PARIS 2024 OLYMPICS: DESTINATION PARIS FOR XANDER SCHAUFFELE, SCOTTIE SCHEFFLER AND RORY MCILROY AFTER CONTRASTING FORTUNES AT THE OPEN
When Scottie Scheffler won the Masters in April, all the talk was about how many more majors the world number one could win in 2024.
While Scheffler has since gone on to win three more titles in an exceptional year, he failed to add to his major tally. And Xander Schauffele, without a tournament victory in almost two years, went on to clinch the PGA Championship and the Open to become the first man to win multiple golf majors in a season since Brooks Koepka in 2018.
Schauffele’s flawless 65 at Royal Troon on Sunday (21 July), including four birdies on one of the toughest back nines in golf, also saw Americans sweep all four majors for the first time since 1982.
Now the 30-year-old from Southern California is off to Paris to defend his Olympic title. The bad news for his rivals is that the “calmness” he felt at Troon with one major under his belt could be replicated at Le Golf National with one Olympic gold already to his name.
“I think winning the first one helped me a lot on the back nine,” he said in his post-round press conference. I had some feeling of calmness come through. It was very helpful on what has been one of the hardest back nines I’ve ever played in a tournament.
“It’s a dream come true to win two majors in one year. It took me forever to just win one and to have two now is something else.”
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Golf is one of the most mentally demanding sports with a gust of wind or a bad lie able to ruin a good round. Players also need to put poor shots behind them ready for the next hole.
Schauffele has long been one of the more tranquil figures on the course. He says that is the way he is, but does not reflect his intense desire to win tournaments.
He commented, “Everyone in my family knows how competitive I am. I may not be the guy running around fist-pumping but that’s just who I am. I kind of know how I need to be to perform at a high level. The same way I don’t get really angry, I also don’t let myself get too over the moon just because to me it’s the same thing.
“If I’m sitting there snapping a club, that’d be the same thing as me running around fist-pumping, it would take too long to adjust before my next shot to hit a good one. I’ve kind of embraced this sort of SoCal, laid-back kid but there’s obviously a fire burning deep within or you wouldn’t have a couple of majors sitting by your side.”
At Tokyo 2020, Schauffele led after a second round 63 and was never headed after that. At the PGA Championship, the American led after the opening round one and – apart from Collin Morikawa tying him at the top of the leaderboard after round three – stayed ahead with a final round 65 sealing the deal.
If he gets ahead in Paris, he could be a difficult man to peg back.
Scheffler remains world number one after finishing tied for seventh at Troon, eight strokes behind Schauffele. He would have been in seventh on his own but for a double bogey at the 18th. He also signed for double bogey at the 9th.
The world’s leading golfer mishit his tee shot at the last and chose not to speak to the media afterwards. However, he told Team USA in June that he is thrilled at the prospect of being an Olympian.
“Playing for your country is always extremely exciting and it will be pretty surreal doing it on the Olympic stage,” he said. “It’s also good bragging rights for people that tell me golf is not a sport – I can say it’s an Olympic sport.
“I’m just excited to go there and experience the Olympics, see some other sports, go to the village, see other athletes and just be part of it all. It should be a fun, special week.”
After missing the cut at Troon and seeing Schauffele take his world number two ranking, Rory McIlroy is taking a holiday to recharge his batteries ahead of Paris.
He revealed after finishing on 11-over on Friday, “That four-hole stretch to start off is what cost me. Twenty-two holes into the event and I’m thinking about where I’m going to go on vacation next week.”
The Northern Irishman – who represents Ireland at the Olympic Games – is keen to make the podium having just missed out on bronze in a playoff in Tokyo.
“I feel like I say this every Open Championship, but it’s not as if we only play four events a year,” he added. “There’s still a few things there’s left to play for. Obviously the majors have come and gone, but (I have) to sort of refocus and try to reset for the Olympics, which will be another cool experience, and try to play well there.”
