Raymond Floyd, Craig Stadler, and Tom Watson. Bryson DeChambeau, Xander Schauffele, Scottie Scheffler, and Xander Schauffele. Before Schauffele became the first American golfer to win all four majors since 1982, Watson was the only other player to accomplish this feat at Royal Troon.
The captain of Europe, Luke Donald, must be happy that this isn’t a Ryder Cup year. Donald doesn’t find much interest in the larger picture, either, as the stars and stripes are placed next to the names of nine of the previous twelve major champions.
This year, Schlemmele was considered to be almost a man. Arguably the best player of his generation, he never experienced victory in any of the major four golf tournaments. He’s gone from zero to multiple major winner in the blink of an eye; Schauffele’s victory at Valhalla in the US PGA Championship in May undoubtedly helped him on the Ayrshire shore. He put up a 65-hole round to win by two strokes at nine under par, ahead of Billy Horschel and a surging Justin Rose.
Schauffele approaches his work with such composure and meticulous approach that he is unlikely to be affected by the harsh nature of this Open exam. He is the stealthy killer of golf. The 152nd Open will be remembered for having the potential to present a far more amazing plot than it did in the end.
Every important stretch occurs. This reached Schauffele on day four, between the eleventh and the sixteenth. He played that in four under, giving the field and himself some daylight. Recall that these are the most difficult holes at Royal Troon. Before Schauffele determined the event was his to take, there was a chance for the first Open playoff since 2015. It just took him 31 strokes for his back nine.
Rose experienced conflicting feelings as he left the 18th green. Many were surprised that the Englishman was even in the running as a qualifier. The 43-year-old, however, still has high expectations. In private, he will be aware that he won’t have many more chances to build on his one-man victory in a major. Schauffele’s putter became extremely frigid while his inside heated up. Horschel matched Rose’s seven under aggregate with a long-range putt at the final.
On Sunday afternoon, Thriston Lawrence briefly caused observers and pundits to rush to Wikipedia. The 27-year-old’s lone previous Open appearance ended in a missed cut. Lawrence was one stroke ahead of Rose and two ahead of Schauffele when he made a birdie at the ninth. The South African did not exactly get jittery after that—he only missed one shot to finish fourth—but rather, Schauffele pressed the throttle. Russell Henley shot a 69 to finish sixth at five under.
Shane Lowry regrets a terrible run of play from the eighth tee on Saturday, which had a major impact on the 77 that nearly cost him the Open. After turning back to the course, he shot 68 to tie for sixth place at four under par. However, for the 2019 champion, this one escaped him.
There’s no two ways about it—it’s really frustrating, Lowry stated. “It hurts for a couple of days and I had a great chance to win this Open.”
Dan Brown did not emerge victorious from a fairytale. The Yorkshireman, who entered Troon well outside the top 300 players in the world, eventually hit the brakes, going from minus three to even par in six holes. To his immense credit, Brown managed to escape a complete collapse after that, scoring 74 to tie for tenth place. His open exhibition will give him a great deal of courage. He deserves a second chance, which will come in July at Royal Portrush.
After making a birdie at the eighth hole to get to four under, Scottie Scheffler was right in the thick of things. What transpired next was completely inconsistent with the world’s top team’s 2024 up to that moment. Scheffler was on his way to a double bogey at the ninth when he missed from 30 inches. At the eighteenth, he gave the course two more bullets, and by then his race was well underway. His one under par matched Jon Rahm and Im Sungjae for eighth place.
The Sunday challenge from Justin Thomas lasted just one shot. He made a perfect first drive, all the way to Troon Beach. His triple-bogey seven put him out of the competition. After shooting 78 in the first round and 77 in the third, Thomas had an unusual major. Dustin Johnson matched his plus-six total.
After an unsatisfactory year at major tournaments, Brooks Koepka finished eight over and no higher than 26th. Koepka must be considering the competitive effects of switching to LIV Golf because of his intense passion for this area.
Calum Scott of Nairn won the top amateur title and the corresponding silver medal at eight over. The boy still has a year left at Texas Tech, the university that was recently involved in Ludvig Åberg’s incredible ascent. Despite the professional temptation that will arise from his appearance here, Scott intends to finish his studies.
According to Scott, “it’s one of the greatest honors an amateur can receive.” “I’m really pleased of myself since, in order to win this prize and place above 11 other amateurs, you have to make the cut. It’s truly great to compete in an event such as the Open.
Scott appears to have big things ahead of him. Schauffele, however, is directly in the middle of them.
