Xander Schauffele wins Open Championship at Royal Troon for major win No. 2 of 2024

TROON, Scotland - Xander Schauffele used to be considered the top golfer who had never won a major tournament. But in just two months, Schauffele has had an amazing run in major tournaments and proven himself to be one of the best players of his generation.

The consistent 30-year-old golfer never led the Open tournament from Thursday to Saturday, always staying near the top 10. However, he shot an impressive 65 on Sunday to win his second major title in three tries. He ended the tournament at 9-under-par, with six birdies and 12 pars in his final round at Royal Troon. Justin Rose and Billy Horschel both finished two shots behind him, tying for second place.

Schauffele's successful shot started on the 11th hole, where he had to hit his approach shot from flattened grass. He used an iron club to hit the ball, landing it just over 2 feet away from the hole for an easy birdie. He then made a 16-foot birdie putt on the 13th hole to tie for the lead at 7-under. Meanwhile, Lawrence bogeyed the 12th hole, giving Schauffele the lead. Schauffele continued to birdie the 14th and 16th holes, solidifying his victory on what was a competitive Sunday at the Open.

Americans have won all four major championships for the first time since 1982. The winners include Schauffele at the Open Championship and PGA Championship, Scottie Scheffler at the Masters, and Bryson DeChambeau at the U.S. Open.

Schauffele, who holds the second position in the global rankings, has been a consistent player in the world of golf for about six years. Despite his impressive performance with over 100 top-20 finishes and constantly being in the top 10 rankings, he has not been able to clinch a major victory. Out of the 27 major starts, he managed to secure a top 10 finish in 12 of them. With only seven career wins to his name, some questioned his ability to win a major championship due to his lack of killer instinct.

Schauffele turned things around when he scored a birdie on the 18th hole during the PGA Championship in May. This helped him secure a wire-to-wire victory at Valhalla. He followed this up with a seventh-place finish at Pinehurst a month later. Facing tough conditions on the west coast of Scotland, Schauffele now joins a prestigious group of 15 golfers who have won both The Open and a second major in the same year.

During the past year, Scottie Scheffler has been winning consistently, a feat that is only comparable to Arnold Palmer. However, it was Schauffele who emerged victorious in several major tournaments, making a strong case for himself as player of the year.

The blog section started on Sunday with Horschel leading the way, hoping to win his first major championship at 37 years old. He was one stroke ahead of the competition, playing in the final group of a major's last round for the first time. Following closely behind him were six contenders. Among them were surprising newcomers Lawrence and Dan Brown, as well as Rose, a 43-year-old former major champion looking for one more win. Also in the mix were PGA Tour stars Burns and Henley, both vying for their first major title. Scheffler was in eighth place on the leaderboard but just two strokes behind. The leaderboard was crowded, setting the stage for an unpredictable outcome. Despite the competition staying tight, chaos ensued early on, with seven men still in the running 90 minutes after Horschel started his round.

Afterwards, individually, they fell out of contention. Brown lost his momentum quickly, along with Burns. Shane Lowry showed promise in the beginning but couldn't maintain it. Scheffler's mistake on No. 8 cost him dearly, while Horschel struggled to find consistency. Rose briefly held the lead at 6-under, but a bogey on No. 12 set him back.

It seemed like Lawrence was going to win the golf tournament. He is a 27-year-old South African player who is ranked 98th in the world, but not well-known outside the DP World Tour. He was leading with a score of 7-under par when he made the turn at Royal Troon. He made par on the 10th and 11th holes, but unfortunately got a bogey on the 12th hole. This was due to a bad drive that left him in the rough, leading to a difficult approach shot and missed par putt. Lawrence ended up finishing in fourth place in the tournament.

That was the opportunity Schauffele was waiting for.

Schauffele is now a serious contender in the Olympics and the rest of the season after being seen as a player who couldn't win before. He is now being considered one of the top players in the world, surpassing competitors like Jon Rahm, Viktor Hovland, and Rory McIlroy. He is now competing with Scheffler for the top position in the game.

(Picture at the top: Andrew Redington / Getty Images)

Brody Miller writes about golf and the LSU Tigers at The Athletic. Before joining The Athletic, he worked at the New Orleans Times-Picayune. Originally from South Jersey, Miller earned his degree from Indiana University and also worked at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, the Indianapolis Star, the Clarion Ledger, and NOLA.com. Keep up with Brody on Twitter @BrodyAMiller.