Justin Rose’s caddie has one wish about Xander Schauffele to make him feel better after missing The Open prize
Xander Schauffele winning The Open would hurt less if he was 'a bit of a w*****'.
That's the view of Justin Rose's caddie Mark Fulcher after the American pipped the English golfer at Royal Troon by two strokes.
Rose has high hopes of filling his empty space in his trophy cabinet with the Claret Jug, but it was a second runners-up finish at The Open for the 2013 US Open champion.
As for Schauffele, he picked up his second Major - both of which have come in 2024 - becoming the first player to win two in a year since Brooks Koepka in 2018.
And he has also become the first player to win the PGA Championship and The Open in the same season since Rory McIlroy in 2014.
His success in Scotland had led to Fulcher praising the California native in X-rated fashion.
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Commenting on the 30-year-old, he said: "He’s clearly one of the best golfers of his generation.
“It’s taken a little bit of time for him to cross that finish line.
“He’s actually quite nice, too. You’d almost like him to be a bit of a w*****.
"But he really couldn’t be nicer. He’s a lovely fellow. It’s just nice to know that he’s top class.”
And Rose was also quick to pay his respect to Schauffele as sent his colleague a classy message following his Open heartbreak.
He remarked: "A guy at the top of his game, a guy that has all the attributes that make him a great player and a great champion.
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"He's obviously now learning that the winning is easy. He has a lot of horsepower, do you know what I mean?
"In the sense of he's good with a wedge, he's great with a putter, he hits the ball a long way, obviously his iron play is strong.
"So he's got a lot of weapons out there. I think probably one of his most unappreciated ones is his mentality. He's such a calm guy out there.
"I don't know what he's feeling, but he certainly makes it look very easy.
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"He plays with a freedom, which kind of tells you as a competitor that he's probably not feeling a ton of the bad stuff.
"He's got a lot of runway ahead and a lot of exciting stuff ahead, I'm sure.”