Scheffler set to spoil McIlroy dream in British Open finale
golf
By Jed Court
Dominant world number one Scottie Scheffler takes a four-shot lead into the final round of the British Open on Sunday leaving local hero Rory McIlroy praying for a miracle.
McIlroy dubbed his American rival's brilliance over the first three days at Royal Portrush as "inevitable" as he maintains a stunning run of form that has already seen Scheffler claim the PGA Championship this year.
When leading at the 54-hole stage, Scheffler has won his last nine tournaments and it will take an unexpected collapse or charge from the chasing pack to deny him a fourth major.
Li Haotong is his closest challenger at 10 under par as he aims for history by becoming the first Chinese man to win a major.
Matthew Fitzpatrick sits third, five shots off the lead, after stumbling down the back nine on Saturday.
McIlroy appears the one big threat to a serene Sunday afternoon for Scheffler as the Masters champion tries to ride the wave of support on a course just over 60 miles from where he took his first steps in the game just outside Belfast.
For much of Saturday, the thousands following McIlroy's every move were in raptures.
Three birdies in his opening four holes and an eagle at the 12th powered the world number two to a round of 66 and a share of fourth place.
But the 2014 British Open champion remains eight shots off the lead, a gap even he recognizes is hard to bridge given Scheffler's class.
"Scottie Scheffler is inevitable. Even when he doesn't have his best stuff, he's the complete player," said McIlroy.
"He's playing like Scottie. I don't think it's a surprise. Everyone's seen the way he's played or plays over the last two or three years. He's just so solid. He doesn't make mistakes."
Scheffler raised eyebrows in his pre-tournament media duties by stating his is "not a fulfilling life" despite his success and standing in the game.
"It feels like you work your whole life to celebrate winning a tournament for like a few minutes. It only lasts a few minutes, that kind of euphoric feeling," he added.
Yet, it is hard to see Scheffler being robbed of his few moments of bliss come the 18th green on the Causeway Coast.
Victory would see him become only the second player after Tiger Woods to win the British Open while ranked world number one.
His streak of 10 consecutive top-10 finishes is also set to continue, a run that includes three tournament wins.
That level of consistency has sparked comparisons to Woods' heyday, even if Scheffler remains some way off the latter's 15 majors.
"He's an exceptional player. He's world number one, and we're seeing Tiger-like stuff," said Fitzpatrick of his playing partner on Saturday.
However, that hype does not appear to matter to the man who is on course to lift the Claret Jug for the first time.
"Winning major championships is not an easy task, and I've put myself in a good position," said Scheffler.
"Going into tomorrow I'm going to step up there on the first tee and I'm going to be trying to get the ball in the fairway, and when I get to the second shot I'm going to be trying to get that ball on the green. There's not really too much else going on."
© 2025 AFP
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Japan Today
16 hours ago
- Japan Today
White House says Trump serious about wanting Commanders to revert to Redskins
FILE - Washington Commanders jerseys are displayed at an event to unveil the NFL football team's new identity, Feb. 2, 2022, in Landover, Md. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky, file) nfl A day after Donald Trump threatened to hold up a deal for a new football stadium in the nation's capital if the Washington Commanders did not go back to the name Redskins, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said the president's comments were not a joke. 'The president was serious,' Leavitt told reporters Monday while answering questions on the White House driveway. 'Sports is one of the many passions of this president and he wants to see the name of that team changed.' Asked why he's getting involved, Leavitt called Trump a 'nontraditional president" and said sports fans are behind him on this. 'I think you've seen the president gets involved in a lot of things that most presidents have not,' Leavitt said. 'He's a nontraditional president. He likes to see results on behalf of the American people and, if you actually poll this issue with sports fans across the country, and even in this city, people actually do support the president's position on this and the name change.' After Congress passed a bill late last year to transfer land from the federal government to the District of Columbia, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser and the team reached an agreement in April to build on the site of the old RFK Stadium. That is still pending approval by the Council of the District of Columbia. 'I think the thing that we should focus on in D.C. is doing our part,' Bowser said. 