Sawt Falasteen - Schauffele determined to win Claret Jug back

The American landed the trophy 12 months ago at Royal Troon with a superb final-round performance to secure his second major title, celebrating accordingly.

"The lid, it barely opens. I had a little tequila there in Portugal," he said of the famous British Open trophy.

"I've had wine out of it, but not too much. I don't drink a whole lot. I definitely drank more after a few championships last year.

"It's a bummer to give up the trophy this year. Looking forward to trying to get it back."

Schauffele has struggled for his best so far this year but showed signs of a return to form with a top-10 finish at the Scottish Open last weekend.

But he has made a habit of peaking at the majors, making 14 successive cuts in golf's biggest events and winning the PGA Championship as well as the British Open in 2024.

"If I can get myself in the mix is when I think I would have an advantage," said the 31-year-old, who was also an Open runner-up behind Francesco Molinari at Carnoustie in 2018.

"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."

Despite only posting two top-10 finishes this year, Schauffele is still ranked number three in the world and has not missed a cut in a professional tournament since 2022.

He will tee off in his first round at Royal Portrush at 9:58 am local time (0858 GMT) on Thursday alongside newly-crowned US Open champion J.J. Spaun and Spanish star Jon Rahm.

G.AbuOdeh--SF-PST