The Punter's Open Championship De-brief: Sensational Schauffele captures second major

• Resilient Rose fights all the way

• Olympic champions finish first and second

• Read my 3M Open preview here

The 4/15.00 favourite, Scottie Scheffler, won the US Masters in April, Xander Schauffele broke his major duck at the US PGA Championship in May, having gone off at 18.017/1, and Bryson DeChambeau was trading at 25.024/1 before the off when winning his second US Open last month but the Golfing Gods hinted at a fairytale winner at the year's final major - the Open Championship.

Rank outsider, Daniel Brown, who had current form figures reading MC-MC-MC-MC-MC-MC-61, was the surprising first round leader and had he parred the 18^th on Saturday, he'd have entered the fourth and final round in front but a double-bogey six saw him slip back into a tie for second.

Alongside Brown in second with a round to go was another pre-event 1000.0999/1 shot, Thriston Lawrence, and although Brown was soon out of contention in round four, Lawrence played superbly after a quite brilliant par save on the first.

The South African hit the front on the back nine and he was matched at just 3.185/40 to lift the famous Claret Jug and he wasn't the only longshot to trade at a single-figure price.

The 36-hole leader, Shane Lowry, who was a 55.054/1 chance before the off, was matched at as low as 2.486/4 when he led by three on the front-nine on Saturday, 220.0219/1 shot, Russell Henley, hit a low of 8.07/1 on Sunday, the 54-hole leader, Billy Horschel, was matched at a low of 3.953/1, and playing in his 21^st Open Championship, 330.0329/1 chance, Justin Rose, hit a low of just 3.185/40 as the Championship developed into a three-way tussle on the back-nine between Lawrence, Rose and the well-supported 16/117.00 chance, Xander Schauffele.

The world number one, Scottie Scheffler, was matched at 3.613/5 after he'd birdied the third hole but he made a mess of the two par fives on the front-nine and when he three-putted the ninth from six feet, his race was run.

And that wasn't the only time he gave high handicappers like me a bit of a boost. Check out his drive on 18!

"He's world number one folks"

Scottie Scheffler has a mishap on the tee pic.twitter.com/IqycsRXhT8

-- Sky Sports Golf (@SkySportsGolf) July 21, 2024

With Scheffler out of contention, Schauffele started to look the most likely winner when he made the only birdie of the day at the tough 11^th and when he made back-to-back birdies on 13 and 14, the writing was on the wall.

With the weather improving as predicted as the day wore on, Schauffele, who Dave Tindall put up at Christmas at 33/134.00, was an extremely impressive victor.

His six-under-par 65 was one of only two bogey-free rounds around Troon on Sunday and it was the best round of the day by two strokes.

Resilient Rose fights all the way

New-Zealander, Ryan Fox, climbed from 45^th to 25^th with a four-under-par 67 and the only other man to shoot within two strokes of the winner was the 43-year-old Englishman, Justin Rose, who had begun round four alongside Schauffele in a tie for second.

Rose was extremely impressive throughout the final round with his sole bogey coming at the tough par four 12^th.

He ended the week ranking fourth for Driving Accuracy, second for Greens In Regulation and first for Scrambling but only 50^th for Putting Average and that was the difference on Sunday.

He had several putts on the back nine that missed by the narrowest of margins and it just wasn't his day, but it was impossible to fault his demeanour.

He gave it his all but was narrowly beaten by the better player on the day, finishing the Championship alongside the 54-hole leader, Horschel, in a tie for second.

Rose and Horschel, who birdied the last three holes, finished one in front of Lawrence, who made a par at the 18^th that was every bit as impressive as the one on the first after the'd found sand off the tee.

All the clues were there for Schauffele

Since Jon Rahn won the US Masters last year, all seven majors have now gone the way of an American and we probably shouldn't be at all surprised by Schauffele's victory given six of the previous seven Opens at Troon had been won by someone form the States and that 16 of the previous 28 Opens had been won by an American.

Schauffele had already shown his links prowess by winning the Scottish Open two years ago and the fact that he'd lined up at the Renaissance Club the week before the Open, where he'd finished 15^th, was a big plus given eight of the previous 12 winners before him had warmed up in the Scottish.

The last three Open winners have finished 10^th, 12^th and 15^th in the Scottish Open and the first four home at Troon were all in the line-up at the Renaissance.

Next stop Paris for Xander

Schauffele will have a well-deserved rest this week, understandably swerving the 3M Open, but he'll be in the line-up at Paris National a week on Thursday when he attempts to defend his Olympic title and I just wonder if having that on the horizon was an added inspiration for both Schauffele and Rose.

Schauffele won the Gold medal in Japan in 2020, four years after Rose had won in Brazil, and he's currently trading at around 7/18.00 to win the Gold Medal again.

Dunlap doubles up

Over at the Barracuda Championship, Nick Dunlap had begun the final round trailing the 54-hole leader, Mac Meissner, by nine points but a run of six birdies in the first 12 holes put him in contention and he sealed the deal with an eagle at the 15^th and another birdie at 17.

Meissner, who was matched at a low of 1.68/13 when he hit his tee-shot to five feet on the par three eighth, looked the most likely winner, but he missed the birdie putt, bogeyed the ninth, and missed another great chance for birdie at 10. He eventually finished fourth.

Dunlap, who had won the American Express as an amateur back in January, was a well-backed 32.031/1 chance before the off.

He was matched at as high as 46.045/1 when the market first opened and he hit that price again with a round to go.

Read my 3M Open preview here

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