If you tuned into the final round of the U.S. Open at Pinehurst No. 2, you saw a man screaming at the North Carolina sky while another drove away in a gravel-spraying frenzy. That’s professional golf in a nutshell. The 2024 golf major winners didn't just win; they survived a year that felt like a psychological experiment disguised as a sports season.
Honestly, we went from Scottie Scheffler’s robotic dominance to Bryson DeChambeau’s theatrical sand saves, with a healthy dose of Xander Schauffele finally shedding the "best player to never win a major" tag—twice. It was a lot.
The Green Jacket and the Mugshot
Scottie Scheffler started the year playing golf from a different planet. By the time he got to Augusta in April, he was the heavy favorite, which usually is a kiss of death in this game. Not for him. He finished at 11-under 277, four strokes clear of the field.
Ludvig Åberg, playing in his first-ever major, tried to make it a contest, but Scottie just doesn't blink. He basically dismantled the back nine while everyone else was busy hitting balls into Rae's Creek.
But here is the thing people forget: Scottie was playing with one eye on the leaderboard and one eye on his phone because his wife, Meredith, was due to give birth any second. He literally told the media he’d leave the tournament mid-round if he got the call. He didn't get the call. He got a second Green Jacket instead.
Then came the PGA Championship at Valhalla. Most folks remember that week for Scottie's bizarre arrest over a traffic misunderstanding outside the gates—a "did that really happen?" moment if there ever was one. But on the course? It was Xander Schauffele’s time.
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Xander’s Breakthrough at Valhalla
Xander Schauffele has been the "nearly man" for years. Always top ten, never holding the trophy. At the 2024 PGA Championship, he decided to stop playing it safe.
He opened with a 62. That’s a record, by the way. Most guys would crumble under that kind of start, but Xander held on, eventually finishing at 21-under par. That is the lowest score to par in the history of men's major championships.
Bryson DeChambeau was breathing down his neck. Bryson birdied the 72nd hole to tie the lead, putting the pressure squarely on Xander’s shoulders. Schauffele had to birdie the last to win it outright. He hit a delicate chip, left himself about six feet, and poured it in. The monkey wasn't just off his back; it was launched into orbit.
The Heartbreak at Pinehurst
Then we get to the big one. The U.S. Open. Pinehurst No. 2 is a nasty, sandy, turtle-backed beast of a course. It’s designed to make grown men cry.
Bryson DeChambeau was the hero here, but Rory McIlroy was the story. Honestly, it was hard to watch. Rory had a two-shot lead with five holes to play. He was about to end a ten-year major drought. Then, the wheels came off. He missed a 30-inch putt on 16. Then he missed a four-footer on 18.
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Bryson, meanwhile, was in the woods, on the sand, and everywhere in between. On the final hole, he was stuck in a bunker 55 yards from the pin. He hit what he called "the shot of my life" to four feet.
- Winner: Bryson DeChambeau (-6)
- The Vibe: Pure, unadulterated chaos.
- The Crowd: Chanting "USA" like it was a Ryder Cup.
DeChambeau’s victory was a massive moment for LIV Golf, sure, but more than that, it was a moment for his brand of "mad scientist" golf. He spent the trophy ceremony letting fans touch the silverware. It was weird. It was great.
Double Trouble for Schauffele
If you thought Xander was done after the PGA, you weren't paying attention. He showed up at Royal Troon for The Open Championship looking like a guy who had finally figured out the secret code.
The weather was typical Scottish garbage—wind, rain, and sideways misery. On Sunday, it was a crowded leaderboard. Justin Rose was there, fighting for one last bit of glory. Billy Horschel was in the mix. But Xander went out and shot a 65.
A 65 on Sunday at a major is a joke. It’s a cheat code.
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He finished at 9-under, winning by two. In one summer, Xander Schauffele went from a guy who couldn't close to a guy who joined the ranks of Tiger Woods and Brooks Koepka as one of the few to win two majors in a single calendar year.
What This Year Actually Taught Us
Looking back at the 2024 golf major winners, the old "consistency wins" mantra is sort of dead. You have to be aggressive now.
Scottie won by being a ball-striking machine. Xander won by being a putting god. Bryson won by being a showman who can scramble out of a trash can. The common thread isn't a specific swing; it's the ability to handle the "boring" parts of the game—the mid-range par saves and the smart layups—under a level of pressure that would make most of us pass out.
One thing that gets overlooked? The mental fatigue. Rory’s collapse wasn't because he forgot how to putt. It was because the weight of ten years of "not winning" finally sat on his putter blade. Golf at this level is 90% between the ears.
Actionable Insights for Your Next Round
You aren't going to play Augusta next week, but you can steal some of the logic the 2024 winners used:
- Aim for the fat part of the green: Scottie Scheffler won the Masters because he refused to hunt pins on the 11th and 12th holes. He took his pars and moved on.
- The "Shot of Your Life" requires practice: Bryson’s 55-yard bunker shot wasn't luck. He practices that specific, awkward distance constantly. If you hate a specific yardage, go hit 50 balls from there tomorrow.
- Short memory matters: Xander had a decade of close calls. If he had dwelled on those, he wouldn't have made that birdie putt at Valhalla. Forget the last hole; it's gone.
The 2024 season rearranged the hierarchy of professional golf. We came in thinking it was the Scottie Scheffler era. We left knowing that the gap between the world number one and the rest of the pack is a lot smaller—and a lot more dramatic—than we thought.
Start by tracking your "misses" during your next three rounds. Are you missing in the "safe" spots like Scottie, or are you short-siding yourself like the guys who lost to him? That's the first step to playing like a champion.