Open Championship Stock Report: Stock up and stock down after Royal Troon

Stock up: Xander Schauffele

Golf is fickle: Xander Schauffele's journey is a reminder.

On March 17th, Xander Schauffele woke up in a prime position to capture a breakthrough PGA Tour win at The Players Championship. Back-to-back bogeys on holes 14 and 15 and a short birdie miss on the 17th saw yet another big tournament elude his grasp. The narrative, that he could not close on Sunday, ran rampant.

Schauffele was berated by the golf world following his performance that week, with many labeling him a “choker”, and seemingly incapable of breaking through on the big stage.

"My dad told me a long time ago to commit, execute, and accept," he said that Sunday. "I'm swallowing a heavy dose of acceptance right now, but that's kind of what I did. I tried to commit, I executed poorly on some shots, and here I am accepting it."

On this Sunday, Xander Schauffele finished the job.

The California native trailed by one stroke heading into the final round of The Open Championship. His closing, bogey-free 65 was nothing short of a masterclass; a truly gorgeous display of golf. He took full advantage of the generous conditions with a flawless back nine of 31, including this heroic shot:

While others surrendered to the pressure of Royal Troon's brutal back nine, Schauffele attacked it relentlessly.

"I felt pretty calm on that back nine for some odd reason," he said. "I think winning that PGA helped me. It was a lot of fun."

A tidy chip off of a tight lie on hole 16 led to a tap-in birdie that cemented his place in the history books; He is the first player to win two majors in a season since Brooks Koepka in 2018.

Just four months after his failed quest of The Players Championship, Xander Schauffele now wakes up a two-time major champion. At 30 years old, he has flipped the narrative on its head and is challenging Scottie Scheffler for top player in the world status.

The San Diego State University alum has always talked about staying grounded and present. He has long been chasing the moment, but chase no more -- he is the moment.