Justin Rose falls short at the Open, while Schauffele wins second major

The final round, which threatened to be a mad race to the finish line, turned into a majestic procession as Xander Schauffele was declared the new king of the majors.

At the start of play in Troon, seven players were close to the lead, making it The Open’s most crowded leaderboard since 1933.

5

5

5

And even after the final group had completed five holes, it was still hard to predict who would win, with three players tied and four just one shot behind.

So the scene was certainly set for one of the most thrilling climaxes to an Open in living memory.

No, Schauffele had other ideas, and with a bogey-free 65 – the lowest score of the day – he took the lead over the chasing teams without much trouble.

With a score of nine under par, his margin of victory over teammate Justin Rose and 54-hole leader Billy Horschel was just two shots.

This is misleading – the American player always seems to be in complete control in the final stages.

Rose posted the second-best score on the day — a 4-under 67, which in most years would have been good enough for victory.

And it could have been a much closer contest had England’s 2013 US Open champion not suffered brutal lip-outs on the 12th and 13th holes, leaving putts prone until the cursed hole was in the middle.

At least his 15-footer for birdie at the last jumped out.

Casino Specials – Best Casino Welcome Offers

That left him tied for second with Horschel, who brightened up his poor final effort by birdieing the final three holes.

Rose, 43, said he went to bed Saturday night dreaming that his 4,053-day wait for a second major would finally be over.

Sadly, dreams are not always fulfilled.

And indeed, the writing was on the wall long before the end – and the name on the Claret Jug.

The man who engraved the winner’s name on the Claret Jug must have known that the X marked the spot where he had to work, as Schauffele made four birdies in six holes from the 11th to take a three-shot lead. The rest of us certainly did, too.

It wasn’t Schoeffel’s fault that the final depressing situation was somewhat of an anti-climax.

The X-Man has never been the type of golfer who uses the Axe for adventure.

Schauffele, mixed race, like Tiger Woods

But by winning the Open title, combined with his impressive victory at the USPGA a few months ago, he has made himself the player to beat in major tournaments.

He will defend his Olympic title in Paris in a few weeks. Would anyone want to bet on his double there?

5

5

It’s hard to believe that Schauffele, 30, was considered an almost-man in the majors before he edged Bryson DeChambeau by one shot at Valhalla two months ago.

He finished in the top ten 12 times, but never seemed to have that extra spark he needed to win a title. That’s not the case anymore.

It didn’t look like it would be such an easy win, as most of the leading contenders did what was needed by taking a few shots on an easy front nine – with the surprising exception of world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler.

His double bogey on the ninth hole – in which he three-putted from six and a half feet – dropped him to two under par, which was the same score he started with.

After that, there was no chance for the Masters champion to win a second major this year. And he looked like a man who knew it.

His teammate, England’s Dan Brown, had to face reality as he played the same game for three overs and then settled for a draw.

But that was no surprise, as it was a special atmosphere for the 272nd-best golfer in the world.

No one played better through the first nine holes than Thurston Lawrence, who eventually finished in fourth place, one shot behind Rose and Horschel.

He was four under in the first stage, taking his total to seven under for the tournament and putting him in a clear lead.

But when it came to tackling tough holes on his comeback trail, no one could touch Schauffele, who was pretty much on par at two under for his round at the midpoint and five under overall.

The 493-yard 11th and the 480-yard 11th are very dangerous par fours, where most players trade their caddies for a par or two. Schauffele made birdies on both.

His shot from 172 yards in the 11th round, just two and a half feet above the flag, was probably the best shot of the week.

This was certainly the defining moment of the tournament. Schauffele must have pulled out a megaphone and shouted that it was time for a bigger player to take charge.

Two holes later he made a 16-foot shot for another birdie, and followed that birdie with another on the par-three 14th hole – and then another on the 16th.

After this, the question is not who will win, but by what margin will he win.

And now we know – Schauffele, by two.