Royal Portrush ‘an unbelievable venue' that will test us severely, hails defending Open champion

Belfast Telegraph

9 hours ago

The American, who was crowned Champion Golfer of the Year at Royal Troon a year ago, is looking to overturn a wretched run of form that has seen him record just two top-10 finishes since August 2024 as he defends his title on the Dunluce Links.
That being said, one of those top-10s came only a week ago at the Scottish Open, also on a links layout, and he will be keen to lean on the memories of 12 months ago when he tees off alongside JJ Spaun and Jon Rahm.
And having gotten his first look at Portrush in six years over the last couple of days, Schauffele was full of praise for the course and admits only the best will be able to come out on top this week.
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"I think that's why this is an unbelievable venue. It's everything," said the 31-year-old when asked what part of your game needs to be sharpest this week.
"If you pick the correct club off the tee, you can maybe get away with a few loose drives but, then again, it's very lie biased.
"Chipping is tricky. Greens are firm, and they're a little bit slower than what we played even last week. Thank goodness because if they were faster, it would be even more difficult.
"Then putting, putting is always tricky with wind. There's some holes where the mounds cover the greens and some holes that are more exposed where the wind is going to affect the ball on the green.
"I think whoever wins this week is an extremely well-rounded player."
Although he hasn't really been in the mix for a title this year following a 2024 where he won two Majors, that has not shaken Schauffele's confidence and he still ranks third in the world thanks to a remarkable run of consistency that has resulted in him making the cut in every event he has played in since the 2022 Masters.
And while he hasn't featured at the right end of the leaderboard for a while, the Olympic gold medallist believes that when he does get in a position to strike, he can be deadly, and he hopes that will come this week at Royal Portrush.
"It's an interesting thing just because my thoughts of playing really well were at Royal Troon. Coming here, I feel like I'm trying to relearn this golf course, get comfortable with certain sight lines, some blind tee shots," he added.
"I think if I can get myself in the mix is when I think I would have an advantage. That's where my biggest edge would be. I can lean on experience at other points in time, but I think the most fun and the biggest advantage I would have is coming down the stretch if I can get close to that lead."