Open Championship: Ruthless Xander Schauffele seals second major in two months with imperious display

(CNN) — Little over two months ago, Xander Schauffele was regarded as one of the most talented golfers to never win one of the sport’s biggest prizes. On Sunday, the American clinched the Open Championship to claim the second major of his career.

The world No. 3 tore away from a bunched field with a ruthless showing at Royal Troon in Scotland, powering to victory to swiftly add a Claret Jug to the PGA Championship trophy he lifted in May.

Having begun the final round among a group of six at one shot off the lead, a brilliant bogey-free six-under 65 saw Schauffele finish two strokes ahead of compatriot Billy Horschel and England’s Justin Rose at nine-under par overall.

It makes the Californian the first player to win two majors in a single season since Brooks Koepka in 2018, and seals an American clean sweep of the four men’s flagship events for the first time since 1982 following Scottie Scheffler and Bryson DeChambeau’s triumphs at the Masters and US Open respectively.

“I feel very honored. Hearing your name called with ‘Open Champion’ right after is something I’ve dreamt of for a very long time,” the 30-year-old said as he was presented with the Claret Jug.

Eight-time PGA Tour winner Horschel had led heading into the final round but his closing 68 was not enough to clinch a first major title, Rose shooting one better to join the 37-year-old in second and match his own personal best major showing since lifting the US Open in 2013.

South Africa’s Thriston Lawrence finished one shot behind Rose and Horschel in tied-fourth, with American Russell Henley a further stroke back. World No. 1 Scheffler finished in a share of seventh at one-under par overall.

A frantic start

Pummeling winds and driving rain had swept half of the world’s top-10 ranked players out of South Ayrshire before the weekend had even begun, and those brutal conditions continued Saturday to whip up a grandstand finish.

Horschel donned short sleeves as he defied the elements to shoot 69 and leapfrog Ireland’s Shane Lowry, whose third round unraveled to a six-over 77 after a disastrous saga in the sand at the notorious 11th hole “coffin” bunker.

The 37-year-old Floridian was in entirely unfamiliar territory, spearheading a major championship with 18 holes to go for the first time in his 15-year professional career – though even that cushion was wafer-thin. Just four shots separated the top 12 players, six of them just one stroke shy of Horschel.

All signs pointed towards an unmissable final day shootout, and a frantic start delivered on that promise immediately, former world No. 1 Rose racing out of the blocks with a birdie to immediately grab a share of the lead.

Having only stamped a last-minute ticket for his 21st Open start in a final qualifying event, 43-year-old Rose looked on a mission to turn back the clock and was roared on by patrons throughout.

Horschel would not go quietly, rallying from a bogey at the third with two quick birdies to reclaim his one stroke advantage at the sixth. Yet the attacks were coming from all angles now, the most ferocious of all from playing partner Lawrence and Schauffele, two holes ahead.

The duo had both torn through the back nine without carding a bogey, Lawrence tapping in his fourth birdie of the day after a mesmerising 141-yard approach to make the turn one stroke clear of Rose.

It was the latest brilliant shot in a week littered with them for the world No. 98, whose tied-42^nd finish at the 2022 tournament was his best of only five prior major appearances since turning professional in 2013.

To say the South African was a surprise contender was an understatement – he had missed the cut in all but one of his five PGA Tour outings this season – but the 27-year-old looked totally at ease fighting at the top.

A ruthless finish

The issue for Lawrence was that he was up against a man with the pedigree of major consistency to rival the very best and – as of two months ago – the silverware to back it up.

Schauffele’s PGA Championship triumph was the ultimate reward for 12 prior top-10 finishes at the game’s four flagship tournaments, the world No. 3 immediately following it up with another courtesy of a tied-7th finish at last month’s US Open.

Watching the Californian surge around Royal Troon on Sunday made it difficult to comprehend the notion he was ever a poor closer on the biggest stage. Even as he lasered in his fourth birdie of the day from just over 16 feet at the 13th, barely a flicker of emotion passed over his face.

The steely-eyed barrage continued with two more birdies across the next three holes to open up a three shot lead. Rose and Lawrence had barely erred, each bogeying just once, but such was the relentless pace set by Schauffele.

It had been a nerve-shredding fight to the wire for Schauffele to finally claim his first major, a closing birdie just enough to pip DeChambeau in Kentucky, but it was a wildly less stressful homecoming second time around.

His name already being engraved on the famous Claret Jug trophy while the final groups finished their rounds, Schauffele soaked up the congratulations of family, friends, and rivals before stepping back into the winner’s circle once again.

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