Craig Stadler, Tom Watson, Tom Watson, Raymond Floyd. Scottie Scheffler, Xander Schauffele, Bryson DeChambeau, Xander Schauffele. Not since 1982 had American golfers completed a clean sweep of the four majors until Schauffele emulated Watson by prevailing at Royal Troon.
Luke Donald, Europe’s captain, must be delighted this is not a Ryder Cup year. Not that the bigger picture is particularly appealing for Donald; the stars and stripes sit adjacent to the names of nine of the past 12 major champions.
At the start of this year, Schauffele was regarded as a nearly man. He was arguably the finest golfer of his generation never to taste success in one of the sport’s big four events. In the blink of an eye, he has become a multiple major winner; glory at Valhalla in the US PGA Championship in May surely assisted Schauffele on the Ayrshire coast. As others wilted, he knitted together a 65 to win by two, at nine under par, from Billy Horschel and a resurgent Justin Rose.
Schauffele is so calm and methodical in the way he goes about his business that the brutality attached to this Open exam was never likely to faze him. He is golf’s silent assassin. The 152nd Open should be remembered as one that threatened to deliver a far more spectacular storyline than ultimately arrived.
There is always a key stretch. For Schauffele, this arrived between the 11th and 16th on day four. He played that in four under, allowing daylight to appear between him and the field. This, it should be remembered, is the toughest set of holes at Royal Troon. The prospect of a first Open playoff since 2015 had threatened until Schauffele decided the tournament was his for the taking. His back nine took just 31 strokes.
Rose encountered mixed emotions as he walked from the 18th green. As a qualifier, it was a shock to many that the Englishman was even in contention. Yet the 43-year-old retains lofty standards. He will privately know he will not have many more opportunities to add to his solo major win to date. As Schauffele heated up on the inward half, Rose’s putter turned stone cold. Horschel holed out from distance at the last to match Rose’s seven under aggregate.
For a spell on Sunday afternoon, Thriston Lawrence had commentators and spectators alike scrambling towards Wikipedia. The 27‑year‑old missed the cut in his only other Open appearance. When making a birdie at the 9th, Lawrence was two clear of Schauffele and one ahead of Rose. It was not so much that the South African took a dose of the jitters thereafter – he dropped only a single shot to finish fourth – but that Schauffele pressed his accelerator. Russell Henley earned fifth at five under after a 69.
Shane Lowry will rue a horrible stretch from the 8th tee on Saturday, which so influenced the 77 that basically cost him the Open. He returned to the links to post a 68, which afforded him sixth place at four under par. This was, however, one that got away for the 2019 champion.
“It’s very disappointing, there’s no two ways about it,” Lowry said. “I had a great chance of winning this Open and it’s going to hurt for a few days.”
There was no fairytale victory for Dan Brown. The Yorkshireman, who arrived in Troon just inside the world’s top 300, finally hit the buffers as he slid from minus three to even par inside six holes. It is to Brown’s great credit that he avoided a tailspin from there, a 74 sufficient for a share of 10th. He will take huge heart from his Open display. He has also earned a return, at Royal Portrush next July.
Scottie Scheffler was firmly in the mix when reaching four under thanks to a birdie at the 8th. What followed was totally out of keeping with the world No 1’s 2024 up to that point. Scheffler missed from 30 inches while en route to a double bogey at the 9th. He handed another two shots to the course at the 18th, by which point his race was run anyway. His one under tied seventh with Im Sungjae and Jon Rahm.
Justin Thomas’s Sunday challenge lasted a single shot. He cracked his opening drive right and on to Troon beach. With a triple-bogey seven, he was out of the tournament. This was a strange major for Thomas, who followed a first-round 68 with a 78 and third-round 67 with a 77. His plus‑six total was matched by Dustin Johnson.
Brooks Koepka completed a grim year at major venues – he finished no better than 26th – at eight over. Koepka’s lust for this domain is such that he must be pondering the competitive impact of his switch to LIV Golf.
At eight over, Nairn’s Calum Scott collected top amateur honours and the silver medal that comes with it. The youngster has a year left at Texas Tech, the college that recently played a part in Ludvig Åberg’s stunning rise. Scott plans to complete his studies, despite the professional temptation that will arrive as a result of his showing here.
“It’s one of the highest honours you can win as an amateur,” Scott said. “First of all, you have to make the cut to win this award and to be above 11 other amateurs, I’m very proud of myself for that. To compete in a tournament like the Open, it’s just amazing.”
Big things seem to lie ahead for Scott. While Schauffele is right in the midst of them.
