Xander Schauffele’s Open title, looking back at the 2024 Major season

Check in weekly for the unfiltered opinions of our writers and editors as they discuss the hottest topics in sports, and join the conversation by tweeting us at @golf_comThis week we discuss Xander Schauffele’s victory at the Open Championship and look ahead to the big 2024 season.

Xander Schauffele played a flawless Sunday en route to winning the Open Championship and claiming his second major of the season (and career) after his PGA Championship win two months ago. What did he do better than everyone else at Royal Troon and what was the difference for Xander this year compared to previous years?

Jack Hirsh, Assistant Editor (@JR_HIRSHey): The simple answer is that the work he’s done with Chris Como has taken his driving to a whole new level. His tee shot on the 15th on Sunday really got to me. As someone who has historically played a draw, Schauffele had to stand there, aim left, and let the wind carry his ball back to the right and down the fairway. He threw one from 343 yards, right down the middle. This year, he’s the only player in the top 12 in Strokes Gained: Off the tee, tee to green, approach and putting. He’s ranked outside the top 30 in SG: Off the tee the past two seasons, so there’s been a definite improvement with the driver as he’s become not only one of the longest players on Tour, but one of the most accurate. The more elusive answer is that he’s simply developed that killer instinct that’s been missing on the biggest stage for so many years. That’s hard to develop, but he was stoic on the final stretch Sunday and in Valhalla two months ago.

Zephyr Melton, Assistant Editor (@zephyrmelton): What he did better than anyone at Royal Troon was kick the weekend into high gear. His 69 on Saturday came in the horrendous afternoon wave, and his bogey-free Sunday was as stress-free as they come. It seems that getting over the hump at Valhalla opened the floodgates. There could be many more majors in X’s future.

Josh Sens, Senior Writer (@JoshSens): Like so many past winners of this tournament, he held strong through the worst conditions and attacked when things turned out well. Schauffele has long been known for his mental toughness, a composition built for majors. Now that he has further solidified his swing, he has the mechanics to match. Both were on display this week. It’s a powerful combination.

Jessica Marksbury, Editor-in-Chief (@Jess_Marksbury): I think flawless is the real key word in the question. In both majors he won this year, Schauffele won by shooting a final round of 65 each time. Bogey-free on Sunday in Troon and one bogey in Valhalla. That’s incredible! When others faltered, he had the confidence and presence of mind — not to mention the quality of his strokes and clutch putting — to push on to victory. He came close so often that it seemed like it was only a matter of time before he cracked the code. And now he’s done it twice.

Schauffele is only the sixth player in the last 25 years to win multiple majors in a single season, joining a list that includes Tiger Woods, Padraig Harrington, Rory McIlroy, Jordan Spieth and Brooks Koepka. Is this an epic warm-up? Or have the floodgates opened and is this major-winning version of Xander here to stay?

Hirsch: Well, the thing that three of those five names have in common (Harrington, McIlroy, Spieth) is that after winning multiple majors in a season, they’ve only won one between them (Spieth at the 2017 Open). Brooks has won two more since he won two in 2018, which makes Tiger the real standout. I think Xander wins one more, but this is the absolute highlight of his career.

Melton: I think it’s the latter. Xander has thrown himself into the fray many times in the past, and now he’s learned how to close. I expect him to win a few more majors before his career is over.

Feelings: This week he had 14 top 10s and two runners-up in 24 majors. This year is less an epic warm-up than an example of what happens when a player who has been knocking on the door reliably for a long time finally breaks through. I’ll be shocked if we don’t see more of the same in the future.

Marksbury: If we’ve learned anything over the years, it’s that winning majors is hard. Schauffele has made it look easy. It’s amazing to think that his major total now equals Scheffler’s. I definitely believe he has the bandwidth to win more, but a two-major season is extremely special and not something I expect to happen on a regular basis in the future.

This was the 10th time that Royal Troon has hosted an Open. How would you rate the course as a major championship venue and test?

