Xander Schauffele claimed his second major of the year — and of his career — on Sunday at the Open Championship, after heating up on the final few holes while his competition struggled.
Schauffele, who won the PGA Championship in May, as the Deseret News previously reported, had six birdies on Sunday and no bogeys.
He ended the tournament at 9-under par, two strokes ahead of Justin Rose and Billy Horschel, who tied for second place.
Schauffele started the day in a tie for second with five others. The leaderboard remained crowded for much of the final round.
Schauffele will now head into the golf tournament at the Olympics in a great position to defend his gold medal from the last Summer Games.
Golf’s Olympics history
Golf made its debut at the Olympics in 1900, but it has been part of just four Games before this summer.
It was played in 1900 and 1904, but then not again until 2016, according to Golf Monthly.
When it was reintroduced in 2016, Olympic organizers adopted the current format for Olympic golf: Sixty men compete in a four-day, 72-hole tournament, and 60 women compete in a four-day, 72-hole tournament.
In other words, golf at the Olympics looks the same as golf at tournaments throughout the season, except entries are controlled by countries and the three top finishers get medals.
There’s “a three-hole playoff to determine medal winners in the event of a tie,” Golf Monthly reported.
Olympic medalists in men’s golf
In 2016, Justin Rose of the United Kingdom won gold, Henrik Stenson of Sweden took silver and Matt Kuchar of the United States took bronze, according to Olympics.com.
At the 2020 Summer Games, which were played in 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Schauffele won gold, Rory Sabbatini of Slovakia took silver and C.T. Pan of Chinese Taipei took bronze.
Olympic medalists in women’s golf
In 2016, Inbee Park of the Republic of Korea won gold, Lydia Ko of New Zealand took silver and Shanshan Feng of China took bronze.
In 2021, Nelly Korda of the U.S. won gold, Mone Inami of Japan took silver and Ko took bronze.
Golfers representing U.S. at 2024 Olympics
At the 2024 Olympics, Schauffele and Korda will have the chance to defend their gold medals from the 2020 Summer Olympics.
Schauffele be joined by world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler, Collin Morikawa and Wyndham Clark on Team USA.
Korda will be joined by Lilia Vu and Rose Zhang.
How to watch golf at the Olympics
The men’s golf tournament at the 2024 Olympics begins on Thursday, Aug. 1, and ends on Sunday, Aug. 4.
Coverage of each day’s action will start at 1 a.m. MDT on NBC Golf and Peacock, according to the Team USA website.
The final round will re-air on USA Network starting at Noon MDT on Sunday, Aug. 4.
The women’s golf tournament at the 2024 Olympics begins on Wednesday, Aug. 7, and ends on Saturday, Aug. 10.
The daily coverage schedule for the women’s tournament is the same as it is for the men’s tournament, according to Team USA.
This year’s Olympic golf tournaments are being played at a venue called Le Golf National, or Golf National, in Paris. It also hosted the 2018 Ryder Cup, per Olympics.com.
The majors are the most prestigious events on the PGA Tour’s schedule and get the most attention from dedicated golf fans, as well as casual observers.
When is the next major golf tournament?
The British Open, or Open Championship, is the final major of the year in men’s golf.
Here are the dates for the majors in 2025:
- The Masters: The 2025 Masters will take place April 10-13.
- PGA Championship: The 2025 PGA Championship will start on May 15.
- U.S. Open: The 2025 U.S. Open golf tournament will take place June 12-15.
- British Open: The 2025 Open Championship will start on July 17.