Inside the triumph of Xander Schauffele | Seen and heard at the Open Championship

Welcome to GOLF.com’s “Seen & Heard” video series, where we give you an inside look at golf’s biggest events through the eyes and ears of our on-site crew. On the agenda this week: The 2024 Open Championship at Royal Troon.

IN CASE OF: Tiger Talks, Rory’s Confession | Seen and Heard on Open Championship Day 1
IN CASE OF: Scheffler’s rust, MacIntyre’s wild celebration | Seen and heard on Open Championship day 2
IN CASE OF: Tiger’s big disappointment, Lowry fights | Seen and heard at the Open Championship

The 54 holes of the 2024 Open Championship provided plenty of what-if questions. Billy Horschel led the charge by one stroke, but there were a dozen players who could be argued had a legitimate shot at claiming the title.

After a bleak day of weather on Saturday, Sunday was dry, with a strong wind. There were still eighteen holes left to crown the champion.

GOLF’s Sean Zak was optimistic about Xander Schauffele’s chances from the start.

“You play links golf, it’s all about controlling the golf ball. It’s an underrated skill,” he said. “I think Xander is going to beat them today.”

Zak’s prediction came true and Xander Schauffele was crowned Champion Golfer of the Year with a two-stroke lead. With that he won his second major championship title. His pursuers, such as Shane Lowry and Justin Rose, were disappointed but also proud of their achievements.

Schauffele was still able to enjoy the victory for a while.

“It’s honestly one of the coolest feelings I’ve ever had in my life,” he said. “I got chills when I (18) walked in.

“I’m just curious what my dad will choose as the first drink from this glass.”

GOLF’s James Colgan spoke with Schauffele’s father, Stefan, after the round and he made a stunning prediction.

“He said that of all the golfers alive today, Xander is the closest to completing the career grand slam,” Colgan said. “And then he looked at me after he said that, he smiled, and he said, ‘How about that?'”

Yes that is true.

Schauffele and his colleagues will have a long wait before the next big test at the Masters in 2025. Before that, we still have the Olympics, the FedEx Cup and the Presidents Cup to enjoy. But for those of us captivated by Stefan Schauffele’s prediction, the countdown to Augusta begins … now.

To watch a video of the GOLF team’s full Sunday experience at the Open, check out the video above. You can also watch the “Seen & Heard” series in its entirety on YouTube here.

Golf.com Editor

As a four-year member of Columbia’s inaugural class of female varsity golfers, Jessica can out-bird anyone on the masthead. She can out-bird anyone in the office, too, where she’s primarily responsible for producing both print and online content and overseeing major special projects, such as GOLF’s inaugural Style Issue, which debuted in February 2018. Her original interview series, “A Round With,” debuted in November 2015 and has appeared in both the magazine and in video form on GOLF.com.