Scottie Scheffler’s serene progress to his first Open Championship became a procession at Royal Portrush as the anticipated charge from Rory McIlroy failed to materialise and no-one else could get close to the relentless American.
LEADERBOARD
The reigning US PGA champion claimed the third leg of the career Grand Slam, and his fourth major in total, in some style and has only 11 months to wait to try to complete the set in the same four-year time-frame as 18-time major winner Jack Nicklaus did.
Only Tiger Woods has achieved it quicker but Scheffler is starting to be mentioned in the same breath – and he is still getting better.
He won his first Masters by three, his second by four and May’s US PGA by five.
However, this was on another scale with his 17-under total giving him a four-shot victory over compatriot Harris English, also runner-up to him at the PGA, in McIlroy’s own backyard, which was even more comfortable than the numbers suggest.
No one in the modern era has ever won their first four majors by three shots or more – Young Tom Morris, John Henry Taylor and James Braid all achieved it before the First World War.
McIlroy completed his own career Grand Slam at Augusta in April and on Saturday night described victory here for Scheffler, who has now won 25% of all majors since 2022, as “inevitable”.
It was not the boldest prediction ever made in sport but the manner in which his rival clinically clinched the title was nevertheless impressive after becoming only the fourth after Woods, Nicklaus and Gary Player to win the Masters, US PGA and Open before the age of 30.
McIlroy signed off on 10-under, alongside Robert MacIntyre and Xander Schauffele.
Harris English was Scheffler’s closest challenger, carding a closing 66 that got him to 13-under, but realistically there was never any doubt who would lift the Claret Jug, with Scheffler holding the rest at arm’s length to take the glory.
In his Tuesday press conference, in a rare glimpse of his inner thoughts, Scheffler spoke of how being successful at golf does not fulfil him, how he only gets a two-minute buzz from winning and being a good husband and father means more to him.
So when he holed his last putt he finally allowed himself to show some emotion, tossing his cap into the air before hugging wife Meredith and son Bennett and being congratulated by parents Scott and Diane.
But the 14-month-old Bennett’s enjoyment of the victory lasted an even shorter time than his dad’s, crying when he was taken from his arms so Scheffler could complete the formalities of signing his card.
“I don’t really know exactly what to say. I know I wasn’t the fan favourite today,” Scheffler said.
“When I’m inside the ropes I’m trying to compete – I don’t think of much else. It will take a little while for this to sink in but right now it’s pretty cool.”
Scheffler kisses the Claret Jug after claiming his second major of 2025
The chasing pack had teed off more in hope than expectation as the world number one had converted his previous nine 54-hole leads into victories and sure enough, a brilliant approach from the rough to inside a foot saw him birdie the first to pull further away from home favourite McIlroy, struggling for the fast start he needed from six shots behind.
He never looked back as birdies at four and five were followed by a clutch 16-footer for par and his biggest show of emotion to date with a fist pump.
Mcllroy had birdied the second, bogeyed the fourth and picked up another shot at the 607-yard seventh while, behind him Scheffler found a bunker off the tee but still unerringly holed a 15ft par putt.
His over-confidence got the better of him out of sand at the next, hitting the face and leaving his ball in the trap resulting in a double-bogey – his first dropped shots in 33 holes.
But if his challengers thought that had left the door ajar it was slammed shut at the very next hole when he landed his approach four feet from the pin to turn at 16 under.
McIlroy’s mis-hit chip at the 10th for double bogey ended his chances eight back. Birdies at 12 and 15 got him back to 10 under but he would get no closer.
McIlroy expressed his admiration for Scottie Scheffler after the world number one denied him the chance of an emotional win.
“I wish I had have been closer to Scottie going into today and been able to make a real push 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,” he said after his rival won the third leg of the career Grand Slam which McIlroy completed at Augusta in April.
“None of us could live with what he had this week. He is the bar that we’re all trying to get to at this point, so hats off to him.
“I think all you can do is admire what he does and how he does it. I think what he does is one thing, but how he does it is another.
“He just goes about his business, doesn’t do anything overly flamboyant, but he’s the best at executing in the game right now.
“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.
“He’s been absolutely amazing over these past two to three years. He’s an unbelievable player, an incredible champion and a great person too.”
After missing the cut six years ago when The Open returned to Portrush, McIlroy was determined to make it up to the thousands of fans willing him on this week.
But he had too much to do on the last day and a two-under-par 34, including three birdies and a bogey, on the easier front nine, was just not enough.
He was still six shots back at the turn but a double-bogey at the 10th, where he mis-hit a chip, represented the end of his challenge despite two more birdies coming home to finish seventh on 10 under, seven behind Scheffler.
“I felt like I did well. Eight, nine and and 10 were the ones that killed me – not that I was ever going to get to 17-under I don’t think,” he added.
“I could have maybe finished second, which would have been better than where I did finish, but only making par off those tee shots on eight and nine and then the double off of 10 after the flier did me in.
“Then I just tried to play a good back nine and finish as well as I could.”
English emerged from the pack with a five-under 66 to take second, while compatriot Chris Gotterup proved last week’s Scottish Open victory was no fluke with a 67 to finish third on 12 under.
Gotterup briefly reduced the gap to four at 13 but Scheffler subsequently carded his fifth and final birdie of the day at 12 to keep him at arm’s length.
Former US Open champion Wyndham Clark raced through the field with a 65 but he had started from too far back and could only get to 11 under alongside England’s Matt Fitzpatrick and China’s Haotong Li.
Scot Robert MacIntyre, after his US Open near miss, shot 67 for 10 under alongside McIlroy and defending champion Xander Schauffele.
