NORTH BERWICK, Scotland (AP) — Xander Schauffele keeps making up for lost time.
Winless for more than two years, Schauffele picked up his fourth victory in the last 12 months Sunday when he overcame a rough patch in the middle of his round with two key birdies and a par save for an even-par 70 to win the Scottish Open.
Next up is another test on Scottish soil, this one the purest of all, the British Open at St. Andrews. Schauffele heads to the home of golf as among the hottest players in the world.
It was the first time the PGA Tour co-sanctioned a European tour event.
Schauffele has career titles on the PGA Tour. His 8-foot par save on the par-3 17th at The Renaissance Club gave him a two-shot lead, and the 28-year-old from San Diego played it smartly from there. He took iron off the 18th tee to avoid trouble and wound up missing an 8-foot par try.
Schauffele finished at 7-under 273, one shot ahead of Kurt Kitayama (66).
The consolation for Kitayama was earning of three spots in the field at the British Open, his third straight time at golf’s oldest championship. The other two spots went to Brandon Wu and Jamie Donaldson, who tied for sixth.
