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Xander Schauffele claimed his second major championship with a two-shot victory at the 152nd Open after a commanding final round at Royal Troon.
Schauffele started the day one shot behind overnight leader Billy Horschel but delivered a faultless bogey-free round of 65 to see off the chasing pack in style with a final score of -9.
In turn, the American becomes the first player since Brooks Koepka in 2018 to win two majors in a single calendar year having broken his major duct at the US PGA Championship in May.
‘Hearing your name called with ‘Open champion’ after it is something I’ve dreamt of for a very long time,’ he said as he collected the Claret Jug.
‘It really is a dream come true to be holding it. It definitely hasn’t sunk in yet. My brain is still grinding on this amazing property. I can’t wait to sit back and have a moment with this Claret Jug.’
After brutal wet and windy conditions on Saturday, more benign final-round conditions allowed several players from a jam-packed leaderboard to make their move.
Justin Rose, who had to come through qualifying to make the tournament, was first as he surged into the early lead with two birdies in his first four holes.
At five under par, the Englishman was quickly joined in a share of the lead by Thriston Lawrence and Horschel as they, too, made early birdies.
Shane Lowry, an Open winner in 2019, got within one shot of the lead after making four birdies in the last six holes of his front nine, but the Irishman’s charge stalled following a bogey on the par-4 11th.
A bogey for Rose at the 12th briefly moved Lawrence into solo lead but the South African’s bogey on the very same hole opened the door for Schauffele to charge through.
The 30-year-old, who finished runner-up at the tournament in 2018, was long seen as one of the game’s best active players to have never won a major.
But after claiming victory at Valhalla two months prior, the American got the monkey off his back and delivered a nerveless Sunday display to double his major tally.
Taking care of the accessible sixth and seventh holes with back-to-back birdies, Schauffele kicked into gear on the back nine, with three birdies in his first five holes after the turn.
Another birdie followed at the par-5 16th before two pars down the final stretch secured a two-shot victory over playing partner Rose and fellow countryman Horschel.
Lawrence finished a shot further back on -6 while Russell Henley rounded out the top five on five under par. World No.1 Scottie Scheffler finished in a tie for seventh alongside Jon Rahm on -1.
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