British Open Day 4 Winners and Losers: Xander Schauffele Breaks Away From Pack to Win Second Major of the Year

Schauffele fired a bogey-free 65 on Sunday to win the Claret Jug. And he wasn't the only winner at this edition of the British Open.

Jeff Ritter, John Schwarb | Jul 28, 2024

Xander Schauffele took the lead for the first time on the back nine Sunday. / Jack Gruber/USA TODAY Sports

The 2024 British Open appeared wide open on Sunday morning, with 12 players within four shots of the lead. But in the end, Xander Schauffele broke away from the pack and played flawlessly over the closing holes to snuff out the drama and claim his second major of the season. We call ’em like we see ’em around here. They are:

Winners

Xander Schauffele: He never led this tournament until the back nine on Sunday, but once the players around him started to crack, he only got stronger, punctuated by a back-nine 31. His Sunday 65 to win the Jug, and a second major of 2024, takes his career to yet another stratosphere.

Shane Lowry: He was 8 under par and alone in the lead before a choppy Saturday 77. He sank all the way back to even par on Sunday before grinding out four birdies to snag a top 5. He was the best player in the field for long stretches of the week—he’ll be back.

Royal Troon: It surrendered a 20-under-par winning score in 2016, but for this edition the weather kicked in to build drama and knock around the best players in the world. Saturday afternoon's wind and rain created scenes that will remain iconic. Ultimately it provided a strong test and produced a worthy champion. Can’t wait to come back here again.

Losers

Billy Horschel: Entered the day with a one-shot lead and an accomplished pack of chasers right on his heels. It would’ve taken perhaps the round of his life to lift the Jug, but he has to be disappointed to make a couple early bogeys that erased his birdies and stalled any momentum.

Justin Rose: You can make a case that no one wanted the Jug more, given that the former U.S. Open champ endured a 36-hole qualifier just to get into the Troon field. He gave himself several birdie looks on the back nine on Sunday to put heat on Schauffele but … just … couldn’t …buy a putt.

Justin Thomas: Fans of the two-time major winner had to have whiplash this week after watching rounds of 68-78-67-77. JT began the final round four shots back but blew his opening tee shot nearly out of Scotland, made triple bogey, and that was that.

Published Jul 21, 2024|Modified Jul 28, 2024

JEFF RITTER

Jeff Ritter is the managing director of golf content for Sports Illustrated. He has more than 20 years experience in sports media and has covered more than 30 major championships. In 2020 he joined Morning Read to help spark its growth and eventual acquisition by SI in 2022. He helped launch Golf Magazine’s first original, weekly e-magazine and served as its top editor. He also launched Golf's “Films” division, the magazine’s first long-form video storytelling franchise, and his debut documentary received an Edward R. Murrow Award for sports reporting. Ritter has earned first-place awards for his work from the Society of American Travel Writers, the MIN Magazine Awards and the Golf Writers Association of America. He received a bachelor’s from the University of Michigan and a master’s from the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University. A native Michigander, he remains a die-hard Wolverines fan and will defend Jim Harbaugh until the bitter end.

JOHN SCHWARB

John Schwarb is a senior editor for Sports Illustrated covering golf. Prior to joining SI in March 2022, he worked for ESPN.com, PGATour.com, Tampa Bay Times and Indianapolis Motor Speedway. He is the author of The Little 500: The Story of the World's Greatest College Weekend. A member of the Golf Writers Association of America, Schwarb has a bachelor's in journalism from Indiana University.