Scottie Scheffler secured his second major championship of the year on Sunday, cruising to a four-stroke victory at The Open at Royal Portrush to claim the third leg of the career Grand Slam.
The world No. 1 delivered another dominant performance, posting a final-round 68 to finish at 17-under 267. With the outcome rarely in doubt, Scheffler sealed his win with a routine tap-in for par on the 18th hole. The professional composure then gave way to an emotional celebration with his wife Meredith, their son Bennett, and his parents, as he thrust his arms skyward and tossed his cap into the air.
“He is the bar that we’re all trying to get to,” said Masters champion Rory McIlroy. “Historically, you could argue only two or three players have ever been on a run like the one Scottie has sustained for the past 24 to 36 months. Incredibly impressive.”
The victory marked Scheffler’s fourth major title. He is the first player in history to win each of his first four majors by a margin of three shots or more. He also joins Ben Hogan (1953) and Tiger Woods (2000) as the only golfers to win multiple majors by four or more strokes in a single year. By shooting 68 or better in all four rounds, he joined an exclusive group in Open history that includes Collin Morikawa (2021), Henrik Stenson (2016), and Jesper Parnevik (1994).
“I don’t think we thought the golfing world would see someone as dominant as Tiger come through so soon, and here’s Scottie sort of taking that throne of dominance,” said Xander Schauffele, who tied for seventh. “He’s a tough man to beat, and when you see his name up on the leaderboard, it sucks for us.”
Scheffler’s final round began ideally with a tap-in birdie on the first hole. His only significant stumble came on the par-4 eighth, where a misplayed bunker shot led to a double bogey, ending a streak of 32 bogey-free holes. He immediately recovered, however, making birdie on the ninth and playing the back nine with eight pars and one birdie to seal the win.
“Being able to walk up 18 with the tournament in hand is a really tough thing to describe,” Scheffler said. “This was, I felt like, one of my best performances mentally.”
While Scheffler commanded the spotlight, the runner-up finishers had compelling stories of their own. American Harris English shot a final-round 66 to finish alone in second at 13-under, his second runner-up finish to Scheffler at a major this year. He accomplished this without his longtime caddie, who was denied a travel visa to the U.K.
Chris Gotterup, who won last week’s Scottish Open to earn a last-minute spot in the field, finished third in his major championship debut. The remarkable two-week stretch, which concluded on his 26th birthday, has been a life-changing run for the world No. 158.
McIlroy, playing before a supportive home crowd, started the day six shots back but couldn’t mount a charge, finishing in a tie for seventh, seven strokes behind the champion.
Tied for fourth place were Haotong Li of China, Matt Fitzpatrick, and Wyndham Clark. The finish secures Li an invitation to next year’s Masters.
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