Triumph in Troon: Golf star Xander Schauffele defied wind and weather

When stars of the caliber of Rory McIlroy, Ludvig Aberg, Bryson DeChambeau or Wyndham Clark have to say goodbye without a word after just two rounds, it not only proves the density of the top golf scene. It is also the result of a unique flair that the British Open brings with it on treacherous links courses in coastal regions – peppered with hard, fast ground and deep bunkers. You not only play for yourself as if in a tunnel, but above all against the wind and weather.

The Royal Troon GC, the venue for the 152nd edition of the oldest major event in the world, is no exception. The unpredictable weather causes many of the favorites to stumble, the lead changes regularly in cool twelve to 16 degrees and gusts of over 20 km/h, and no one gets through here without making mistakes, even if Xander Schauffele was close to perfection on the final day.

A formidable round of 65 lifted the Olympic champion from San Diego to the top of the rankings (9 under par). His triumph in the event with a total prize of 17 million US dollars will be sweetened with 3.1 million and a hearty sip of wine from the time-honored “Claret Jug” challenge cup.

The Scottish Royal Troon GC suits the American professionals, with seven of the last eight Open victories achieved there coming from them. Only the Swede Henrik Stenson got in between in 2016. “It feels great, I’ve improved over time,” said a delighted Schauffele, who celebrated his first major title in May by winning the PGA Championship.

This time, the 30-year-old left the tied runners-up Billy Horschel (USA/7 under par) and Justin Rose (Eng/-7) behind him. Fourth place went to Throston Lawrence (Rsa/-6).

Straka: “I am satisfied”

The 31-year-old Viennese Sepp Straka, who shone at the 2023 Open in Liverpool with second place behind Brian Harman (USA) and wrote red-white-red golf history, finished in joint 22nd place this time with a total of 288 strokes (4 over par). This comes with prize money of around 151,000 US dollars.

Image: AFP/Paul Ellis

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Ups and downs for Sepp Straka, who finished in 22nd place.
Image: AFP/Paul Ellis

“All in all, I’m happy with myself. I played well at times, but not at times. Of course, expectations were high,” said Straka, who had a promising opening round (70/1 under par) and finished eleventh. But things didn’t continue in this vein. The family man finished with a solid 71, with four birdies and four bogeys. A constant up and down.

No reason to complain. “Basically, the Open is my second favorite major, only the Masters in Augusta is above it,” said the American-by-choice, who is now heading to Austria for a few days. Here, Straka, who achieved four top-eight results on the PGA Tour between April and June, is recharging his batteries for the Summer Games in Paris. The competition has him on its radar.