WiretoWire: Xander Schauffele's second act

This is the year of Scottie Scheffler, but now it’s also the year of Xander Schauffele. The Californian captured his second major title of the season at The 152nd Open at Royal Troon, carding a final-round, 6-under 65 – Sunday’s low score by two shots – to become Champion Golfer of the Year. Schauffele finished at 9-under 275 on the Scottish coast, two strokes clear of Billy Horschel and Justin Rose. Prior to this season, Schauffele was often included on the short list of best players without a major title, and he removed his name from consideration with a dramatic victory at the PGA Championship at Valhalla. Just two majors later, he’s a champion once again. This time, he tactfully navigated varied conditions at Royal Troon including a monsoon on Saturday afternoon; he carded a third-round, 2-under 69 to move into a tie for second place, one back of Horschel, into the final round. Then he turned on the jets Sunday, his performance highlighted by four birdies in a six-hole stretch on the final nine (Nos. 11, 13, 14 and 16) that allowed him to enjoy a serene walk up the 18th fairway. Schauffele becomes the first player to win two majors in a season since 2018, and he’s now a nine-time TOUR winner, but afterward, he didn’t want to get into speculation about where he stands among his generation’s elite players. That’s OK; his game speaks loud and clear. Yet he did share one opinion Sunday evening, regarding the day’s work, as he fielded questions with the claret jug by his side: “Best round I’ve ever played.”

Dunlap makes history at Barracuda

In this game, you just never stop grinding. Because you never know where lightning will strike – or how. Nick Dunlap, the 20-year-old wunderkind, won for the second time on the PGA TOUR in 2024 Sunday at the Barracuda Championship – becoming the first ever TOUR player to win as an amateur and a pro in the same season. Dunlap’s 19-point effort in the Modified Stableford Scoring system at Old Greenwood was the round of the day. He trailed by nine points heading into Sunday and his come-from-behind victory was the largest in tournament history. The TOUR rookie – who won Sunday on the same day the last TOUR rookie to win twice in a season, Xander Schauffele, titled a trophy – opened with a 4-under 31 before adding three birdies and an eagle from 55 feet on the back nine. Dunlap admitted after his birdie on the penultimate hole he started to look at the leaderboard. He ended up two points ahead of Vince Whaley, who had a chance to hole out for an eagle on the 72nd hole for the win but ended up 17 feet away. Whaley converted that birdie for a solo second, his best-career result on TOUR. But the day belonged to Dunlap. The Alabama star had just one top-10 finish on TOUR since his victory at The American Express and was firmly trying to navigate the grind that is professional golf. He never stopped believing in himself, or his game. And now he’s a winner on TOUR – this time, as a pro.

The penultimate possibility for FedExCup points

The 3M Open, sandwiched between the final major championship of the year and the Olympic Games in Paris, marks the penultimate possibility for FedExCup points before the Playoffs begin in August. Only the top 70 in the FedExCup standings will qualify for the Playoffs, and the big focus for everyone in the field will be their spots on the FedExCup standings. Several stars will head to TPC Twin Cities in Blaine, Minnesota, looking for some magic as the season comes to a close, including past TOUR winners Justin Rose, Sahith Theegala and Sam Burns. After Lee Hodges’ wire-to-wire winner here last year, another exciting week remains on the horizon.

Video of the week

Mic check

“Well, I won second place, I won points, I won prizes, FedExCup points, all that stuff too. At that point, you're being a professional… Then I walk ten steps later, and I'm choking back tears. So that's the shift. Yeah, just personal, and enjoying 18 with the fans too. I just think it's such an amazing stage. For me, like that's the best look in golf, those two long grandstands that you walk down and the big yellow leaderboard. That's what I associate as a magic moment.” – Justin Rose on what it means to compete at The Open.

By the numbers

238 – Si Woo Kim flew a perfect tee shot from 238 yards out on Saturday for the first ace of The Open Championship.

2 – Nick Dunlap won his second event of the year at the Barracuda Championship, becoming the first player in the history of the PGA TOUR to win as an amateur and a professional in the same season.

13 – Matt McCarty becomes the 13th first-time winner on the Korn Ferry Tour this season with his win at the Price Cutter Charity Championship presented by Dr Pepper, earning his PGA TOUR card in the process.

Comcast Business TOUR TOP 10

The Comcast Business TOUR TOP 10 highlights and rewards the extraordinary level of play required to earn a spot in the TOP 10 at the conclusion of the FedExCup Regular Season as determined by the FedExCup standings. The competition recognizes and awards the most elite in golf.