Xander Schauffele wins The Open 2024
SCOTLAND The 30-year-old American golfer became the world's oldest new major champion when he finished -9 at the Royal Troon par71 course on July 21.
In the 152nd round, The Open took place in heavy rain and wind throughout the first three rounds. In such conditions and on a complicated field, Schauffele stands T2 at -3, right behind compatriot Billy Horschel -4 and there are 10 more candidates capable of taking the Claret Jug, ranging from -3 to even par. In the group of opponents around Schauffele there are current world number one Scottie Scheffler and Justin Rose.
Schauffele kisses the Claret Jug Cup after winning the 2024 Open, taking place at Royal Troon in Scotland on July 21, 2024. Photo: AFP.
Schauffele kisses the Claret Jug Cup after winning the 2024 Open, taking place at Royal Troon in Scotland on July 21, 2024. Photo: AFP.
In the final round, the competitors took turns making mistakes when the strong wind from the sea crossed the fighting direction, sometimes reaching up to 36 km/h. And Schauffele remained steadfast, scoring -5 for hole 6-14. As for hole 11, par4, the most difficult on the field, he hit the buffalo tail grass but still managed to put the ball less than a meter away from the hole, thereby scoring birdie. And when repeating this point with a putt from 3.6 meters in hole 14, Schauffele led at -8.
Hole 16, he birdied again to get to -9. At this time, the two most worrying things for Schauffele are Rose in the group and Horschel in last. As a result, the remaining two holes were both birdies for Horschel, once for Rose while Schauffele was only a par. But with the increase in points in that final stretch, Horschel and Rose finished -7 and ranked T2, while Schauffele's -9 became the mark for winning The Open 2024.
Schauffele's reward is the Claret Jug cup and $3.1 million. The 30-year-old golfer was also crowned for the ninth time on the PGA Tour, including two majors just two months apart, the PGA Championship on May 19 and The Open yesterday. This is an achievement for the American golfer after nine years of professional competition with 30 appearances in prestigious tournament groups including the Masters, PGA Championship, US Open and The Open.
This result also recorded that it took 42 years for American golfers to capture all four majors in one season. The previous time took place in 1982, when The Open was also held at Royal Troon with Tom's -4 win mark. Watson.
After winning the championship, Schauffele said he watched the points race between Henrik Stenson and Phil Mickelson in 2016. At that time, the tournament returned to Royal Troon for the ninth time. In beautiful weather conditions, Stenson was crowned at -20 after a fierce competition with the famous American golfer.
"I watch to compete more enthusiastically and that is really beneficial," Schauffele shared.
Schauffele was taught to swing a club from a young age by his father Stefan. That technical foundation helped him win the first seven cups on the PGA Tour. Schauffele then refined further with famous coach Chris Como and won the first major of his career, at the PGA Championship in May. At that time, Stefan's father cried when his son won on television, in his friend's apartment in Hawaii. Stenfan did not witness the field because Schauffele wanted his father to spend time taking care of his own farm.
This morning, he saw with his own eyes Schauffele crowned champion of The Open, then cried while holding his child right outside the green of hole 18. "I will let dad choose the type of water to pour into the Claret Jug because he will be the one to sip first", Schauffele shared plans to celebrate.
Schauffele has climbed to number two in the world, behind Scheffler. Both became the brightest candidates for the title of "excellent golfer" on the 2024 PGA Tour.
