Schauffele moves into elite category with 2 majors in 2 months

AP Golf Writer

TROON, Scotland (AP) — The only company Xander Schauffele kept at the start of the season was his name mentioned among the best players who had yet to win a major.

He had a key miss at Carnoustie that cost him a chance at the 2018 British Open. He was a runner-up the following year to Tiger Woods at the Masters. He was closing in on Hideki Matsuyama in the 2021 Masters until hitting into the water on the 16th hole.

In the first 27 majors he played, he had 12 finishes in the top 10.

Now he has the Wanamaker Trophy at home from his nail-biter of a victory in the PGA Championship. And he couldn’t take his eyes off the gleaming claret jug Sunday evening after delivering what he considers the best round of his life.

Two months, two majors, no more questions about whether he can win the big one.

“It’s a dream come true to win two majors in one year,” Schauffele said after his 6-under 65, took him from a two-shot deficit to a two-shot victory in the British Open at Royal Troon. “It took me forever just to win one, and to have two now is something else.”

He made it look easy — Schauffele exudes so much California chill that he makes everything look that way — it took some astonishing golf on a links course made even more challenging by a daunting wind off the Irish Sea.

He played bogey-free in the final round with no less than golf’s oldest trophy at stake. He was two shots behind going to the back nine and shot 31. He missed only two greens Sunday, none on the back nine. He had only six bogeys over 72 holes.

This was the stuff of major champions.

Schauffele was asked how that stacked up against other rounds he has played, including the 65 to shot at Valhalla on the last day to win the PGA Championship.

“At the very tip-top,” Schauffele said. “Best round I’ve played.”

Two majors in one year puts him into a different conversation.

Schauffele is the first player since Jordan Spieth in 2015 to win his first two majors in the same year, and the first since Brooks Koepka in 2018 to win two in one year.

No one in the 90-year history of the four majors had ever won two majors in one year by shooting 65 in the final round. Jack Nicklaus is the only player who done that twice in his career, at the 1967 U.S. Open and 1986 Masters. Tiger Woods never did it once, though he led in 14 of the 15 majors and never had to.

“I don’t know if anyone identified the weakness in there. It’s all really good,” Adam Scott said. “Although it’s probably been at times frustrating for him this year, but then winning the PGA … two majors, that kind of ‘all-around really good’ gets it done in the biggest events. I think the greats of the game kind of did that, especially Tiger.”

Schauffele didn’t know much about Royal Troon when he arrived. The last time the British Open was on the Ayrshire coast of Scotland, Schauffele was playing the Lincoln Land Charity Championship on the Korn Ferry Tour, still a long way off from even getting on the PGA Tour.

But he watched that fabulous duel between Henrik Stenson and Phil Mickelson in 2016 at Royal Troon to get acquainted and get inspired.

This had all the trapping of a shootout with six players one shot out of the lead (including Schauffele) and two more within three of the lead.

But it turned into a one-man show.

There was only one birdie in the final round of No. 11, the notorious “Railway” hole. That belonged to Schauffele, who came out of the rough left of the fairway and judged it so perfectly it settled 3 feet away. That was the start of three birdies in a four-hole stretch that allowed him to seize control, and one last birdie stretched it to three shots.

That afforded him one of the best walks in golf, massive grandstands lining both sides of the 18th green, a 50-yard walk of constant ovation.

“It really is one of the coolest feelings I’ve ever had in my life,” Schauffele said. “I got chills walking down and quickly had to zap myself back into focus because the tournament wasn’t over yet.”

It really was.

Justin Rose, playing alongside Schauffele, birdied the 18th for a 67, Billy Horschel, who started the final round with a one-shot lead, birdied the last three holes to atone for earlier mistakes. He shot a 68. They tied for second.

“He has a lot of horsepower,” Rose said. “He’s good with a wedge, he’s great with a putter, he hits the ball a long way, obviously his iron play is strong. So he’s got a lot of weapons out there.

“I think probably one of his most unappreciated ones is his mentality. He’s such a calm guy out there,” Rose said. “I don’t know what he’s feeling, but he certainly makes it look very easy.”

The year is not over for Schauffele. He has one week to celebrate — and to figure out what drink his father first wants in that claret jug Schauffele keeps for a year — before heading to Paris for the Olympics.

He has the silver jug. He already has a gold medal Schauffele from the Tokyo Games.

And then it’s back to the United States to wrap up the FedEx Cup season. Scottie Scheffler has a Masters green jacket among his six victories, all against top competition. He was within one shot of the lead briefly before a three-putt from 6 feet knocked him out of contention.

They are the best two players in golf. Schauffele is keeping good company.

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