In the midst of battle, Rory McIlroy said what everybody has been thinking for some time.<\/p>\n
\u201cScottie Scheffler is\u2026,\u201d McIlroy began during his post-round television interview on Saturday evening. <\/p>\n
He quickly gave way: \u201cIt\u2019s inevitable.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe probably regrets saying that word,\u201d McIlroy\u2019s pal Shane Lowry said later.<\/p>\n
Only McIlroy couldn\u2019t have been more right. Scheffler began Sunday\u2019s final round of the 153rd Open Championship four shots clear of the field. And like he\u2019s done many times before, he never let up. The steely Scheffler relentlessly attacked Royal Portrush early, pushing to 17 under and a seven-shot advantage to give Henrik Stenson\u2019s all-time Open marks (20 under and 264) scares. He\u2019d slip, though ever so slightly, his lead back to four, before quickly regrouping to comfortably win his fourth major title \u2013 and third leg of the career Grand Slam.<\/p>\n
Ultimately, Scheffler\u2019s win came by four shots over Harris English, but it seemed so much greater than that.<\/p>\n
Just 15 minutes from Giant\u2019s Causeway, Scheffler solidified himself, if he hadn\u2019t already, as pro golf\u2019s version of Thanos \u2013 if Thanos carried a Bible.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s setting the standard for professional golf right now,\u201d English said as Scheffler played the final hole.<\/p>\n
Added Rory McIlroy, the world\u2019s second-ranked player, though a distant second behind the world No. 1 Scheffler: \u201cHe is the bar that we\u2019re all trying to get to at this point. \u2026 None of us could live with what he had this week.\u201d<\/p>\n
At the start of this year, Robert MacIntyre\u2019s curiosity led the rising Scot to check out some numbers, specifically just how far back he was from the No. 1 players in different statistics. It wasn\u2019t long before MacIntyre\u2019s stats guy had to adjust.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe went to No. 2 because he realized it,\u201d MacIntyre said. \u201cI mean, when we checked the stats, Scheffler was further ahead of No. 2 in the world than I was at wherever I was \u2026 to No. 2.\u201d<\/p>\n
Scheffler entered the year\u2019s final major ranked first in strokes gained approach, a category he\u2019s led each of the last three seasons. He also was tops off the tee, 25th around the green and easily the most notable, 22nd in putting. Overall, he was nearly a shot better than the next best player, McIlroy, gaining over 2.6 shots per round on the field.<\/p>\n
With the flatstick, Scheffler had improved from No. 162 two years ago to No. 77 last year.<\/p>\n
\u201cHis putting is night and day obviously,\u201d said Matt Fitzpatrick, who played with Scheffler on Saturday. \u201cFrom what you guys all talk about how bad it was at one point; I didn\u2019t play with him really in that period. He\u2019s just not missed a putt today. There isn\u2019t one putt that he\u2019s missed, and that\u2019s obviously the difference that\u2019s taken him to this unbeatable run, which is annoying for me that Phil Kenyon shared those secrets.\u201d<\/p>\n
Scheffler\u2019s improved putting helped him rack up 19 birdies and an eagle, but it also led to crucial par saves, including on the front nine Sunday, where Scheffler rolled in a 16-footer at the par-3 sixth and a 15-footer on the par-5 seventh to avoid dropping a shot. The latter incited a sturdy, waist-high fist pump from Scheffler.<\/p>\n
\u201cPutter was definitely a weapon this week,\u201d Scheffler said with a grin. So, too \u2013 and far less surprisingly \u2013 was his mind: \u201cI felt like this was one of my best performances mentally,\u201d Scheffler added.<\/p>\n
Before his double bogey at the par-4 eighth, Scheffler, who leads the Tour in bogey avoidance, had gone 32 holes without a bogey or worse.<\/p>\n
And speaking of that double, where Scheffler\u2019s second shot from a fairway bunker hit the lip and stayed in before Scheffler opted to lay up to 120 yards, Scheffler became the first Open champion since Padraig Harrington in 2007 to card a double bogey in the final round.<\/p>\n
On cue, the Tour\u2019s leader in the bounce-back stat stuffed his approach inside 5 feet at the par-4 ninth and rolled in the birdie to extend his lead back to five shots.<\/p>\n
