logo
Tiger comparisons 'silly' for dominant Scheffler

Tiger comparisons 'silly' for dominant Scheffler

PORTRUSH: Scottie Scheffler dismissed comparisons of his grip on golf to Tiger Woods' prime as "silly" after storming to his first British Open on Sunday.
The world number one took his overall major total to four, three of which have come in the past two years, as he moved to within a US Open victory of completing the career Grand Slam.
Rory McIlroy said Scheffler's dominant run over the past two years, which includes 10 PGA Tour wins and an Olympic gold medal, has only been matched by "two or three players in the history of the game."
However, the American said he has a long way to go to match the 15-time major champion.
"I still think they're a bit silly. Tiger won, what, 15 majors? This is my fourth. I just got one-fourth of the way there," said Scheffler after lifting the Claret Jug.
"I think Tiger stands alone in the game of golf. He was inspirational for me growing up. He was a very, very talented guy, and he was a special person to be able to be as good as he was at the game of golf."
Scheffler began the week at Royal Portrush by surprising reporters with comments that his life is "not a fulfilling one" despite his standing in the sport.
He celebrated another dominant performance, which saw him cruise to victory by four shots after shooting 17 under par, with his wife Meredith and one-year-old son Bennett.
And Scheffler doubled down that winning tournaments is not what defines him.
"Just because you win a golf tournament or accomplish something, it doesn't make you happy. Maybe for a few moments, maybe for a few days, but at the end of the day, there's more to life than playing golf," he added.
"Am I grateful for it? Do I enjoy it? Oh, my gosh, yes, this is a cool feeling. I can't wait to get home and celebrate this championship with the people that have helped me along the way.
"But at the end of the day, it doesn't fulfill the deepest desires of my heart."
Scheffler is making the extraordinary look serene as he won for the fourth time in his last 11 events.
However, lifting the Claret Jug held a greater significance after his memories of waking up early to follow the British Open across the Atlantic Ocean as a child.
"I grew up waking up early to watch this tournament on TV, just hoping and dreaming I would get the chance to come play in this championship," added Scheffler.
He birdied three of his first five holes to snuff out any possibility that he would not convert his four-shot overnight lead into victory.
Even an uncharacteristic misjudgement when he failed to get out of a fairway bunker at the eighth, which led to a double bogey, could derail Scheffler's charge.
"I felt a good amount of peace today. I felt very in control of how I was playing. I was very comfortable with my game," he said.
"Even after the little hiccup there on the eighth hole, we bounced back really quick with a birdie on nine and got things back in gear pretty quick.
"Playing this game, it's a battle within yourself all the time to try and get the most out of your game and yourself. This week, I did a really good job of hanging in there mentally and playing some good golf."--AFP
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Raducanu beats Osaka in straight sets to reach Washington quarters
Raducanu beats Osaka in straight sets to reach Washington quarters

New Straits Times

time15 hours ago

  • New Straits Times

Raducanu beats Osaka in straight sets to reach Washington quarters

WASHINGTON: Emma Raducanu beat four-times Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka 6-4 6-2 in their first career meeting to reach the quarter-finals of the Washington Open on Thursday. Raducanu, U.S. Open champion in 2021, next faces former world number three Maria Sakkari after the Greek stunned American second seed Emma Navarro in straight sets. "I thought it was going to be a really difficult match. Naomi's won four slams, she's been world number one, won Masters," Raducanu told Sky Sports. "She's so dangerous and on the hard courts, I think she's particularly comfortable. "I knew I was going to have to play well and manage my own service games, which I'm really proud of how I did. I was making some inroads in her service game after I got used to it a little bit. "I'm really pleased with how I handled the ball speed and conditions here in DC." Raducanu, who will reclaim the British number one ranking from Katie Boulter when the WTA rankings are released on Monday, is also into the women's doubles semi-finals alongside Wimbledon 2022 champion Elena Rybakina. Venus Williams' comeback tournament after 16 months away from the game ended with a 6-2 6-2 loss to Polish fifth seed Magdalena Frech. The 45-year-old seven-times singles Grand Slam champion became the oldest player to win a WTA singles match since 2004 when she beat Peyton Stearns in her Washington opener on Tuesday. --REUTERS

