Xander Schauffele won his second Major Championship at The 152nd Open with a flawless round of 65 handing him a two-shot victory at Royal Troon.
The American entered the final day in Scotland a shot off the lead on a congested leaderboard but put on a seemingly nerveless display, accelerating away on the back nine to claim an ultimately comfortable triumph at nine under.
Schauffele won his maiden Major at the US PGA Championship in May and becomes the first player to win two in the same season since Brooks Koepka in 2018 and the first to complete the US PGA and Open double in a calendar year since Rory McIlroy a decade ago.
England's Justin Rose and American Billy Horschel were the nearest challengers after rounds of 67 and 68 respectively, one clear of South Africa's Thriston Lawrence who carded a closing 68 of his own.
American Russell Henley was at five under, one ahead of Ireland's Shane Lowry, with World Number One Scottie Scheffler, South Korea's Sungjae Im and Spaniard Jon Rahm the only other players in red numbers at one under.
Schauffele will defend his Olympic title in Paris in ten days' time, a prize that sat alongside a Rolex Series win, a World Golf Championships title and another five PGA TOUR victories when he entered the 2024 season.
In his 17 starts in 2024, he has ten top tens alongside his two Major wins, with no missed cuts and a lowest finish of 25th.
His Major record makes equally impressive reading, having finished in the top ten at 15 of his 30 appearances in golf's four biggest events, and in the space of two months he has taken himself halfway to the career Grand Slam.
"Before I had any Majors, it's something I've always wanted," he said. "I'm one step closer and still have a long way to go. But if you don't see yourself doing it, you're never going to do it.
"That walk up 18 truly is the coolest with the yellow leaderboards and the fans and the standing ovation. It really is one of the coolest feelings I've ever had in my life. I got chills walking down and quickly had to zap myself back into focus because the tournament wasn't over yet.
"It is an incredible feeling to be up here with the Claret Jug. It is just a result at the end of the day and I really do believe that.
Xander Schauffele wins The 152nd Open 🏆#TheOpen pic.twitter.com/8xtOcnGci1
— DP World Tour (@DPWorldTour) July 21, 2024
"Sometimes things go your way and sometimes they don't. Today I felt like I really controlled a lot of it. I kind of grabbed onto it and there was no chance I was going to let go of it. I was pretty aware of that and really wanted to make sure I did that.
"But for the most part, all those tough losses in the past or those moments where I let myself slip up and dream too early on that back nine, I was able to reel myself in today and make sure that didn't happen."
Horschel started the day with a one-shot lead but soon had company at the top as Rose put an approach to seven feet at the second.
The overnight leader hit back from 23 feet at his opening hole but bogeyed the third after finding sand off the tee and playing partner Lawrence made it a three-way tie as he took advantage of a fortunate lie at the third to get 12 feet.
The leading trio then all took advantage of the par-five fourth and they were two ahead of the field but Schauffele briefly joined them with a smart pitch to six feet at the sixth and a tee-shot to eight feet at the next.
Horschel put a pitch to 16 feet at the sixth and Rose holed a 14-footer at the eighth but it was Lawrence who led at the turn after leaving himself nine feet at the seventh and putting an approach to five feet at the ninth.
Rose bogeyed the 12th and Horschel dropped shots at the eighth and tenth as their challenges fell away and Schauffele soon began moving in the other direction.
He put his second to three feet at the 11th and left himself 16 feet at the 13th to share the lead before he moved ahead courtesy of a Lawrence bogey at the 12th.
A brilliant tee-shot to 12 feet at the 14th was followed by a smart up-and-down at the 16th, moving Schauffele three ahead and sealing a stunning victory.
Rose birdied the 16th and 18th and Horschel ended his round with three gains but they proved mere consolation, trimming the winning margin to two.
Henley was bogey-free with gains on the fifth and 16th, while 20019 champion Lowry looked to challenge for a second Claret Jug when he made four birdies in five holes from the fourth but he would only add one more with two bogeys in a 68.
American Scheffler signed for a 72, Rahm carded a 68 and Im finished with a 69 to sit a shot ahead of English pair Dan Brown and Matthew Jordan and Australian Adam Scott, who completed the top ten.
