A strong finish in the US Open late month helped to prepare Xander Schauffele for the nerve-racking grind of chasing a title on the PGA TOUR.
The rookie made a 3-foot birdie putt on the final hole Sunday to win The Greenbrier Classic by a stroke over Robert Streb for his first TOUR victory, reports the PGA TOUR website.
Schauffele closed with a 3-under 67 and finished at 14-under 266 to cap a day-long duel with Streb and third-round leader Sebastian Munoz.
Streb shot 69. Munoz had a 72 to tie for third with Jamie Lovemark at 12 under. Lovemark shot 69.
The 23-year-old Schauffele, who took up golf after giving up soccer because his coaches wanted him to switch from offense to defense, tied for fifth in his first US Open at Erin Hills.
‘The US Open was a huge moment in my career,’ Schauffele said. ‘It was one of the biggest stages, and for me to be calm and collected throughout the week and just kind of hang on and tie for fifth was huge for me mentally. It kind of gave me the confidence and allowed me to play to win this week.’
Watching fellow youngster Jon Rahm of Spain win the Irish Open earlier Sunday also served as motivation for Schauffele, who shot from 94th to 27th in the FedExCup standings.
‘Everybody knows I’m a late bloomer,’ Schauffele said. ‘To jump into the top 30 is something special for me.’
Schauffele, Streb, Munoz and Lovemark earned spots in the British Open in two weeks. The leading four players not already exempt from the top-12 finishers qualified. Russell Henley was the only player among the top 10 finishers who was already in.
Schauffele also punched a ticket to this year’s PGA Championship and next year’s Masters Tournament. He already had a spot in the 2018 US Open for last month’s performance.
He’s the third rookie to earn their first TOUR victory in West Virginia and the fourth overall. The others were former US Amateur champion Danny Lee in 2015 and Scott Stallings in 2011, along with Ted Potter Jr in 2013.
At age 53, Davis Love III fell short in his bid to become the oldest-ever winner on TOUR. Love started his round four strokes back, bogeyed the first two holes and was never a threat. He shot 75 and tied for 29th at 5 under.
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