Xander Schauffele (-9) kept his cool amongst a comparatively unproven slate of contenders atop the Open Championship leaderboard at Royal Troon and was rewarded with a Claret Jug — his second major victory of what's suddenly become a historically great PGA Tour campaign.

“I just can't wait to drink out of it,” Schauffele said after being presented the trophy.

In keeping with his season, Schauffele was remarkably steady amidst the unpredictable links conditions at Royal Troon. The San Diego native posted three rounds under 70, including a gritty Saturday 69 — one of the two under-par rounds in the field — on a day the back nine played as hard as Scottie Scheffler had ever encountered.

On Sunday, Schauffele, who entered the day as the betting favorite, closed like a golfer no longer with a monkey on his back. The 2024 PGA Championship winner fired a bogey-free 6-under 65, leaving no margin of error for his competitors.

“There's calmness and super stressful moments when you're trying to win a major championship,” Schauffele said. “I felt them in the past — the ones I didn't win — and I let them get to me. Today, I felt like I did a pretty good job of weathering the storm when I needed to.”

The 30-year-old now has 12 top-10s in 18 events this season, including all four majors.

Aptly, Schauffele, the now No. 2-ranked player in the world, seized control during the toughest stretch of the course — just after the turn.

On the 11th, the brutal Railway hole, Schauffele muscled his second shot from the thick fescue within three feet of the cup, setting up a rare birdie on the impossible par-4.

On the par-4 13th, he drilled a 16-footer for birdie after another splendid approach. (At the same time, Thriston Lawrence surrendered the lead with a bogey.)

Including a birdie on the par-3 14th, Schauffele shot 3-under from Nos. 10-15 — the five hardest holes of the week, based on overall tournament scoring average. He added another birdie on No. 16.

Schauffele's 65 tied the low round for the event. He hit 16 of 18 greens in regulation.

In the end, it was stress-free.

“I had this sense of calm, this calm that I did not have when I played earlier at the PGA. I was calm, I felt collected, I was telling Austin, my caddie, on the 18th hole that I felt pretty calm coming down the stretch. He said ‘he was going to puke' on the 18th tee,” Schauffele said with a smile.

Schauffele's homestretch encapsulated his season and his week in Scotland: Calm, clinical, and Claret Jug-worthy. This is a different golfer since he won wire-to-wire at Valhalla. (Feels like a long time since he's been the “best player without a major”.)

“It was hard,” Schauffele said about the test at Troon. “It was very difficult. I think winning the first one helped me a lot today on the back nine. I had some feeling of calmness come through. It was very helpful on what has been one of the hardest back nines I've ever played in a tournament.

“I mean, it's a dream come true to win two majors in one year. It took me forever just to win one, and to have two now is something else.”

Schauffele is the first PGA Tour player since Brooks Koepka in 2018 to secure two majors in one year. He's the first golfer since Rory Mclroy in 2014 to win the PGA and Open in the same year, and the first player since Jordan Spieth (2015) to win his first two career majors in the same year since 2015.

In other words: Look out. Should be more on the way.

Next up: a gold medal defense at the Paris Olympics.