- The action at Royal Troon reached a fever pitch on the final day of The Open
- Xander Schauffele kept his cool and took his second major this season
- Englishman Justin Rose finished second with a draw of -7, along with American Billy Horschel
The exciting action at Royal Troon reached a climax as several top athletes battled it out for the Claret Jug.
Xander Schauffele performed incredibly well on the final day, with the American finishing two strokes ahead of Justin Rose and Billy Horschel on a thrilling final day.
The 30-year-old shot a sensational 65 to deny Rose the honour of becoming the first Englishman in more than three decades to win The Open.
Meanwhile, Shane Lowry had managed to build up an improbable lead despite the difficult weather conditions, but his attempt to emulate his 2019 exploits was ultimately unsuccessful, finishing in sixth place, five strokes behind.
Mail Sport’s JAMES SHARPE discusses what you may have missed from The Open in Talk of the Troon.
Xander Schauffele delivered a flawless final day performance to win The Open
The American finished -9 at the Royal Troon, two strokes ahead of Justin Rose and Billy Horschel
15th emphasizes the changing weather
To appreciate the brutality of Royal Troon’s swirling winds, you need only look at how the 502-yard, par-four 15th played the last two days. Jon Rahm’s tee shot into the storms on that grotesque Saturday afternoon traveled just 262 yards. On Sunday, he hit it 346 yards down the fairway.
Shane Lowry hit two with the driver on the same hole on Saturday and still finished 50 yards short of the green after teeing off just 235 yards. He shot 319 on Sunday.
The grotesque conditions seen earlier in the competition finally disappeared on the final day
Olympic hopefuls save small talk for later
Matt Fitzpatrick is not one to embrace the Olympic spirit of friendship and solidarity. He and Tommy Fleetwood are going for gold at Le Golf National next month.
When asked if he had spoken to his Team GB partner about it this week, Fitzpatrick grinned: ‘No, it’s an individual tournament. We play each other at the end of the day.’
Matt Fitzpatrick will team up with Tommy Fleetwood for the British team for the Olympic Games in Paris next month
Souvenirs aren’t cheap at Troon
Forget the queue for the first tee, the longest line of people was the one that snaked its way into the gigantic course shop as customers raced to collect as many souvenirs as possible – £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 cute little three-quarter zip caught the attention of Mail Sport – until a glance at the price tag revealed £290! Just the towel, please.
Da Vinci Code author praises namesake
An American journalist wrote to author Dan Brown, whose best-sellers include The Da Vinci Code and Angels & Demons, asking if he was watching his namesake at the Open.
Brown wrote back, attaching a photo of himself holding just the head of an iron. “This was the result of my last shot,” he replied. “I’m glad to see my alter ego playing better than me.”
Eckroat Latest Victim of the Postage Stamp
Austin Eckroat was the latest man to be driven mad at the Postage Stamp when the eighth hole claimed its final victim of the week. The American needed four strokes to get out of one of the bunkers on the right en route to a quadruple-bogey seven.
“It’s fun,” Eckroat said. “You’re scared when you go to that tee.” What a punishment!
Austin Eckroat is the latest star to fall victim to the Postage Stampa after making a quadruple bogey
Thomas’ shot swims with the fish
Justin Thomas was hoping to cause a stir early in his final round, but not in the way he expected with his first tee shot.
The former world number one hit his driver so far out of bounds to the right that it nearly ended up in the Firth of Clyde. One fan commented: ‘Even the fish dodged!’