‘It was looking pretty bad’ – Xander Schauffele delighted to win first co-sanctioned event at Scottish Open

Xander Schauffele has said it is an honour to be the winner of the inaugural co-sanctioned event between the DP World Tour and PGA Tour.

The two major tours in the world of golf are under pressure following the move by LIV Golf to disrupt the landscape of the sport.

The first co-sanctioned event, the Scottish Open, produced a stellar field with 14 of the world’s top 15 on show.

“It is incredible,” Schauffele told Sky Sports of being the first winner of a co-sanctioned event. “The fans have been pushing me along all day.

“This is the first of many co-sanctioned events and it is an honour to win the first one.

“It is an incredible feeling. A big sense of relief.”

After holding a four-stroke lead at one stage, Schauffele found himself one behind on the back nine but a couple of birdies set him on the way to victory and the ideal boost for next week’s Open.

“Once that par went in on 17 it was not full relief, but it was nice to hit a couple of long irons into the green on 18 and lag it up there,” the world No. 11 said. “It was a very stressful day and this is very rewarding.”

Asked for his thoughts about losing such a sizeable lead, Schauffele added: “I was just trying to find something.

“Every time I wanted to cut it, I hit it way right and when I wanted to draw, I hit it way left. At least it was going in the correct direction, but it was going miles apart.

“So it was nice to play some better shots down the stretch and calm the ship, as it was looking pretty bad for a while.”