The Round Table: Schauffele nabs second major but probably not Player of the Year

Each week we ask our panel of writers, PGA members and golf industry experts to weigh in with their views on the hot topics of the day.

Xander Schauffele won The Open on Sunday for his second major victory of the season. As usual with major championships, there were plenty of compelling stories and sub-plots that added colour or intrigue to this tournament, from the large number of top players that missed the cut to a grab bag of stars and others that populated the leaderboard on Sunday. What was your favourite takeaway from the past four days at Royal Troon?

Jim Deeks, Fairways Magazine (@jimdeeks): Well, unfortunately it didn’t have the happy ending I was hoping for, but until the last twenty minutes, it looked like Justin Rose might be able to pull off an unlikely but hugely popular win.  Justin is one of the truly honourable people in the game of golf, and has been a fine player for 20 years, despite a rough beginning to his professional career.  I would have loved to see him win the Open, the championship he has always coveted, and deserved more than most.

Craig Loughry, Golf Ontario (@craigloughry): The takeaway for me was the venue. It presented well, and was a stiff test for players, all areas of the game, mental, short game, and long game. It’s not a shock that Royal Troon is on their regular Open rotation.

Michael Schurman, Master Professional / Hall of Fame Member, PGA of Canada: I enjoyed the completeness of the field. In other words, if you qualify, you play. I miss the local qualifiers which meant anyone who produced in a one-day qualifying round went directly into the tournament. I never ventured over because it was held in July, and I had jobs to worry about. However, guys like Frank Whibley and Dave Clayton did go and did win a spot to play. I’m already tired of the LIV vs PGA TOUR argument. I’m glad some events like the Open have moved on. Today those pounds are replaced with high finishes in events around the world.

TJ Rule, Golf Away Tours (@GolfAwayTJ): That I love links golf and watching The Open.  The Masters is always a special tournament to watch for obvious reasons, but I get more excited to wake up at 4am to watch as much of The Open as possible.  It’s a style of golf that is so different from all other weeks on Tour, and it brings so many more players into the mix every year.  It’s great to see a guy like Daniel Brown be in contention in his first major, or Thriston Lawrence come out of nowhere, and Justin Rose still be competitive fairly late in his career.  The weather is always a big story and it’s a tournament where you see shots you won’t see anywhere else.  It also helps that all of the courses they play in the rotation are playable by anyone who wants to make the trek over, and I’ve been lucky enough to play them all, so it’s fun watching golf on a course you’ve played before.  Can’t wait to be onsite next year at Portrush, should be a special event.

Hal Quinn, Freelance Writer, Vancouver:  Early Thursday morning — the Left Coast is a tough time zone to watch The Open — a golf pal asked for my pick. I texted back that Schauffele was the sleeper and a great links player. That’s my favourite takeaway. A close second was the inspiring play of Justin Rose — after having had to qualify to get in. His play and attitude were brilliant. He burned a lot of edges Sunday and still shot a great 67. His winning would have been an even better story than Schauffele’s.

Peter Mumford, Fairways Magazine (@FairwaysMag): I’ve been a huge fan of the Open for as long as I can remember. It’s my favourite major. The courses look real, not manicured to the max. Every bump and rumple can have an impact on score and bad bounces and scary pot bunkers are part of the game. The championship is even better when the wind blows. Some say the Open involves too much luck but oddly enough, the same players always seem to do well. Are they luckier than the rest? As usual, the R&A did it right and we were treated to an exceptional golf tournament.

This was the tenth time that Royal Troon hosted the Open Championship and certainly the recent ones have produced closely contested exciting finishes. The course received some criticism after high scores the first three days, although weather could be blamed for part of that. What was your take on Troon as an Open venue, and did it deserve criticism for the way it was set up?

Deeks: I thought the criticism was typical whining from a bunch of pampered, underappreciative millionaires… including one of my usual favourite players, Shane Lowry.  Just let your clubs do the talking, boys.  I always remember Jack Nicklaus saying that when he heard fellow players start complaining about the golf course, or the weather, he knew he had a big advantage.  The whiners should keep that in mind.

Loughry: Loved this Major this year, Royal Troon showed teeth and there is nothing wrong with that. The leaderboard had some good exchanges, ten players within a few shots of the lead. Ultimately, the best player won, and Xander is a world-class top player. I’m not sure what more you could ask for in a Major.

Schurman: Gene Sarazen told Ben Hogan he had to win somewhere other than the USA to be considered a true champion. Hogan went to Carnoustie and won. Deacon Palmer told Arnie he had to win events around the world to be considered a champion. Arnie won the Open. Nicklaus felt a champion had to win in foreign countries. He won in Australia and The Open. None of them complained about the weather or the course. They challenged each shot as it was presented, did their best and accepted the ‘jug’. Anyone who complains isn’t making room in their mind to win.

Rule: There will always be days on links courses where the scores are high, it’s the nature of the beast given how the weather can change from minute to minute.  Heck, Rory shot 80 at St Andrews once, which is considered by many to be too easy of a golf course for an Open.  In the end, the scoring was reasonable, and you’d have to say the set up was fair. There were scores to be had on Sunday, and Xander took the best advantage of that.

Quinn: The inward nine was close to unplayable Saturday, of course though some managed to survive it. Scheffler said it was the hardest nine he’s played, and Lowry made to solid point that the R&A should have moved up a few tees — drivers on a par 3? In the booth, the talking heads go on and on about the players having to adapt to the elements in links golf. Well, the R&A has to too.

Mumford: No criticism was warranted. Weather is part of the game, and some dealt with it better than others. The golf course was brilliant as usual. It has an unusual mix of holes and changes in direction which likely keep the player off balance a bit more than more typical links courses. I’d love to see the Open at Troon more often.

Scottie Scheffler has won six times this year including the Masters, the Players and four Signature events while Xander Schauffele has won two majors. Both have plenty of other top 10 finishes. While there are still five weeks left on the PGA Tour schedule, the race for Player of the Year has come down to these two players. Which one would get your vote?

Deeks: Close, but I’d give it to Scheffler.  He’s had a season that we haven’t seen in several years, since vintage Tiger.  (And by the way, shouldn’t Tiger take a hint from Joe Biden?)

Loughry: It’s Scheffler for me, he’s been a little more dominant and consistent for the whole year so far.  If Schauffler sneaks in a win or two, I think I’d have to reconsider.

Schurman: Not even close. Both with 2 majors but Scheffler’s wins in Signature events surpass Schauffele’s count this year.

Rule: I still think it’s a clear-cut win for Scottie given his amazing run in the first 5 months of the year.  I guess if Xander wins the FedEx you could re-open the discussion, but Scottie has won six times, and they are all big tournaments.  I don’t even think it’s up for debate at this time.  Crazy to think that someone who has won two majors isn’t even considered for POY, but such is the nature of Scottie’s unprecedented year to date.

Quinn: Hard to fathom let alone argue against what Scheffler has done this year, but……It is amazing that Schauffele has won two Majors with final round 65s — that Sunday round was a clinic on how to handle everything a classic links can throw at you — and has finished in the top 8 in all four Majors. It may come down to the awful FedEx Cup fandango and the players’ voting always heavily favours Majors.

Mumford: If you think of the Players as a major, or at least a near-major, then they both have two this year. Scheffler’s domination of the Signature events should get him his own Netflix series but, in my mind, means he has already locked up Player of the Year honours. Schauffele would have to pretty much win all three playoff events and even then, I’m not sure he’d overtake Scheffler.