'I have worked for the better part of 10 years to get our part completed, including getting control of the land, coming to an agreement with the team and advancing a fantastic agreement to the council, so we need to do our part.' Dan Snyder, who had said multiple times as owner since 1999 that he would never change the name, did so in July 2020 after facing mounting pressure from sponsors and critics. Washington Football Team was used for two seasons before Commanders was unveiled as the permanent name in early 2022. Josh Harris, whose group bought the team from Snyder in 2023, said earlier this year the Commanders name was here to stay. Savannah Romero, co-founder and deputy director of the Black Liberation-Indigenous Sovereignty Collective, said in a statement Monday responding to Trump that 'Native Americans are not mascots.' "To equate Native people with cartoonish mascots alongside animals is a gross and ongoing tactic of dehumanization,' said Romero, who is an enrolled member of the Eastern Shoshone Nation. A spokesperson for the National Congress of American Indians said the organization was working on finalizing a statement. At least one organization, the Native American Guardians Association, has filed petitions to bring back the Redskins and Cleveland Indians names. A handful of fans who were asked by The Associated Press for their opinion generally dismissed Trump's comments. Ender Tuncay, who grew up in the Washington area and returns to visit family, called it 'typical Trump stupidity.' 'It's just him focusing on things that aren't consequential and trying to distract from the actual issues that are going on,' Tuncay said, adding he does not care what the name is. 'But I'd like them to get the new stadium, for sure. I like this site where it is. My parents used to tell me stories of how great RFK was back when we were really, really good.' Ford Flemmings, who worked as a vendor at the old RFK Stadium, said everyone is on the bandwagon with the name Commanders now that they are winning. 'I liked Washington when it was just plain Washington,' Flemmings said. 'If they change their name, so be it. I'll still be a Washington, whatever the Washington team is.' AP White House reporter Darlene Superville and video journalist River Zhang contributed. © Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
Japan Today
16 hours ago
- Japan Today
British Open champion Scottie Scheffler says comparisons to Tiger Woods 'a bit silly'
Scottie Scheffler of the United States speak at a press conference after winning the British Open golf championship at the Royal Portrush Golf Club, Northern Ireland, Sunday, July 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Jon Super) golf By DOUG FERGUSON Another comparison between Tiger Woods and Scottie Scheffler surfaced during the final round of the British Open. This one wasn't about numbers or trophies, but a fist pump. And it was for par. Scheffler needed only one hour to expand his four-shot lead to seven shots with a steady diet of fairways and greens at Royal Portrush on Sunday, along with three birdie putts. But he missed his tee shot on the par-3 sixth and his chip was weak, leaving him a 15-foot par putt. Scheffler fiercely pumped his fist when it dropped, evoking memories of Woods and his 15-shot win at Pebble Beach in the 2000 U.S. Open. Woods had a 12-foot par putt on the 16th hole of that final round, and it was the most emotion he showed all day when he made it. He wanted a clean card and wound up going his final 26 holes bogey-free. Woods was so utterly dominant that his only competition came from himself. That's how it felt with Scheffler when he won the claret jug for the third leg of the career Grand Slam. Scheffler went 32 holes without a bogey until he took two shots to get out of a fairway bunker on No. 8 and made double bogey. What stood out to Scheffler in his four-shot victory was the lack of bogeys, the DNA of his dominance. 'To only have one double — really one over-par hole in the last 36 holes of a major championship — that's how you're able to win these tournaments,' he said. He won the British Open by four shots. He won the PGA Championship in May by five shots. He won by four in the 2024 Masters. Scheffler was five shots ahead on the final hole in his first Masters win in 2022 when he four-putted while simply trying to finish. There are plenty of numbers to consider, starting with his position at No. 1 in the world. No one has held it longer since Woods. Scheffler and Woods are the only players in the last 50 years to win two majors in the same year by at least four shots. Researchers with time on their hands at the PGA Tour discovered that Scheffler and Woods each went 1,197 days between winning their first and fourth majors. Enough of the comparisons, Scheffler said. 'I still think they're a bit silly,' he said. 'Tiger won, what, 15 majors? This is my fourth. I just got one-fourth of the way there. 