TROON, Scotland (AP) — Xander Schauffele won the British Open on Sunday to claim his second major of the year with a masterpiece at Royal Troon, and thanks to that, American golfers swept all the majors of the year for the first time since 1982: Schauffele also won the PGA Championship; Bryson DeChambeau took the US Open, and Scottie Scheffler donned the traditional green jacket at the Masters in Augusta.
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In 1982, the champions were Tom Watson (the British Open and the US Open), Raymond Floyd in the PGA Championship, and Craig Stadler in the Masters.
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Schauffele won the PGA Championship at Valhalla two months ago with a six-foot birdie putt on the final hole. This Sunday in the last round at Royal Troon, which seemed destined for drama with nine golfers separated by three shots at the start, Schauffele made it look very easy on the links next to the Irish Sea: in the nine holes of the round he had three birdies to win the traditional championship.
Finally, Schauffele was the champion in Scotland by two shots over the American Billy Horschel and the Englishman Justin Rose.
In 2024, Schauffele broke the bad streak.
Until May of this year, Xander Schauffele was known as the best golfer in the world “without a major.” But this year he became the first golfer since Jordan Spieth in 2015 to win two majors in the same season. He also extended the American dominance on the Scottish courses, winning seven times in their last eight visits to Royal Troon.
In the Open, South African Thriston Lawrence finished fourth, having three birdies in four holes to end the front nine with 32 and position himself as the surprising top contender. However, nerves and inexperience began to take their toll on him while Schauffele, who was two shots behind, started to turn the tables with precise shots and great composure on the greens.