Xander Schauffele has shrugged off Shane Lowry's critical remarks about the conditions at Royal Troon, revelling instead in his triumph at The Open.
The American golfer is riding high after a stellar year, having already bagged the PGA Championship in May. He conquered both sunshine and showers on the Scottish course's final day to clinch victory.
Schauffele, who started the last round just behind leader Billy Horschel, ended nine-under, securing a two-shot win over his closest competitors.
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After becoming the first player since Jordan Spieth to snag two majors in one season, the 30-year-old lauded his final round as the finest he's ever played. Reflecting on his Open journey, Schauffele couldn't hide his elation.
With a gleam in his eye, he reminisced about his childhood dreams of winning the Claret Jug, a dream that felt almost tangible across the pond. He shared: "It's hard to explain. As a kid you dream of it. I tried to force myself to dream of it as of late. It's surreal. It is a dream come true."
He continued, expressing his love for the British tournament, a direct contrast to Lowry's comments: "It's always a special trip coming over here. Growing up in the States, it's a privilege to travel playing golf. It's something I always look forward to. The wind, the rain, the fans, the deep bunkers - you name it. It's something I always enjoy and it probably helped me win this thing."
Meanwhile, Lowry was candid about his struggles with the set-up at Royal Troon. After a week of battling against the wind and rain on Scotland's west coast, the Irishman's frustration was palpable as he shared his thoughts on the experience.
"Look, I don't really know what to say. It was a grind. It wasn't much fun," he confessed. "Driver, driver into 15. 16 playing ridiculously long. Driver into 17. Then you're standing on the 18th tee wondering if you can actually hit the fairway, if you can reach the fairway, and it's 230 yards to the fairway."
"Bear in mind my driver pitched about 220 yards on the 17th hole. So, yeah, it's not much fun out there. It's obviously very difficult.
"But you'd have to question why there weren't a couple of tees put forward today, to be honest. I think 15 and 17 - like 15 is 500 yards playing into that wind."
Similarly, Ryder Cup team-mate Tyrrell Hatton seemed to echo his colleague's sentiments as he admitted finding the conditions at Royal Troon challenging.
But Matthew Fitzpatrick went against his Ryder Cup pals, insisting that the course was "fair". He shared: "I think this has been a fantastically fair test this week. I don't know whether to feel sorry for the RandA about yesterday afternoon or whether they did get it wrong, I genuinely don't know.
"I think I was sat in my chair in my living room in the warmth thinking I hit eight-iron on 13 and these boys are hitting three-wood. So it was quite a difference. Aside from that, I think it's been a really good test."
