Xander Schauffele’s initial rounds at The Open this week were notable as he played alongside Tiger Woods. The media inquired if Woods had shared any advice with Schauffele as he pursued his second major title of the year.
“No, you have to win these things to get a text from him,” Schauffele responded.
On Sunday, Schauffele earned both a congratulatory message from Woods and the Claret Jug, thanks to a final-round 65 that led to a two-shot win over Justin Rose and Billy Horschel.
Entering the 2024 season, Schauffele had an impressive resume but was often labeled as the best player to never win a major. He dispelled that notion with a victory at the PGA Championship at Valhalla and has now added another major title to his achievements.
Schauffele handled challenging conditions in Scotland this week to become the first player to win two majors in the same season since Brooks Koepka in 2018. Despite blustery winds and heavy rain, Schauffele was only one shot behind Horschel’s 54-hole lead going into Sunday.
After a steady start of five straight pars, Schauffele accelerated, making six birdies in his final 13 holes to pull away from a crowded leaderboard. Reflecting on his performance, Schauffele stated, “At the very tip top. Best round I’ve played.”
Schauffele’s victory marks him as the sixth man to win both the PGA Championship and The Open in the same year. He acknowledged that his previous major win played a crucial role in his success on Sunday.
“I think winning the first one helped me a lot today on the back nine. I had some feeling of calmness come through,” Schauffele said. “It was very helpful on what has been one of the hardest back nines I’ve ever played in a tournament.”
Justin Rose, who played in the same group as Schauffele, tried to keep pace but couldn’t produce enough birdies. Despite falling short, Rose’s performance is noteworthy, with top-four finishes in The Open 27 years apart – he tied for fourth in 1997 as a 17-year-old.
“I’ll have a few more chances, of course, but you know that this is a great opportunity today. You want to walk off the golf course going, yeah, I didn’t squander that,” Rose commented. “I ran putts at the hole today. I feel like I had opportunities. I felt like I took a lot of them. But I felt super comfortable out there – which, the fact that I haven’t really been in contention much this year, that gives me a lot of heart.”
Billy Horschel held the lead for much of the opening nine with three birdies in his first six holes. However, a bogey on the 100-yard par-3 Postage Stamp disrupted his momentum. Horschel finished strong with three consecutive birdies, achieving his best major finish in over a decade.
“I’m disappointed. I should feel disappointed. I had a chance to win a major. I was in a really good position. I just didn’t play – I just made a few too many mistakes today when I didn’t need to,” Horschel said. “But we’ll look back on this in an hour, I’ll be very happy with how I played, I’ll be very happy with what I did this week. I did a lot of great things that I can take on to the next few years of majors, and hopefully one of these will be my time to step through the door and hold one of them.”
