TROON — Xander Schauffele should have been a soccer player. That was always the plan, in fact. His father, Stefan, was convinced that would be his path. At the age of four, his son could shoot with both feet, he could hit half-volleys, he could dribble and change directions with artistry and intent. And so, Stefan put a plan in motion. He would train his boy hard, with the idea that he would change the face of American soccer.
“My wife thought I was crazy,” Stefan Schauffele said. “But I always saw the talent. It was astonishing. I just couldn’t believe it. I thought he would be the rescue of the American soccer team. Because boy do they need help.”
Life had other plans. When Schauffele was 14, he and his family were told by the coach of an elite traveling team in Southern California that Xander could play midfield. He’d been an effective sweeper on various teams, but now he’d been promised the chance to play offense, and this was his moment to blossom. Yet when he showed up for the first day of practice, he was told plans had changed, and he would be a sweeper. He was devastated.
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“I remember he came running across the field and he said ‘They lied to me. So now I’m going to be on the PGA Tour,” Stefan Schauffele said. “That literally came out of his mouth.’ ”
Whether or not American soccer lost a savior in that moment is impossible to discern. But what is fair to say, especially after Schauffele started down a path that would lead him to our current moment, is he can credibly claim he is one of the best American golfers of his generation.
Schauffele won his second major of 2024 by winning the Open Championship at Troon on Sunday, a victory that was more meaningful than it was memorable. Schauffele’s final round 65 didn’t feature a dramatic birdie that you’ll see on highlight packages for decades to come, but it was more evidence that he can wear down his opponents with clinical excellence. Throughout the day, various players jostled for position. In the end, it was Schauffele who cruised to victory, outlasting Justin Rose, Billy Horschel and Thriston Lawrence.
He was a human metronome of swing science and tempo.
“There's calmness and super stressful moments when you're trying to win a major championship,” Xander Schauffele said. “I felt them in the past, the ones I didn't win, and I let them get to me. Today I felt like I did a pretty good job of weathering the storm when I needed to.”
Schauffle may not have the extra gear that some of his peers possess. He does not have Bryson DeChambeau’s speed, Scottie Scheffler’s artistry or Rory McIlroy’s sizzle, but he may possess something even more important. He is better, in aggregate, than all of them, at least right now. He is more consistent than DeChambeau, he’s a better putter than Scheffler, and he’s a better iron player than McIlroy.
Most importantly: He is unlikely to go backward when the pressure intensifies. His victory at the PGA Championship in May seems to have removed a significant mental burden from his shoulders, and the rest of the golf world may have to reckon with that reality going forward.
“I asked him: Do you think the Claret Jug fits into the Wanamaker Trophy?” Stefan Schauffele joked as he sipped whiskey from a flask behind the 18th green at Troon. “He said, ‘I don’t know for sure, but we can find out.’ ”
A decade from now, how will we remember the majors of 2024?
Will it be seen as the year of Xander Schauffele’s ascendance, or the year that Scottie Scheffler didn’t fully capitalize on one of the greatest ball-striking seasons in history?
Schauffele is the easy answer. By winning two majors in the same year, he did something that’s only happened 21 times in history, the most recent being Brooks Koepka, who won the U.S. Open and the PGA Championship in 2018. And this might just be the beginning of Schauffele’s run.
“It’s up to you guys to look at the statistics and see who has the potential to be the next career Grand Slam winner, because I think [Xander] has the game,” Stefan Schauffele said. “Of course I’m subjective, but I think if you look at it objective
Source: https://nolayingup.com/blog/the-open-2024-scenes-from-xander-schauffele-victory