TROON, United Kingdom: Xander Schauffele was until May the nearly man of golf. Now he is a two-time major winner after claiming the British Open in impressive style.
The Olympic champion produced a record-breaking performance at the PGA Championship in May for his breakthrough on the sport's biggest stages.
Yesterday the 30-year-old started steadily at Royal Troon before taking the competition by the scruff of the neck and remorselessly driving towards the Claret Jug with a bogey-free round.
The world number three from California, watched by his wife and parents on Scotland's west coast, is the first player to win two majors in a year since Brooks Koepka in 2018.
Schauffele was outside the world's top 350 when he tied for fifth on his major debut at the 2017 US Open, but he climbed into the top 20 when he was a joint runner-up to Francesco Molinari in the following year's British Open at Carnoustie.
He was also tied for second at the 2019 Masters behind Tiger Woods and was joint third two months later in the US Open and at Augusta National in 2021.
Before he won the PGA title, Schauffele had 12 top-10 finishes at major tournaments but had not won an event since the Scottish Open in 2022.
The San Diego native carded four sub-70 rounds at Valhalla in May for a 21-under-par total – the lowest score to par in major championship history.
That came a week after he faded in the face of a charging Rory McIlroy at Quail Hollow – raising fresh questions about his ability to produce the goods under the most intense pressure.
Schauffele started the final round yesterday in a group of six players one shot behind overnight leader Billy Horschel.
He was solid on the front nine as calm descended on the links course following a rain-soaked third round but stepped up a gear on the inward half as his nearest challengers faltered.
He finished on nine-under par, two shots clear of Justin Rose and Horschel, never looking like losing his composure.
Schauffele put his zen-like calm during the final round down to getting over the line at the PGA Championship.
"Winning the first one helped me a lot today on the back nine," he said. "I had some feeling of calmness come through. It was very helpful on what has been one of the hardest back nines I've ever played in a tournament.
"I mean, it's a dream come true to win two majors in one year. It took me forever just to win one, and to have two now is something else."
The American said while he may not outwardly show his intense desire to win, he is feeling it on the inside.
"Everyone in my family knows how competitive I am. I may not be the guy running around fist-pumping, but that's just who I am. I kind of know how I need to be to perform at a high level."
He added: "I've kind of embraced this sort of SoCal (south California), laid-back kid, but there's obviously a fire burning deep within, or you wouldn't have a couple majors sitting by your side."
Schauffele said he would leave it up to others to decide whether he would now be regarded as one of the best players of his generation alongside other golfers who had won two majors in a season including Rory McIlroy, Jordan Spieth and Koepka.
"I'm just trying to win as many of these things as I can and play the best golf as I can and be a decent guy," he said.
He will now turn his attention to defending his Olympic title in Paris as he attempts to add a golden glow to a sensational year. -AFP