Xander Schauffele wins British Open after thrilling final round

Xander Schauffele produced a superb back nine at Royal Troon on Sunday to claim the 2024 Open Championship.

Shooting a six-under 65 in the final round to post nine-under for the week, the American finished two shots clear of overnight leader Billy Horschel and British hope Justin Rose.

It marked Schauffele’s second major victory of the year, having claimed the 2024 PGA Championship at Valhalla in May.

Speaking after the win, the 30-year-old said his respect for the treacherous layout at Troon was critical to his success.

“I felt like I just controlled a lot of what I was trying to do, and the moments where I was losing control — if I hit it offline and into the fescue — I wasn’t too worried about it because it’s links golf,” Schauffele revealed.

“It’s how you play golf out here. As long as you avoid those coffin bunkers, you can move that ball forward and get yourself back in the hole.

“I think the style of golf maybe helped me mentally play this week.”

Rose, who carded 67 in the final round to finish at seven-under, was full of praise for Schauffele’s performance.

“He’s such a calm guy out there,” the 2013 US Open champion said.

“I don’t know what he’s feeling, but he certainly makes it look very easy.

“He plays with a freedom, which kind of tells you as a competitor that he’s probably not feeling a ton of the bad stuff.

“He’s got a lot of runway ahead and a lot of exciting stuff ahead, I’m sure.”

The result also gives the United States a clean sweep of all four majors in men’s golf for the first time in more than 40 years.

World No.1 Scottie Scheffler claimed the Masters, Bryson DeChambeau took out the US Open, and Schauffele won the other two.

The last time the USA completed the Grand Slam was 1982, when Tom Watson won both Open titles, Raymond Floyd took out the PGA Championship, and Craig Stadler clinched the Masters.

Schauffele now turns his attention to the 2024 Olympics in Paris, where he will be looking to defend his gold medal from Tokyo.

The two-time major champion is a +650 chance in each-way betting with online bookmakers, behind only fellow American star Scheffler (+375).

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