Hirsch: I loved the course and the format. The Open is weather dependent and it was really fun to watch the best in the world battle through some nasty conditions this week. The Postage Stamp 8th is probably the par-3 I would most like to play in the world. I think some of the criticisms and comparisons to the USGA about Saturday’s format were unfounded. The difference is that the US Open is played in venues with predictable weather, while the Open is not. Only the last few groups really struggled on the back nine on Saturday, and they had pretty favorable conditions on the front line. That’s just the way links golf works. I give Troon an A.

Melton: I definitely enjoyed watching this week. I’ve never been to Troon (or any other Open rota course for that matter) so it’s hard to judge from a distance but I think it’s in the upper half when you judge Open courses.

Feelings: Great. What I liked even more was the weather. All rota courses are great. They are even better when the elements do their work. This week delivered all the quirks and randomness you could want from an Open (surprise contenders, big names flopping), and ultimately a big winner. I’m not sure you could ask for more, except maybe more exciting moments on the last holes. But blame Schauffele for that. Not the course.

Marksbury: Agreed Josh. The weather is what makes the Open the Open! A taste of Saturday’s brutality made for great viewing. Troon gave us an exciting leaderboard and an excellent champion in Xander. What more could you ask for?

Who won The Open without winning The Open?

Hirsch: Justin Rose has another great talent in him.

Melton: Thriston Lawrence. His solo fourth place earns him an invite to next year, plus an exemption to the Masters. The $876,000 salary isn’t bad either.

Feelings: I can’t top those calls, but I’m going to go with 20-year-old Callum Scott, a Scot, who finished as the best amateur on home turf. He had tears in his eyes when he turned 18, and for good reason.

Marksbury: I’m going with Daniel Brown. He went from under-the-radar DP World Tour player to Open prospect with cult hero status thanks to a charming cigarette-and-selfie session on the 18th hole on Saturday. I’m a new fan!

Scottie Scheffler finished 7th at Royal Troon, but his easy walk to PGA Tour Player of the Year just got a little more interesting. Scheffler has six wins this season (including the Masters and Players), but Schauffele now has two majors (but no other wins). With a little bit of 2024 left, is Scheffler still the frontrunner?

Hirsch: I still go with Scheffler. Schauffele has played well in other tournaments this year, but I think six wins (when one is a major and the other is a Players) is more important than two majors and no other wins. We’re talking about Player of the Year, not Player of the Majors. Continued excellence really means something. That said, if Schauffele were to catch and pass Scheffler at East Lake and get another win, or even a fourth, that would be a different story.

Melton: I think Scottie is still the favorite because of his impressive track record (six wins, plus a major), but Xander has definitely made the decision a lot harder.

Feelings: Tough call. It’s neck and neck. But given the precedence of majors – especially in our divided era where we only see the biggest guns in those four events – I’ll put Xander ahead, if only by half a nose.

Marksbury: It’s still Scottie in my book. But like Jack said, the Olympics and FedEx Cup — and recency bias — means there’s a lot to consider. And it ain’t over until it’s over.

Schauffele’s PGA and Open titles were decisive for the 2024 season. But now that all four titles are behind him, the question arises which pro is most disappointed.

Hirsch: Most disappointed in himself? Definitely Tiger. The guy has no concept of mediocrity. His career-worst finish at the Masters followed by three MCs must have hurt him. Are his own expectations realistic? That’s another debate for another day.

Melton: Jon Rahm. Since leaving for LIV and getting a guaranteed payout, he hasn’t been the dominant player he once was. A T7 finish at Troon salvages his major season a bit, but ultimately 2024 will go down as a lost year.

Feelings: You guys are very kind to Rory McIlroy.

Hirsch: Oh yeah, I completely forgot about that guy.

Marksbury: All solid choices, guys. Rahm was the first player that came to mind. But for variety, Wyndham Clark is my pick. After a banner year in 2023, it seemed like the utter mediocrity would be a thing of the past. But this year’s finishes — MC, MC, T56, MC — leave a lot to be desired for the current world No. 5.