Xander Schauffele wins Open Championship, enters conversation for world’s best golfer
TROON, SCOTLAND - JULY 21: Xander Schauffele of the United States poses with the Claret Jug on the 18th green in celebration of victory during day four of The 152nd Open championship at Royal Troon on July 21, 2024 in Troon, Scotland. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
Troon, Scotland, is just over 5,000 miles from Xander Schauffele’s hometown, San Diego, California. It’s also about 3,700 miles from Louisville, Kentucky, the site of Schauffele’s first major title at the PGA Championship this past May.
Wherever he is in the world, it’s clear Schauffele is one of the two current best golfers on the planet.
The Scripps Ranch High School alum went from being the 2011 CIF champion, an All-American at San Diego State, to now a two-time major champion, including the distinction of the 2024 Champion Golfer of the Year (as the winner of the Open Championship is named).
After The Masters, which Scottie Scheffler won emphatically, the main conversation around professional golf was, how many 2024 majors will Scheffler win? And how wide is the gap between Scheffler and the rest of professional golf?
Now, with two major titles, Schauffele makes a compelling argument for the best golfer in the world. It’s hard to argue against Scheffler’s six PGA wins this season, including the green jacket. However, majors are king in the pro-golf world. And now the San Diego native has one more than Scheffler this year.
The conditions at Royal Troon tested the very wits and mettle of each golfer. The wind and rain of the western coast of Scotland wreaked havoc, especially in the final two rounds. The average score of the final nine holes of the tournament was two over par. Schauffele shot four under par in that same span.
His second major title of the year!@XSchauffele has won @TheOpen 🏆 pic.twitter.com/vJsQEmjg9W
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) July 21, 2024
The former Aztec started the day one shot back of Billy Horschel. He then shot out of the gates like a prized champion thoroughbred racehorse.
When others like Horschel, Shane Lowry, Justin Rose, and Thriston Lawrence faltered down the stretch, Schauffele seemed to play even better. He took a stranglehold on the tournament with his approach shots, leaving him with shorter putts than everyone else.
By the time Schauffele made his walk up the 18th fairway onto the green, the title was all but sealed. The crowd gave he and his caddy Austin Kaiser a warm ovation. Schauffele removed his cap and tipped it to the rabid Scottish golf fans.
The tournament ended with Schauffele being two shots clear of second place. In the end, it was Schauffele receiving the Claret Jug (given to every Open winner since 1872. That gives him two majors in the same calendar year, which has not happened since Brooks Koepka in 2018. He is just the sixth golfer to do it since 2000.
Per the Official World Golf Rankings, Schauffele entered The Open Championship as the No. 3 ranked golfer in the world, just short of Scheffler and Rory McIlroy. The latter didn’t even make the cut this weekend. The Northern Irishman also finished outside the top 10 at The Masters and PGA Championship, far below where Schauffele ended up.
The debate now rages on which is a better year. Scottie Scheffler’s six PGA Tour wins, with one major, or Schauffele’s two major titles, without falling outside the top eight in the other two he didn’t win? Perhaps we must wait until the FedEx Cup (September) to decide it.
Native of Escondido, CA. Lived in San Diego area for 20 years. Padres fan since childhood (mid-90s). I have been writing since 2014. I currently live near Seattle, WA and am married to a Seattle sports girl. I wore #19 on my high school baseball team for Tony Gwynn. I am a stats and sports history nerd. I attended BYU on the Idaho campus. I also love Star Wars.