Scheffler cruises to British Open title, has U.S. Open left to complete career Grand Slam

Doug Ferguson · The Associated Press

· Posted: Jul 20, 2025 2:17 PM EDT | Last Updated: July 20

The tremendous yellowish scoreboard supra the 18th greenish astatine Royal Portrush perfectly illustrated the authorities of play these days. Scottie Scheffler's sanction was astatine the top. No 1 was close.

That's however it was successful the British Open connected Sunday, erstwhile Scheffler ne'er gave anyone a accidental from the clip his 9-iron settled a ft distant for birdie connected the archetypal spread until helium tapped successful for a 3-under 68 and a four-shot triumph implicit Harris English.

Corey Conners of Listowel, Ont., changeable 66 connected the time and finished tied for 10th.

That's however it is successful the sport, a level of dominance not seen since Tiger Woods.

"He is the barroom that we're each trying to get to," Masters champion Rory McIlroy said. "In a humanities context, you could reason that there's lone possibly 2 oregon 3 players successful the past of the crippled that person been connected a tally the 1 that Scottie's been connected present for the past 24 to 36 months. Incredibly impressive."

Scheffler not lone won his 2nd large this twelvemonth — and 4th successful the past 3 years — helium captured the 3rd limb of the vocation Grand Slam, present missing lone the U.S. Open.

He became the archetypal subordinate successful much than a period to triumph his archetypal 4th large rubric by astatine slightest 3 shots, and if not for his lone blunder from a bunker connected the eighth spread erstwhile helium had a seven-shot lead, helium would person played bogey-free connected the weekend.

"Being capable to locomotion up 18 with the tourney successful manus is simply a truly pugnacious happening to describe. It's a truly chill feeling. I person a batch of gratitude towards being capable to execute thing similar this," Scheffler said, the metallic claret jug connected the array adjacent to him.

"It's taken a batch of enactment — not lone a batch of work, but it takes a batch of patience," helium said. "It's a precocious level of absorption implicit 72 holes of a tournament. This was, I felt like, 1 of my champion performances mentally."

The emotions helium showed were telling.

Until helium had his sanction etched connected golf's oldest trophy, Scheffler had a week marked by his bonzer penetration connected however helium views winning. He said celebrations past lone a fewer minutes. He has wondered, "What's the point?"

On the play course, his biggest fist pump was for a par connected the sixth hole. As helium crouched to enactment up his birdie putt connected the 18th, helium rested his caput connected his manus with a flimsy grin of heavy satisfaction. When helium tapped successful the last putt, helium plucked the shot from the cupful and enactment it successful his pouch arsenic if helium had conscionable won a regular PGA Tour event.

But erstwhile helium yet recovered his household — woman Meredith, 15-month-old lad Bennett, and his parents — Scheffler went crazy. He thrust some arms successful the air, pumped some arms, screamed and threw his headdress successful the air. That's what it's each astir for the 29-year-old from Texas.

"She's ever the archetypal idiosyncratic I privation to observe with," helium said. "She knows maine amended than anybody. That's my champion friend. It takes a batch of enactment to beryllium capable to go bully astatine this game, and I wouldn't beryllium capable to bash it without her support."

McIlroy had referred to the result arsenic "inevitable" erstwhile Scheffler built a four-shot pb going into the last round, and it was each spot of that.

The tap-in birdie connected the archetypal hole. A superb attack betwixt 2 knobs to 7 feet for birdie connected the fourth. A 15-foot birdie connected No. 5. Most telling was his biggest celebration, a almighty fist pump erstwhile helium made a 15-foot par putt connected No. 6.

It was reminiscent of erstwhile Woods saved his biggest fist pump for a par connected the 16th spread of his historical 15-shot triumph astatine Pebble Beach successful the 2000 U.S. Open, erstwhile it was wide Woods was competing chiefly against himself.

Tee changeable connected 8th lone wobble

That's what it felt similar until Scheffler's 1 wobble a treble bogey connected No. 8 erstwhile it took 2 shots to get retired of a fairway bunker.

That ended his streak of 32 consecutive holes without a bogey. The pb was down to 4 shots erstwhile Scottish Open victor Chris Gotterup birdied the ninth. And past Scheffler birdied the adjacent hole. He played the backmost 9 with 8 pars and a birdie due to the fact that that's each helium needed. No 1 could drawback him.

Scheffler, who finished astatine 17-under 267, won for the 4th clip this year. He present has won 20 times worldwide successful the past 30 months. This was the 11th consecutive clip helium turned a 54-hole pb into a victory.

"I don't deliberation we thought the golfing satellite would spot idiosyncratic arsenic ascendant arsenic Tiger travel done truthful soon, and here's Scottie benignant of taking that throne of dominance," said Xander Schauffele, the defending champion who tied for seventh.

"You can't adjacent accidental he's connected a run. He's conscionable been sidesplitting it for implicit 2 years now," helium said. "He's a pugnacious antheral to beat, and erstwhile you spot his sanction up connected the leaderboard, it sucks for us."

English strengthen's lawsuit for Ryder Cup

English capped disconnected a memorable 2 weeks successful the United Kingdom. His caddie of 8 years couldn't get a caller question visa due to the fact that of a 10-year situation word helium served 2 decades ago. English had a replacement past week astatine the Scottish Open and different this week.

It didn't halt him. English closed with a 66 and was runner-up successful a large for the 2nd clip this twelvemonth — some times to Scheffler — arsenic helium strengthened his lawsuit for the Ryder Cup team.

Li Haotong of China (70), Matt Fitzpatrick (69) and Wyndham Clark (65) tied for fourth. That gets Li into the Masters adjacent year.

As for McIlroy, determination were fewer complaints. He needed an electrical commencement similar helium had Saturday and was 8 shots down an hr into the last round. No matter. The Masters champion soaked up adulation crossed Royal Portrush, closing with a 69 to necktie for seventh.

"I privation I had person been person to Scottie going into contiguous and been capable to marque a existent push," McIlroy said. "But he's been connected a antithetic level each week and he's been connected a antithetic level for the past 2 years to the remainder of us. He is the barroom that we're each trying to get to astatine this point.

"But for maine to beryllium successful beforehand of everyone present astatine location and to get that reception up the last, perfectly incredible. I'll retrieve that for a agelong time."

The lone stumble from Scheffler came from his 15-month-old son, who tried to locomotion up a slope to the 18th greenish toward his dada and the claret jug, lone to face-plant.

"I don't deliberation he's ever been up a elevation that large before," Scheffler said with a laugh.

That besides goes for players chasing Scheffler.