Scottie Scheffler needed just two shots to remove any drama from Sunday at the Open Championship.
His tee shot into the light rough and the approach to 14 inches on the first hole at Royal Portrush made it clear that Sunday would be a four-hour coronation, not an electric chase from the field.
The entire afternoon was trademark Scheffler, with the 29-year-old picking apart the iconic venue using clinical precision to stretch his lead to seven at one point. The trophy engraver could have taken the rest of the day off, as both he and Scheffler’s work was done early.
Scheffler’s final-round 68 capped a brilliant week and left him well clear of Harris English, Chris Gotterup, and the rest of the field as he claimed the fourth major title of his career.
Place
Player
Round 4 score
Total to par
1
Scottie Scheffler
68
-17
2
Harris English
66
-13
3
Chris Gotterup
67
-12
T-4
Wyndham Clark
65
-11
T-4
Matt Fitzpatrick
69
-11
T-4
Haotong Li
70
-11
T-7
Rory McIlroy
69
-10
T-7
Robert MacIntyre
67
-10
T-7
Xander Schauffele
68
-10
T-10
Bryson DeChambeau
64
-9
T-10
Corey Conners
66
-9
T-10
Brian Harman
68
-9
T-10
Russell Henley
68
-9
It was evident early that Scheffler’s challenge wasn’t going to be anybody in the field but rather a run at history on a brilliant afternoon in Northern Ireland. He joins Gary Player, Tiger Woods, and Jack Nicklaus as the only men to win the PGA Championship, the Masters, and the Open Championship before age 30.
Scheffler’s win seemed inevitable the entire week, especially once he established his comfort on the Portrush greens. He flashed his usual elite approach play again while also leading the field in strokes gained: putting at over eight shots for the week.
Scheffler made a whopping 59-of-63 putts from inside 10 feet this week, and pointed to his ongoing work with putting coach Phil Kenyon for his vast improvement in that area of the game.
“I feel like I’ve done a lot of good work with Phil over the last couple years. Phil is a great guy for me to be able to bounce stuff off of. He’s a tremendous coach and a great friend as well. We’ve made some real good progress,” said Scheffler. “Phil’s been just tremendous for me. Kind of helped me be more athletic, giving me the confidence I need to go out there and just be committed to what I’m doing.”
English and Gotterup both closed in style to make it an all-American podium, firing rounds of 66 and 67, respectively. Rory McIlroy couldn’t muster the same score to get into the mix, as the local favorite struggled to continue the momentum from Saturday’s 66.
McIlroy finished Sunday with a 69 to tie for seventh but admitted the challenge was too much for anybody to catch Scheffler.
“None of us could hang with Scottie this week. He’s an incredible player. He’s been dominant this week. Honestly, he’s been dominant for the last couple years. He is the bar that we’re all trying to get to,” McIlroy said. “In a historical context, you could argue that there’s only maybe two or three players in the history of the game that have been on a run, the one that Scottie’s been on here for the last 24 to 36 months. Incredibly impressive.”
Matt Fitzpatrick – who played alongside Scheffler in the final group Saturday – echoed similar sentiments about the winner following his round.
“I think Scottie Scheffler is a different class, obviously,” Fitzpatrick said, full of praise. “He’s literally a full shot probably better than the next best player in the world, let alone myself, who’s not the second best player in the world.”
Scheffler’s victory will add plenty of intrigue to next year’s major championship season with a U.S. Open title the only thing missing from the career grand slam. A victory at Shinnecock Hills in June would see Scheffler become just the seventh man to accomplish that feat – just one year after McIlroy joined the club with his Masters win.
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