A FINAL round that threatened to be a mad dash to the finish line became a stately procession as Xander Schauffele was crowned the new king of the Majors.
At the start of play in Troon, seven players were within a shot of the lead, the most congested leaderboard the Open has witnessed since 1933.
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And it was still an unknown after the final group completed five holes, with three players tied for the lead and four others with just one shot back.
So the stage was certainly set for one of the most exciting climaxes to an Open in living memory.
ER no. Schauffele had other ideas, and a bogey-free 65 – the lowest round of the day – saw him shake off the pack of pursuers without appearing to break a sweat.
At nine under par, his margin of victory over partner Justin Rose and 54-hole leader Billy Horschel was just two strokes.
This is misleading – the American always seemed in complete control in the closing stages.
Rose recorded the second-best score of the day – a four-under 67 that could have been good enough for victory most years.
And it could have been a close race if Englanbd’s 2013 U.S. Open champion hadn’t suffered cruel outbursts at age 12 and 13, with shots that seemed certain to fall until the damn hole got in the way.
At least his 15-foot birdie finally made the jump.
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That earned him a share of second place with Horschel, who birdied the final three holes to add shine to an uneven closing effort.
Rose, 43, said he went to bed on Saturday night “daring to dream” that his 4,053-day wait for a second Major would finally be over.
Unfortunately, dreams don’t always come true.
And in reality, the writing was on the wall long before the end – just like the name on the Claret Jug.
The man who engraved the winner’s name on the Claret Jug must have known that X marked the spot where he needed to get to work, while Schauffele made four birdies in six holes of the eleventh to take a three-shot lead. he did.
It wasn’t Schauffele’s fault that the last desperado was a bit anti-climactic.
The X-man has never been the kind of golfer to put the x in something exciting.
But by adding the Open crown to his USPGA victory a few months ago, he has become the man to beat in the big events.
He will defend his Olympic title in Paris in a few weeks. Anyone want to bet against him doubling there too?
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It’s hard to believe Schauffele, 30, was considered a near-man in the Majors before he held Bryson DeChambeau to a shot in Valhalla two months ago.
He posted 12 top ten finishes without looking like he had the extra drive needed to get over the line. No more.
It didn’t look like it would turn out to be such a comfortable win, as most of the top contenders did exactly what was needed, hitting some shots on the front nine. – with the surprising exception of world number 1, Scottie Scheffler.
His double bogey at the ninth – which saw him three putts from six feet – left him two under par, the same score he started on.
After that, there was no chance of the Masters champion winning a second Major this year. And he had the resigned look of someone who knew this.
His playing partner, Englishman Dan Brown, was faced with reality as he played the same stretch in three over par to get back on level terms.
But that was much less surprising considering it was a rare atmosphere for the 272nd best golfer in the world.
No one played the first nine holes better than Thirston Lawrence, who finished fourth, a shot behind Rose and Horschel.
He was four under in the opening stretch, taking him to seven under for the tournament and the outright lead.
But when it came to tackling the tough holes on the way back, no one could top Schauffele, who was a pedestrian two under in his round at the halfway point, and five under overall.
The 493-yard 11th and 480-yard 11th are fearsome par fours where most players would sell their caddies for a few pars. Schauffele birdied both.
His 172-yard approach on the 11th, which came within just two feet of the flag, may well have been the throw of the week.
It was certainly the crucial moment of the tournament. Schauffele might as well have grabbed a megaphone and shouted that it was time for one of the greats to take over.
He drained a birdie from 16 feet for another birdie two holes later, and that birdie was followed by another on the par-three 14th — and yet another on the 16th.
After that, it was no longer a question of who would win, but by how many.
And now we know – Schauffele, at two.
Who are the most famous Wags in golf?
The world’s best golfers enjoy an incredible lifestyle – and their Wags lead their own exciting lives.
Here are some of the best known beauties…
- A master golfer rushed home after his latest triumph to be by his wife’s side as she gave birth to their first child.
- Playing with a handicap of three, this sports reporter could give her friend a run for her money on the greens.
- This low-key beauty married a superstar golfer in front of Stevie Wonder, Chris Martin and Niall Horan.
- A former gymnast who has been her husband’s rock for 14 years – he even pays tribute to her on his golf balls.
This story originally appeared on The-sun.com read the full story