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.' For majors alone, a better comparison would be with Rory McIlroy. He also won four majors in three years, including two of them in 2014. McIlroy won a U.S. Open and a PGA Championship by eight shots, the latter a record margin. And then he went 11 years without a major. Greatness in golf is also about longevity. Scheffler won for the fourth time this year and now has 20 victories worldwide. He has won 11 straight times with the 54-hole lead. The 29 year old from Texas was introduced as champion golfer of the year, a title the R&A has used for more than a century. Scheffler at this rate might be champion golfer of his generation. And to think he was slowed at the start of the year recovering from a puncture wound on his right hand that he got while trying to cut ravioli with a wine glass. The year's top highlight still might be McIlroy winning the Masters amid tense drama to finally complete the Grand Slam. That was his third win of the season, following The Players Championship and Pebble Beach. McIlroy, however, sounded almost dismissive about them Sunday evening. 'I also had the three wins when Scottie wasn't quite on his game,' he said. Also driving the comparisons to Woods are high praise from just about everyone who has had to face Scheffler since that first win in 2022. 'He is the bar that we're all trying to get to,' McIlroy said. 'I don't think we thought the golfing world would see someone as dominant as Tiger come through so soon, and here's Scottie sort of taking that throne of dominance,' Xander Schauffele said. 'You can't even say he's on a run. He's just been killing it for over two years now.' Any hesitation about comparisons — besides the 15-4 tally in majors, as Scheffler is quick to point out — is their style of play. Woods was as dynamic as he was relentless, especially with recovery shots. Scheffler doesn't have that many because he's rarely out of position. Woods was groomed for stardom when he appeared on 'The Mike Douglas Show' at age 2. Scheffler never cared about anything other than playing golf and getting better at it. 'He doesn't care to be a superstar. He's not transcending the game like Tiger did. He's not bringing it to a non-golf audience necessarily,' Jordan Spieth said. 'He doesn't want to go do the stuff that a lot of us go do, corporately, anything like that.' He works. He competes. He wins. That's what Woods did, and that's what matters to Scheffler. 'I don't focus on that kind of stuff,' Scheffler said of the comparisons. "That's not what motivates me. I'm not motivated by winning championships. I don't look at the beginning of the year and just say, 'I want to win X amount of tournaments.' I don't do that. 'When I wake up to practice, what motivates me is getting to live out my dream,' he said. 'I get to play professional golf, and I feel like I'm called to do it to the best of my ability.' © Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
Japan Times
a day ago
- Japan Times
Scottie Scheffler cruises to first British Open crown
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 No. 1 started out with a four-stroke lead and apart from one blip, it never looked like he would relinquish his iron-like grip on the chasing pack. Scheffler resembled a towering giant among men all week on the glorious Causeway Coast, rekindling memories of 15-time major winner Tiger Woods as he rubber-stamped his fourth major title with a clinical final-round 68. After tapping in for par in front of a packed grandstand on the 18th green, Scheffler's 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," Scheffler, the third consecutive American to win the British Open and fourth in five years, said after lifting the Claret Jug. "I know I wasn't the fan favorite today, so I appreciate you guys coming out to support, overall it's been a great week." Take the dominant Scheffler out of the equation, and the 153rd British 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 at 13-under after a 66, with fellow American Chris Gotterup, winner of last week's Scottish Open, another 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 favorite sporting son, who began six shots behind Scheffler, was unable to mount a charge and ended up in a tie for seventh at 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 Haotong, the first Chinese man to go out in the final group at a major, finished tied for fourth at 11-under with England's Matt Fitzpatrick and American Wyndham Clark. Scheffler now has three legs of the career Grand Slam and needs a U.S. Open crown to complete the set. He is the first player in more than 100 years to win his first four majors by three strokes or more and the first world No. 1 to win the British Open since Woods in 2006. "When you play against the best they make it look easy, and you can't quite figure out why they are so good," said England's Justin Rose, who finished at 7-under. Those who thought the 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 went 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' modern-era British 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 to be an illusion for his pursuers, and a birdie at No. 9 and another on the 12th hole steadied the ship. Perhaps the only person who might have competed with Scheffler over the weekend was compatriot Bryson Dechambeau. He matched Scheffler's tournament-low 64 on Sunday to rocket up to 10th at 9-under, an incredible finish after an opening-round 78.
