Xander Schauffele has savoured the “best round” of his life after sealing victory in the 152nd Open in flawless fashion at Royal Troon as Aussies Jason Day and Adam Scott fell out of contention on Monday morning (AEST). Two months after making his major breakthrough in the US PGA Championship at Valhalla, Schauffele carded a bogey-free 65 on Sunday to finish nine under par, two shots ahead of Billy Horschel and Justin Rose. The 30-year-old Californian became the first player to win two majors with closing rounds of 65 in the same year, with only the “Golden Bear” Nicklaus himself ever having previously achieved the feat, but that came over his whole career.
Know the news with the 7NEWS app: Download today “At the very tip-top, the best round I’ve played,” Schauffele said on Sunday, when asked to rate his final round. The Olympic champion began the day a shot behind Horschel but birdied the sixth and seventh in a front-nine of 34 and picked up further shots on the 11th, 13th, 14th and 16th to succeed compatriot Brian Harman as Open champion. “It’s an honour, I’ve always dreamt of doing it,” the 30-year-old said.
“That walk up 18 truly is the coolest with the yellow leaderboards and the fans and the standing ovation. It really is one of the coolest feelings I’ve ever had in my life. “I got chills walking down and quickly had to zap myself back into focus because the tournament wasn’t over yet.
I can’t wait to enjoy this with my family.” Schauff.