PORTRUSH, Northern Ireland :A relentless Scottie Scheffler sealed his first British Open triumph by four shots as he turned the final day of the tournament into a procession at Royal Portrush on Sunday.
The 29-year-old American world number one started out with a four-stroke lead and apart from one blip, never looked like relinquishing his iron-like grip on the chasing pack.
Scheffler resembled a towering giant amongst men all week on the glorious Causeway Coast, rekindling memories of 15-times major winner Tiger Woods in his pomp as he rubber-stamped his fourth major title with a clinical final-round 68.
After tapping in for par in front of a packed 18th green grandstand, Scheffler’s laser-focus finally cracked and he threw his white cap skywards, tearfully embracing caddie Ted Scott and wife Meredith and scooping up his toddler son Bennett.
“Thanks to the fans for all the support. I know I wasn’t the fan favourite today so I appreciate you guys coming out to support, overall it’s been a great week,” the under-stated Scheffler, the third successive American to win the Open and fourth in five years, said after lifting the Claret Jug.
Take the dominant Scheffler out of the equation and the 153rd Open would have been a thriller with the leaderboard underneath him chopping and changing all weekend.
In the end, Harris English was the best of the rest on 13 under after a 66 with fellow American Chris Gotterup, winner of last week’s Scottish Open, a further shot back.
Huge galleries descended on the course all week and thousands arrived on a sunny Sunday hoping to witness a Rory McIlroy miracle.
But Northern Ireland’s favourite sporting son, who began six shots behind Scheffler, was unable to mount a charge and ended up in a tie for seventh on 10 under along with 2024 champion Xander Schauffele and Scotland’s Robert MacIntyre.
“I wish I had have been closer to Scottie going into today and been able to make a real push,” said McIlroy, who completed his career Grand Slam by winning this year’s Masters.
“But he’s been on a different level all week and he’s been on a different level for the last two years to the rest of us.”
LI TIED FOURTH
Li Haotong, the first Chinese man to go out in the final group of a major, finished tied fourth on 11 under with England’s Matt Fitzpatrick and American Wyndham Clark.
Scheffler now has three legs of his career Grand Slam and needs a U.S. Open crown to complete the set.
He is also the first player in more than 100 years to win his first four majors by three strokes or more and the first world number one to win the Open since Tiger Woods in 2006.
“When you play against the best they make it look easy and you can’t quite figure out whey they are so good,” said England’s Justin Rose, who finished on seven under.
Those who thought that Texas-based Scheffler might stumble on a layout featuring holes known as Calamity Corner and Purgatory should probably have known better.
On the last nine occasions Scheffler had gone into the final round of a PGA Tour event ahead, he emerged victorious. His three previous major wins also came after a 54-hole lead.
A sense of anticipation brewed as the leading groups reached the first tee but when Scheffler birdied the first, fourth and fifth holes the only question seemed to be whether he could eclipse Woods’s modern era Open record winning margin of eight strokes at St Andrews in 2000.
When he double-bogeyed the eighth after needing two attempts to escape a bunker, his first dropped shots since the 11th hole on Friday when his majestic 64 put him in control, Scheffler looked like a mere mortal.
His lead was suddenly sliced to four strokes but any hope proved an illusion for pursuers, and a birdie at the ninth and another at the 12th hole steadied the ship.
Perhaps the only person who might have lived with Scheffler over the weekend was compatriot Bryson Dechambeau. He matched Scheffler’s tournament-low 64 on Sunday to rocket up to 10th on nine under, an incredible finish after an opening round 78.
