particular, the back nine of the 31.

Here are some highlights of how the American became the first player since 2018 to win two Majors in a season.

Just six beans

Through four rounds, the third of which was played in atrocious conditions, the American dropped just six shots which was joint second best of the week – Justin Rose, surprisingly, had five bogeys over 72 holes.

There were no two and Schauffele was comfortable on Sunday when he never looked like throwing a shot.

“I felt like I measured the mistakes well. We were lucky to have one solid lap in the wind and rain and I managed that day better than I thought I could. I felt like I was in control of a lot of what I was trying to do, and the times when I was out of control, I wasn't too worried about it because it's links golf.

“How do you play golf out here. You don't have to be perfect or hit the best drives, as long as you're moving the ball forward and avoiding the bunkers and keeping the holes in front of you and making sure your chips are in the air, all the things we use. talk about.”

He was second in Strokes Gained Approach where he took more than 10 shots from the field.

Stamp of approval

Much of the pre-tournament talk at the Troon Open centers around Postage Stamp and the 100-yard tee on Sunday. Despite its height, or lack thereof, you must aim accurately and turn the wind without the flags on the grandstand to guide you.

Schauffele won stage 3 in the first three days and narrowly missed out on fourth in the final round. Schauffele is tied for first on both the par 3s and 4s and had to wait until the 6th on Sunday to get his first birdie on the par 5s.

Back 9 on Sunday

Schauffele's closing 65 was the lowest round of the day and would have given him a two-shot lead if it looked like one of the half-dozen players could make it to the back nine.

The general consensus is that you should score your front nine when the holes are 300 yards shorter and the wind is more favorable – Greg Norman bogeyed his first six holes when he almost won here in 1989 – and try to catch things. together they came home.

Schauffele carded a back 9 in 31 that included the only birdie of the day on the infamous 11th. Here we were watching the players roll off the fairway and hack the wheels – Schauffele nailed his shot and hit the rim from 172 yards to within three feet.

Tranquility personified

If there was ever a day to lose your cool it was Saturday afternoon when the leaders faced a brutal back nine with drivers on par 3s and par 4s that couldn't be found within two shots of the big chief.

While Shane Lowry rounded a 77 and Justin Rose played his socks off with a 73, Schauffele recorded a more comfortable 69-under. And that was as high as it could get. You were asked when was the last time you were visibly angry on the golf course?

“I'm not sure. I think a long time ago I was following my round where I was angry, like deep anger, and my mistakes started to add up. I get angry but for me it's all about the next shot.

“I know it's a cliche and people try to talk about it, but you can make yourself happy if you're trying to hit as good a shot as the next one versus hitting the ice the wrong way. Easier said than done of course but I have never broken a club.

“I know what I have to do to perform at a high level. In the same way I don't get too angry, and I don't let myself go over the moon because for me it's the same thing. If I sit and kiss the club, that will be like running and pumping my fist.”

The Valhalla effect

Schauffele bested Bryson DeChambeau at the PGA Championship after leading the day with a 9-under 62 and then birdied the 72nd hole to clinch his first Major.

All doubts and all questions about his ability to finish were put to one side and he appeared in something different. Now, like the likes of Padraig Harrington or Brooks Koepka before him, he has been seen as a big event man.

“I think winning the first helped me a lot in the back nine. I had a certain sense of calm. It was very helpful against what was one of the toughest defenders I've ever played in a tournament. It's a dream to win two Majors in one year. It took me forever to win one, and having two now is something else.

“I felt like I was in control of a lot of it. I caught it, and there was no way I was going to let it go. I was well aware of that and I really wanted to make sure I did that.

“All those tough losses in the past or those times when I let myself slip and dream early after nine, I was able to hold myself back and make sure that didn't happen.”

Bonnie Scotland

Last week Schauffele finished tied for 15th at the Scottish Open, a tournament he will win in 2022. And he stressed that being in the UK the week before The Open was a big factor in getting his hands on the Claret Jug.

“I think it's important, the time zone itself is a big thing to overcome. Then when you go to the fescue and the deep bunkers and the fine sand, and you talk about the wind, and the greens are slow, everything is actually completely different than what we do in the States.

“If you can give yourself an extra week to try to get used to it, I think it's a no-brainer.”

Card

Schauffele and Austin Kaiser have been together since they entered the PGA Tour as part of the same San Diego college team and Schauffele made a point of waiting for Kaiser to join him on the uphill Troon 18 to share the moment.

“He's one of my best friends but it's a team thing. It's a team position that I love to have on my team. I was walking and just trying to focus, and I looked up and saw the yellow leaderboards.

“In my head, I was like, you're going to have your moment here and there's no one better to share it with than Austin because he deserves it.”