TROON, Scotland—Xander Schauffele can usually come throughout as Jeff Spicoli with a greater brief recreation, only a tremendous mellow Southern California dude who seems to be perennially blissed-out. However don’t let Schauffele’s sunny vibes idiot you: bro is a cold-blooded killer.
On Sunday on the 152nd Open Championship, on the tail finish of a brutal climate week that crushed the spirits and frayed the nerves of one of the best gamers on the planet, Schauffele produced a spherical for the ages. Along with his frazzled pursuers all retreating on the again 9, Schauffele pulled off a sequence of fearless photographs and clutch putts to roar residence in 31 for a two-stroke victory that didn’t really feel that shut. His bogeyless 65, one of the best rating of the day by two strokes, will go down as one of many biggest ultimate rounds within the historical past of this historical championship, alongside Hogan’s 68 at Carnoustie, Lawrie’s 67 at Carnoustie, Mickelson’s 66 at Muirfield, Watson’s 65 at Turnberry, Ballesteros’ 65 at Lytham, Norman’s 64 at St. George’s, Cam Smith’s 64 at St Andrews and Stenson’s 63 at Troon.
“Greatest spherical I’ve ever performed,” Schauffele stated.
Justin Rose’s caddie Mark Futcher, in his fourth decade as knowledgeable caddie, stated he had by no means witnessed a finer efficiency. “Once you see a spherical that good you are taking your hat off,” sighed Fooch. “He didn’t put a foot unsuitable. It was good to have the ability to watch it and never have to purchase a ticket as a result of it was incredible.”
Schauffele, 30, has been a glittering prospect since at the least 2021 when he received the gold medal on the Tokyo Olympics. However even because the PGA Tour wins piled up—seven on the outset of the 2024 season—there have been whispers that perhaps he was too good to win the large one. In spite of everything, essentially the most adorned champions of the previous few a long time have tended to be imply cusses like Nick Faldo, Brooks Koepka or Vijay Singh, or radiate seething depth a la Tiger Woods and Angel Cabrera.
Unusually, Schauffele’s breakthrough win two months in the past on the PGA Championship didn’t totally fulfill the cynics within the press room and on Twitter. Valhalla was a cupcake and the ensuing birdiefest made it really feel like a mid-level Tour occasion. The goalposts shifted and the query grew to become: did Xander have the fortitude to win a actual main, a gritty grindfest in punishing situations on a big-time course? The depraved climate of the second and third rounds of this Open made Royal Troon the last word take a look at. Many would-be contenders skulked off the course on Saturday night time bitching concerning the course setup or their tee time draw; Schauffele was the one one grinning. In a window into his greatness, he stated, “I’m fortunate. I like enjoying golf, and I like my job, and I like enjoying over right here. For me it’s all enjoyable, and I simply attempt to have as a lot enjoyable as doable even on a day like right this moment.”
His relentless cheerfulness is maybe the sport’s most underrated weapon. Schauffele says it’s been “a very long time” since he let himself grow to be visibly indignant on the golf course. Earlier in his profession he ran some numbers on his scores when he succumbed to flashes of anger and he realized he was costing himself photographs. “My errors saved compounding,” he says. So now, “It’s all concerning the subsequent shot,” he says. “I do know it’s cliche and other people attempt to discuss it, however you actually could make your self pleased for those who attempt to hit an excellent shot as your subsequent one versus simply snowballing the unsuitable approach.” A corollary to that is that Schauffele purposely avoids any massive shows of emotion. “I understand how I must be to carry out at a excessive degree,” he says. “The identical approach I don’t get actually indignant, I additionally don’t let myself get too over the moon. If I’m sitting there snapping a membership, that might be the identical as me operating round fist-pumping. It will take too lengthy for me to regulate earlier than my subsequent shot to hit an excellent one.”
“You’d nearly like him to be a little bit of a wanker however he actually couldn’t be nicer.”
Mark Fulcher
However whilst Schauffele la-di-da’s his technique to birdies, he’s not solely fooling the competitors. “He has an internal fireplace that burns actually sizzling,” says Billy Horschel, who had a share of the lead as late on the seventh gap however bogeyed Nos. 8 and 10 to get run over by Schauffele. “He desires to be nice. He’s not afraid of the second. I do know he had some shut probabilities over time and issues didn’t go his approach however he didn’t again away—he realized tips on how to combat tougher. Now we’re seeing that killer mentality come out, though he by no means stops smiling.”
Provides Adam Scott, who tied for tenth, “He offers off that cool persona for positive, and I feel that’s an excellent lesson (for different gamers). However I wouldn’t say he doesn’t work laborious on the recreation. I feel he works extremely laborious at it. Xander is fairly cruisy. However whenever you’re actually ready I feel that’s how one can be whenever you’re enjoying. I feel he’s being himself. That’s why he’s getting good outcomes.”
That’s an understatement—Schauffele is the primary participant since Koepka in 2018 to win two main championships in a season. Xander stated within the champion’s press convention that his longstanding aim is to realize the profession Grand Slam and all of the sudden he appears extra more likely to get there than two contemporaries who’ve lengthy overshadowed him, Jordan Spieth and Justin Thomas.
What makes Schauffele so harmful is that he doesn’t have a weak spot; within the Tour’s stroke gained stats he’s presently fifth in method play, tenth in placing and twelfth off the tee. “He has lots of horsepower, have you learnt what I imply?” says Rose, who bogeyed the twelfth gap to fall out of a tie with Schauffele after which watched his enjoying associate birdie 13, 14 and 16. “Within the sense of he’s good with a wedge, he’s nice with a putter, he hits the ball a great distance, clearly his iron play is robust. So he’s received lots of weapons on the market… He’s received lots of runway forward and lots of thrilling stuff forward, I’m positive.”
Round his native San Diego, Schauffele is beloved for supporting animal charities—his solely actual social media presence is cuddling the household canines on his spouse’s Instagram—and for headlining an annual fundraiser to help Goat Hill Park. Good man wins. “You’d nearly like him to be a little bit of a wanker however he actually couldn’t be nicer,” says Futcher. “He’s a stunning fellow.”
That’s one technique to describe Schauffele. After his thrilling efficiency at Troon, right here’s one other: champion golfer of the 12 months.
High Picture Caption: Xander Schauffele is the seventh American main victor in a row. It’s the longest streak since 1974-1977 when 13 consecutive majors have been received by People. (GETTY IMAGES/Harry How)
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