TROON, Scotland — Xander Schauffele was for so long the best golfer without a major.
The ever-steady 30-year-old star never topped the Open leaderboard Thursday to Saturday, always quietly lurking in the top 10 before shooting a Sunday 65 to win the 152nd Open Championship for his second major title in three starts.
For the first time since 1982, Americans — Schauffele (Open Championship, PGA Championship), Scottie Scheffler (Masters) and Bryson DeChambeau (U.S. Open) — have claimed all four major championships.
Sunday began with Horschel, a 37-year-old seeking his first major championship, in the lead by one stroke, playing in the final group of a major’s final round for the first time.
Now Schauffele enters the Olympics and the rest of the season no longer an admirable player who can’t win.
Persons:
Xander Schauffele, Schauffele, Justin Rose, Billy Horschel, Schauffele’s, Thriston Lawrence bogeyed, — Schauffele, Scottie Scheffler, Bryson DeChambeau, —, Arnold Palmer, Lawrence, Dan Brown, Rose, standouts, Sam Burns, Russell Henley, Scheffler, Horschel, Brown, Burns, Shane Lowry, birdies, Jon Rahm, Viktor Hovland, Rory McIlroy, Kevin C, Cox
Organizations:
152nd, Royal Troon, May’s PGA, Valhalla, Pinehurst, Sunday, Horschel
Locations:
TROON, Scotland, Scottish