Two down, two to go - Schauffele eyes slam after Open triumph

On nan last time of an aggravated Open Championship, played retired successful a glorious amalgam of upwind and rainfall and sunshine from first point connected Thursday, Xander Schauffele carried himself pinch nan benignant of zen that could make Buddha look fretful.

The American said he sewage “chills” en way to nan last greenish connected Sunday, but it didn’t show. To nan watching world he was impossibly cool and improbably collected.

He displayed a steely attraction and a precision that laid discarded to a battalion that spent overmuch of nan time tightly bunched together, for illustration a peloton awaiting a sprint finish.

There was nary sprint, though. There was a breakaway and cipher could spell pinch it.

“It's an honour,” he said, looking astatine his Claret Jug. “I've ever dreamt of doing it.

"That locomotion up 18 genuinely is nan coolest pinch nan yellowish leaderboards and nan fans and nan opinionated ovation. It really is 1 of nan coolest feelings I've ever had successful my life.”

He talked of “super stressful moments” but that was portion of Schauffele’s brilliance. Whatever emotion he was feeling, he ne'er gave immoderate hint of it.

Where did this information complaint successful nan thousands he has played? “At nan very extremity top.”

He called nan backmost 9 astatine Royal Troon nan hardest 9 holes he’s ever played and yet he mastered them successful 31 shots. Four birdies and nary bogeys connected a agelong of holes that recovered retired nan top players connected nan satellite each week.

When Schauffele won his first awesome championship, nan US PGA astatine Valhalla successful May, his parents and, you sense, his top influences were acold distant from Louisville.

When he won his 2nd connected Sunday they were correct by his side.

His dad, Stefan, was successful nan media centre erstwhile his boy did nan winners’ news conference, opinionated distant to nan broadside and successful a blindspot to nan stage, truthful overmuch truthful that Schauffele needed telling that his dada was present.

Another major, but a different vibe.

When Schauffele won astatine Valhalla, his folks were astatine their spot connected nan Hawaiian land of Kauai, a cargo instrumentality that doubles arsenic their oasis from life successful San Diego. No moving water, nary aerial conditioning. Splendid isolation.

Not an perfect spot to beryllium erstwhile your boy has conscionable fulfilled his life’s dream of winning a major, though. They followed it connected their phone, which presented its ain challenges, but it was affectional each nan same.

“Once he made that putt [to triumph nan PGA]," said Stefan, “I started to melt for illustration a portion of food successful a skillet.”

This time, location would beryllium nary agelong region celebrations. Stefan and Ping Yi were here, arsenic ample arsenic life.

Americans emotion their father-son stories successful athletics and nan Schauffele yarn is up location pinch nan champion of them.

Stefan, who grew up successful Germany, was a decathlete backmost successful nan day, an aspiring Olympian who had his ain dream crushed erstwhile deed by a drunk driver astatine nan property of 20. He mislaid nan show successful an oculus and knowledgeable trauma successful his life.

“There was immoderate slump and alcoholism,” he said successful a caller interview. “That’s what led maine to moving to America.”

He had a boy and from nan property of nine, Xander was a player. Stefan coached him and, from clip to time, based on pinch him. Madly, connected occasion.

Everything paid off. A golfing instrumentality was forged and we saw it successful each its formidable glory astatine Royal Troon this past week.

“Now he’s sewage this first major,” said Stefan aft Valhalla, “it’s nan first 1 of nan 4 [nobody successful Team Schauffele is shying distant from nan target of a Grand Slam].

"I’ve sewage a bully emotion he’ll get nan 2nd 1 of nan 4 this year. With him being arsenic accordant arsenic he is now, everybody is connected notice.”

Prescient words. For a number of years, Schauffele was deemed golf’s astir man, a supremely talented subordinate who couldn’t backmost up his excellence pinch titles.

This is his clip now. Two fields successful a azygous twelvemonth is an other-worldly accomplishment successful this era of nan game, a play truthful afloat of established winners and thrusting young things who are utterly unafraid of winning.

Schauffele said he had a spot connected his enarthrosis astir immoderate of nan negativity thrown astatine him. He utilized it arsenic fuel.

What’s he going to usage for information now that he’s an acclaimed double awesome winner? “If you look difficult enough, you tin ever find it,” he said.

“It's something, erstwhile you consciousness for illustration you request an other footwear successful nan butt, there's respective easy ways to motivate yourself.

"There's still a batch of things that I'd for illustration to do successful my career, and this is simply a very large leap towards that. The occurrence is still burning, possibly brighter than ever.”

He has nan Olympics successful Paris next, a golden badge to take sides from his glory successful Tokyo, different dream to pursuit earlier returning to nan fields circuit adjacent year.

That is terrain he will recreation arsenic a two-time champion and an expanding unit to beryllium reckoned pinch successful nan ferocious situation of elite golf.

Small successful stature, for sure. But Schauffele is simply a colossus now.