Table of Contents
- The action at Royal Troon reached its climax on the final day of The Open.
- Xander Schauffele kept his cool to secure his second major of the season
- England’s Justin Rose finished in second place tied at -7 with American Billy Horschel.
The thrilling action at Royal Troon reached its climax on the day some of the sport’s leading stars competed to lift the Claret Jug.
An incredible final-day performance from Xander Schauffele saw the American finish two shots ahead of Justin Rose and Billy Horschel on a thrilling final day.
The 30-year-old carded a sensational 65 to deny Rose the honour of becoming the first Englishman in more than three decades to win The Open.
Meanwhile, despite weathering challenging weather conditions to take an unlikely early lead, Shane Lowry’s attempt to replicate his 2019 heroics ultimately proved fruitless as he finished five strokes behind in sixth place.
Mail Sport’s JAMES SHARPE covers what you might have missed at The Open in Talk of the Troon.
Xander Schauffele put in a flawless performance on the final day to win the Open
The American finished 9-under at Royal Troon, two strokes ahead of Justin Rose and Billy Horschel.
Climate change is highlighted on the 15th
To appreciate the brutality of Royal Troon’s swirling winds, one need only look at how the 502-yard par-four 15th hole has played out over the past two days. Jon Rahm’s tee shot into the gales on that grotesque Saturday afternoon only reached 262 yards. On Sunday, he smashed it 346 yards down the fairway.
Shane Lowry hit two driver shots on the same hole on Saturday and still finished 50 yards short of the green after a tee shot of just 235 yards. On Sunday, he shot 319.
The grotesque conditions seen at the beginning of the competition finally abated on the final day.
Olympic hopefuls leave small talk for later
Matt Fitzpatrick is not a fan of the Olympic spirit of friendship and solidarity. He and Tommy Fleetwood will be going for gold at Le Golf National next month.
Asked if he had spoken to his Team GB teammate about this this week, Fitzpatrick smiled: “No, it’s an individual tournament. At the end of the day, we’re playing against each other.”
Matt Fitzpatrick will partner Tommy Fleetwood for Team GB at the Paris Olympics next month
Souvenirs are not cheap in Troon
Forget the queue for the first tee, the longest line of people was the one snaking up to the giant course shop as customers scrambled to pick up as many souvenirs as they could – £20 for a towel, £15 for a pack of three ball markers, £10 for a yardage book from a course you’ll never play. A lovely little three-quarter zip caught Mail Sport’s eye – until a glance at the price tag showed £290! Just the towel, please.
The author of The Da Vinci Code praises his namesake
An American journalist wrote to author Dan Brown, whose bestselling novels include The Da Vinci Code and Angels & Demons, to ask if he was watching his namesake compete in the US Open.
Brown responded with an accompanying photo of himself holding only the head of an iron. “This was the result of my last shot,” he replied. “I’m pleased to see my alter ego is playing better than me.”
Eckroat, the latest victim of the postage stamp
Austin Eckroat was the latest man to lose his cool at Postage Stamp as the eighth hole claimed its final victim of the week. The American needed four shots to get out of one of the bunkers on the right and finish with a quadruple bogey in seven shots.
“It’s funny,” Eckroat said. “You get nervous when you approach that tee box. Are you a fool who lets himself get punished or something?”
Austin Eckroat became the latest star to fall victim to Postage Stampa when he made a quadruple bogey.
Thomas’ shot swims with the fishes.
Justin Thomas was hoping to make a splash early in his final round, but not in the way he intended with his first tee shot.
The former world number one hit his driver so far out of bounds to the right that it almost landed in the Firth of Clyde. One fan commented: “Even the fish ducked!”