Xander Schauffele won The 152nd Open at Royal Troon; his two-shot victory means all four men's majors have been won by American players for the first time since 1982; American ex-major champion Rich Beem: "This win just helps solidify the fact that we know that our games can travel"
Monday 22 July 2024 17:47, UK
Xander Schauffele's victory at The 152nd Open, which handed America a clean sweep of the four men's golf majors this year, has raised hopes of home and away Ryder Cup success for the USA, according to Sky Sports' Rich Beem.
Schauffele's two-shot win at Royal Troon means all four men's majors have been won by American players for the first time since 1982.
The 30-year-old also won the US PGA Championship in May, while Scottie Scheffler claimed The Masters title in April and Bryson DeChambeau took US Open victory in June.
The American sweep comes after the USA lost the Ryder Cup in October last year as Europe claimed a 16.5-11.5 win in Rome.
But Beem believes the American major success which has followed can now act as a springboard for the USA to, not only regain the Ryder Cup next year in New York, but earn their first away Ryder Cup win since 1993 at Adare Manor in Ireland in 2027.
"There's so many world-class players playing in the United States, abroad and even on LIV, so to have four Americans stand out and win all four majors, which hasn't happened since 1982, that's just a massive accomplishment," Beem told Sky Sports News.
"The American players push each other and are striving each and every time. We do take exception when we lose the Ryder Cup, even when it's on away soil and this win just kind of helps solidify the fact that we know that our games can travel.
"I think that hopefully not only winning the Ryder Cup at Bethpage Black next year but certainly when it gets over to Adare Manor, I think that's going to be on everybody's mind.
"But just winning all four majors from one country, granted we have the bulk of the Americans playing on the PGA Tour, but it's still pretty special as an American to kind of be like, 'Wow, we own them all'.
"It's pretty nice, and trust me, I let all of my colleagues know at Sky Sports too!"
Keegan Bradley will captain the USA in the 2025 Ryder Cup at Bethpage Black and he was one of the first to congratulate Schauffele with a warm embrace following his victory at Royal Troon, which Beem was pleased to see.
He said: "That's just a great move by Keegan to be there because Xander made some notes about Keegan's captaincy and what he would like to see changed. They've had a lot of dinners, a lot of functions, photos and that really takes away a lot of time from the players outside of their normal routine.
"I think Keegan wanted to be there for Xander to say, 'Listen, I've heard you, I've got your back and I'm going to do everything I can in conjunction with the Ryder Cup on the USA side and the European side to see if we can limit some of that'.
"But just having Keegan there, I think was a big moment too for Xander. I think that it was a class move by Keegan."
Schauffele became the first player to win The Open and US PGA Championship in the same year since Rory McIlroy in 2014.
McIlroy, however, is without a major since victory at Valhalla as the world No 3 missed the cut at Royal Troon.
The 35-year-old's poor performance came just a month after his collapse at the US Open, where he dropped three shots in the closing four holes to lose by one to DeChambeau.
But Beem believes McIlroy's Pinehurst heartbreak was not to blame for his struggles in Scotland and he must focus on adapting to windy conditions if he is to taste success next year at The 153rd Open, which is being held at Royal Portrush in his native Northern Ireland.
"His major performances this year were pretty good," Beem said. "The one that got away from him at the US Open, that really ate at him, but I don't think it had anything to do with his performance at Troon.
"I think that the weather conditions caught him out just a little bit. Going forward, he might want to take a look because he did talk at length about the wind and the conditions getting to him and he didn't handle it very well, so that's something to look at when he tries to win this great championship at Portrush next summer.
"I think most of us, maybe even Rory included, would say that he hasn't had a great record and hasn't played exceptionally well when there's a lot of heavy winds involved.
"Although he did win the Scottish Open last summer when he hit an unbelievable shot into the 72nd hole to steal the title from Robert MacIntyre, who won it this year. But it's a different type of heavy wind that they had at Troon and it was evident that there were a number of players that weren't able to handle it and he just happened to be the biggest name that didn't handle it very well.
"Every golfer has something to learn about their failures and where they need to improve in case they get into that situation next time when the winds and the rains are coming in, like we should see in Portrush. He just needs to look at that part of his game when it comes to preparation, but I've got no issue with his game whatsoever.
"He'll come out during the FedExCup Playoffs and play at a high level and you never know, he might win the thing again. He's such an exceptional player but I just think that he got caught out by the conditions and he rightfully admitted that too, which was actually refreshing to hear."
The PGA Tour heads to Minnesota for the 3M Open at TPC Twin Cities, with live coverage on Thursday from 6pm on Sky Sports Golf. The next regular DP World Tour event is the D+D Real Czech Masters from August 15-18. Stream the PGA Tour, majors and more top sport with NOW.
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