Open champion Xander Schauffele admitted to being “calm” during the closing holes of his second Major victory of the year, though his caddie, Austin Kaiser, struggled to keep it together.
Following his win at the PGA Championship in May, Schauffele secured the Claret Jug at Royal Troon with a composed 65 in the final round, finishing nine under for the tournament. This placed him two strokes ahead of runners-up Justin Rose and Billy Horschel. Schauffele credited his victory at Valhalla, where he narrowly defeated Bryson DeChambeau for his first Major title, with helping to steady his nerves as he approached the finish line in Scotland.
In an interview with Sky Sports after his win, Schauffele said, “I thought it would help me and it actually did. I had this sense of calm, a calm I didn’t have when I played earlier at the PGA, and for some reason, I was calm and felt collected.”
However, Schauffele’s caddie, Austin Kaiser, had a different experience. “I was telling Austin on the 18th hole that I felt pretty calm coming down the stretch, and he said he was about to puke on the 18th! I just told myself to hit it down there like I have all day and kept moving along,” Schauffele shared.
Winning the Claret Jug for the first time was a dream come true for Schauffele. He expressed, “It means a lot. It’s something all of us play for and it really is a dream come true to be holding this. It definitely hasn’t sunk in yet. My brain is still grinding on this amazing property here and just trying to get through the holes. I can’t wait to sit back and have a moment with this Claret Jug.”
Schauffele’s final round performance, which featured six birdies and no bogeys, demonstrated his nerves of steel. He emerged victorious from a crowded leaderboard, which had 11 players, including Schauffele, within four shots of the leader, Billy Horschel, heading into Sunday’s play.
With this victory, Schauffele earned a winner’s check of $3.1 million, with Kaiser set to receive around $310,000 on top of the approximately $330,000 he earned at the PGA Championship.
As Kaiser’s nerves settle, attention will turn to Schauffele’s next high-profile appearance, where he will represent the US at the Olympics, aiming for his second consecutive gold medal. The tournament begins on August 1.