From there, inevitability. An easy birdie at the par-5 12th and eight more pars to shoot 17 under, 3-under 68 on Sunday, and the claret jug was all Scheffler\u2019s. When the ball disappeared in the hole for the final time, Scheffler cooly plucked it from the hole before, in a burst, whipping off his hat and then extending both fists out to the side, fittingly in a cross-like manner.<\/p>\n
Scheffler, at age 29, is now the 18th player to have captured at least three of the four majors \u2013 one of 12, and just one of three active players along with Phil Mickelson and Jordan Spieth, without all four legs. Scheffler\u2019s first bid at the career slam will come at next summer\u2019s U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills, and considering his major record (four wins and 16 top-10s in just 23 starts as a pro), he\u2019ll likely be the favorite there.<\/p>\n
As Scheffler\u2019s father, Scott, said as Scheffler embraced his family, including wife Meredith and 1-year-old son Bennett, just off the 18th green: \u201cI\u2019ve got no words.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI grew up waking up early to watch this tournament on TV, just hoping and dreaming I would get the chance to come play, and it\u2019s pretty cool to be standing here with the trophy,\u201d Scheffler said. \u201cI felt a good amount of peace today. I felt very in control of how I was playing. I was very comfortable with my game. … Every day\u2019s a battle. Playing this game, it\u2019s a battle within yourself all the time to try and get the best out of your game and yourself.\u201d<\/p>\n
And make no mistake, on this day, Scheffler versus himself was the only battle.<\/p>\n
There were other headlines by Sunday evening:<\/p>\n
Chris Gotterup, playing his first Open following last week\u2019s Genesis Scottish Open victory, posted his best major finish (solo third) and bashed his way into the U.S. Ryder Cup picture. Speaking of bashing, Wyndham Clark limited the damage for the first time in a long time at a major, tying for fourth. Clark\u2019s 197 closing 54-hole total was just one shy of Henrik Stenson\u2019s record and matched by Bryson DeChambeau, who roared back after a 7-over start, playing his final 54 holes in 16 under to notch his second career Open top-10 and likely clinch another Ryder Cup berth. Haotong Li, eight years after his solo third at Royal Birkdale, gave all of China reason to celebrate again.<\/p>\n
McIlroy was showered in praise all week by the home crowd, who had been anticipating McIlroy\u2019s return ever since that emotional missed cut in 2019.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis could be one of the coolest moments I\u2019ve ever had on a golf course,\u201d McIlroy said of his eagle Saturday at No. 12, which ignited the McIlroy faithful.<\/p>\n
And yet, none of those storylines really mattered. Instead, they were significant footnotes to Scheffler\u2019s latest layer of dominance.<\/p>\n
Scheffler played the par-3s in 6 under this week, the best such Open performance ever. He was 3 under alone on Portrush\u2019s famed 16th, nicknamed Calamity Corner.<\/p>\n
He ranked first in strokes gained approach and putting.<\/p>\n
He is the first player since John Henry Taylor to win each of his first four major titles by at least three shots. Taylor won his fourth major in 1909, over 100 years ago. And the only players to win multiple majors by four or more shots in the same year? Ben Hogan and Tiger Woods.<\/p>\n
He is just the fifth to convert each of their first 54-hole leads at majors into trophies, though he has 10 more to go to match Woods. And in all competition, he\u2019s perfect closing out his last 10 such leads.<\/p>\n
He is the only other world No. 1 besides Woods to win The Open. And as it relates to his standing atop the Official World Golf Ranking, Scheffler moved to 20.25 average points; Woods is the only player to average better. Scheffler\u2019s new gap on McIlroy is now nearly 8.7.<\/p>\n
Scottie Scheffler Wins the OPEN<\/p>\n
So it’s OFFICIAL… Scottie is only the second player (behind Tiger Woods) to ever top 20.0 OWGR average on a formula adjusted basis (Scottie is also the only other one to top 15.0 as well)<\/p>\n
Just INCREDIBLE… Scottie ain’t Tiger Woods yet… but\u2026 pic.twitter.com\/PjJf04QyIt<\/a><\/p>\n