American golf professional Xander Schauffele won the 152nd British Open and celebrated his second major victory this year. After a strong round of 65 on the fourth and final day in Troon, Scotland, the 30-year-old finished the tournament with 275 shots, finishing behind Justin Rose (England) and Billy Horschel (USA). Schauffele had already won the PGA Championship in May.
“I’m so honored to be able to stand here as Open champion. This is something I’ve dreamed of for a very long time,” said an emotional Schauffele. “I want to thank my family and my team.”
World number one Scottie Scheffler was no longer able to intervene in the fight for victory on the last day. The American needed 72 strokes for his fourth round on the par-71 course and finished the tournament in seventh place (283). Like Tokyo Olympic champion Schauffele, Scheffler is competing for the United States at the Summer Games in Paris (July 26 to August 11).
On the third day, Marcel Siem (Metman) shot 77 (+6) and finished the tournament as the best German in joint 72nd place (298). Three places behind was Alex Cejka, who eventually fell far behind with a round of 80 (+9) and needed 299 strokes for four rounds.
German Olympic driver Stefan Jager (Munich) and Frankfurt’s Yannick Paul failed to make the cut after two rounds, as did golf icon Tiger Woods (USA), who fared similarly poorly at the 2015 US Open. Co-favourites Rory McIlroy (Northern Ireland) and US Open champion Bryson DeChambeau (USA) also had to pack up after the second round.
