Phil Mickelson extended his congratulations to Xander Schauffele following the American’s impressive victory at the Open Championship, where he shot a flawless six-under 65 in the final round.
Phil Mickelson went on social media to send his congratulations to Xander Schauffele for his exciting Open Championship win!
Xander Schauffele clinched his second major victory of the year by shooting a flawless six-under 65 in the final round at Royal Troon, narrowly beating out Justin Rose and Billy Horschel for the Claret Jug. This achievement makes him only the second player, alongside Jack Nicklaus, to win multiple major championships with final rounds of 65 or lower.
Following Schauffele’s win, Phil Mickelson congratulated him on social media with a gracious message. Mickelson’s post read: “Congratulations to @XSchauffele on an outstanding performance. A final round 65 with -4 on the challenging back 9 to secure The Open and the title of Champion Golfer of The Year is truly remarkable. Well done, and best of luck in Paris as well!”
Rose, who ended the week in a tie for second place with Horschel, also praised Schauffele for his impressive performance. “Well done Xander…. A two-time major champion and well-deserved,” he stated.
“I believe I performed well and gave it my all today and throughout the entire week. After each round, I walked away from the 18th hole feeling like I accomplished something for the day. Thank you for all the support. It really means a lot!! The dream of winning the jug is still alive!”
Chatting with journalists alongside the Claret Jug, Schauffele acknowledged Mickelson’s influence in his journey to becoming an Open Champion. The 30-year-old shared that he tuned in to highlights from Mickelson’s memorable showdown with Henrik Stenson at the 2016 Open to help him prepare mentally.
It’s such an honor to hear your name followed by ‘Open champion’. This is a dream come true for me after a long time. I used Phil [Mickelson] and Henrik [Stenson] highlights from 2016 as motivation, and I’m glad it worked out so well!
Schauffele also credited his victory on Sunday to a newfound composure that he experienced during the final round. He mentioned, “There are moments of calmness and extreme stress when you’re competing for a major championship.”
He continued, “I have felt those moments in the past – the ones I didn’t win – and I allowed them to affect me. Today, I felt like I managed to handle the pressure quite well when it was necessary.”
Winning the first one really boosted my confidence on the back nine today. It was quite challenging, but that feeling of calmness really helped me through one of the toughest back nines I’ve ever faced in a tournament.
It’s truly a dream come true to win two majors in a single year. It was a long journey just to win one, so having two now is truly special.
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