Venus bows out, Pegula upset at DC Open
Venus bows out, Pegula upset at DC Open

New Straits Times

time15 hours ago

  • New Straits Times

Venus bows out, Pegula upset at DC Open

WASHINGTON: Venus Williams' return to tennis came to an abrupt end in the last 16 of the ATP/WTA DC Open on Thursday, with the veteran American losing to Poland's Magdalena Frech in straight sets. The 45-year-old seven-time Grand Slam singles champion, playing this week for the first time in 16 months, had become the oldest woman to win a WTA match in more than two decades with Tuesday's first round win over Peyton Stearns. But Williams found the going harder against fifth seed Frech in Thursday's third round clash, losing 6-2, 6-2 in 1hr 13min. Williams said she was nonetheless satisfied with her return to competitive tennis. "I had so much fun," Williams said. "Not the result I wanted (but) I got to play a lot of matches, definitely a plus. I couldn't be happier... "I ran out of gas today to have fell short. But I know I can play better and I know I will play better," added Williams, who is due to play in next month's Cincinnati Open after being handed a wild card into the event. Frech will face third seed Elena Rybakina in Friday's quarter-finals. Frech seized the early initiative with a dominant first set performance, breaking Williams in the fifth game to take a 3-2 lead. The Pole duly held for a 4-2 lead and then broke again when Williams' serve unraveled in the seventh game. The American double-faulted twice in quick succession to hand Frech three break points, and she converted the first to go 5-2 up, before holding to close out the set. Williams was soon in trouble in the second set, blasting a routine smash well beyond the baseline to give Frech two break points in the first game. Frech pounced on that chance to grab the break for a 1-0 lead and then held for 2-0. Williams held for 2-1 but was unable to threaten on Frech's serve in the fourth game as the world number 24 took a 3-1 lead. Frech's shot variation continued to cause Williams problems in the next game and two wild long forehands from the veteran saw her surrender another break to go 4-1 down. With the game slipping away, Williams loosened up and began to find her range to break back for 4-2. The rally was fleeting as Frech broke again in the seventh for a 5-2 lead and then held to seal victory. In other games on Thursday, Canada's Leylah Fernandez, the 2021 US Open finalist, upset top seed Jessica Pegula 6-3, 1-6, 7-5 to move into a quarter-final meeting with Taylor Townsend on Friday. Townsend took down sixth seed Sofia Kenin 6-3, 6-0. Britain's Emma Raducanu continued her impressive run of recent form with a 6-4, 6-2 defeat of Japan's Naomi Osaka and will face Greece's Maria Sakkari on Friday. In the men's draw, fourth seed Ben Shelton moved into the quarter-finals after beating Canadian 15th seed Gabriel Diallo 6-3, 6-2. Shelton will face compatriot Frances Tiafoe in the last eight, the sixth seed defeating ninth-seeded Italian Flavio Cobolli 6-1, 6-4. Australia's Alex de Minaur is also into the quarter-finals after downing Jiri Lehecka 7-6 (7/4), 6-7 (6/8), 6-4.

Venus bows out, Pegula upset at DC Open
Venus bows out, Pegula upset at DC Open

The Sun

time18 hours ago

  • The Sun

Venus bows out, Pegula upset at DC Open

VENUS WILLIAMS' return to tennis came to an abrupt end in the last 16 of the ATP/WTA DC Open on Thursday, with the veteran American losing to Poland's Magdalena Frech in straight sets. The 45-year-old seven-time Grand Slam singles champion, playing this week for the first time in 16 months, had become the oldest woman to win a WTA match in more than two decades with Tuesday's first round win over Peyton Stearns. But Williams found the going harder against fifth seed Frech in Thursday's third round clash, losing 6-2, 6-2 in 1hr 13min. Williams said she was nonetheless satisfied with her return to competitive tennis. 'I had so much fun,' Williams said. 'Not the result I wanted (but) I got to play a lot of matches, definitely a plus. I couldn't be happier... 'I ran out of gas today to have fell short. But I know I can play better and I know I will play better,' added Williams, who is due to play in next month's Cincinnati Open after being handed a wild card into the event. Frech will face third seed Elena Rybakina in Friday's quarter-finals. Frech seized the early initiative with a dominant first set performance, breaking Williams in the fifth game to take a 3-2 lead. The Pole duly held for a 4-2 lead and then broke again when Williams' serve unraveled in the seventh game. The American double-faulted twice in quick succession to hand Frech three break points, and she converted the first to go 5-2 up, before holding to close out the set. Williams was soon in trouble in the second set, blasting a routine smash well beyond the baseline to give Frech two break points in the first game. Pegula stunned Frech pounced on that chance to grab the break for a 1-0 lead and then held for 2-0. Williams held for 2-1 but was unable to threaten on Frech's serve in the fourth game as the world number 24 took a 3-1 lead. Frech's shot variation continued to cause Williams problems in the next game and two wild long forehands from the veteran saw her surrender another break to go 4-1 down. With the game slipping away, Williams loosened up and began to find her range to break back for 4-2. The rally was fleeting as Frech broke again in the seventh for a 5-2 lead and then held to seal victory. In other games on Thursday, Canada's Leylah Fernandez, the 2021 US Open finalist, upset top seed Jessica Pegula 6-3, 1-6, 7-5 to move into a quarter-final meeting with Taylor Townsend on Friday. Townsend took down sixth seed Sofia Kenin 6-3, 6-0. Britain's Emma Raducanu continued her impressive run of recent form with a 6-4, 6-2 defeat of Japan's Naomi Osaka and will face Greece's Maria Sakkari on Friday. In the men's draw, fourth seed Ben Shelton moved into the quarter-finals after beating Canadian 15th seed Gabriel Diallo 6-3, 6-2. Shelton will face compatriot Frances Tiafoe in the last eight, the sixth seed defeating ninth-seeded Italian Flavio Cobolli 6-1, 6-4. Australia's Alex de Minaur is also into the quarter-finals after downing Jiri Lehecka 7-6 (7/4), 6-7 (6/8), 6-4. Top seed Taylor Fritz also sailed into the last eight with a 6-3, 6-4 win over Matteo Arnaldi -AFP

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store