The Open: Scheffler wins fourth major at Royal Portrush
It was a pity for the McIlroy legion, but baby Bennett was the one who hit the deck.
He's still not quite accustomed to walking properly, let alone getting around the swales and valleys of this links beauty in Northern Ireland, which is going to make physiotherapists around the world very rich in the coming weeks.
'I don't think he's ever been up a hill that big before,' Scheffler laughs. 'I felt kind of bad for him. He just kept falling down. That's part of the learning curve and growing up.'
At this rate, baby Bennett is growing up on Sunday afternoon television, getting more airtime than half the field given the alarming regularity dad, world No.1 Scottie Scheffler, is racking up tournament wins these days. It's about the only time we see a Scheffler with any vulnerability.
It's hardly breaking news, but Scheffler won The Open championship at Royal Portrush on Monday (AEST). It was the most predictable outcome to what is usually the sport's most unpredictable tournament.
In the space of 39 months, Scheffler has won four majors and now is within touching distance of the career grand slam, needing just the US Open to join golf's most exclusive club. Just don't ask him if he's bothered thinking about it yet.
Scottie and the one Scheffler to take a mistep on the greens this week. Picture:So, is he the best since Tiger Woods? With respect to Rory McIlroy, it's hard to say no.
Can he even do the unfathomable and, by the end of his career, threaten Tiger's haul of 15 majors? Still just 29, it's not impossible.
'I still think they're a bit silly,' Scheffler says of the Woods comparisons. 'Tiger won, what, 15 majors? This is my fourth. I think Tiger stands alone in the game of golf.'
Shrugs Xander Schauffele, last year's champion golfer of the year: '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.
'You can't even say he's on a run. He's just been killing it for over two years now. When you see his name up on the leaderboard, it sucks for us.'
A rare show of emotion from Scottie Scheffler. Picture: Andy Buchanan/AFP
Unlike Tiger, Scheffler is not a man who will transcend the sport. His personality won't allow it. He likes the quiet life, where faith and family come before golf, in exactly that order. He's found a chipotle joint in Texas where he's not recognised, so he's started eating there more than the other one where he would be mobbed.
'I'm not going to tell you where it is!'
In his most revealing press conference of his career before this tournament, Scheffler gave a sermon on how golf doesn't leave him 'fulfilled in the deepest place of my heart'. It came right at the end of his meeting with the press. When he wins, he said enjoys it for 'about two minutes' and then he wonders what's for dinner. It was compelling viewing, a small window into golf's most devastating winning machine since Tiger.
Could it also be construed as slightly disrespectful to his rivals who wish they had as much talent as Scheffler has in his pinky finger?
'Maybe I didn't do as effective of a job as I hoped to in communicating that,' Scheffler says.
'It's something I actually talked to Shane (Lowry) about this week was just because you win a golf tournament or accomplish something, it doesn't make you happy. It doesn't. 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.'
Scottie Scheffler, a man of family and faith before golf, celebrates with his wife Meredith Scheffler and son Bennett after winning The 153rd Open Championship. Picture:There is no appetite to be a corporate king, like other megastar athletes. Unlike McIlroy, he's also shown no appetite to travel the world to spread the golfing gospel, at least not yet. It's unlikely to change.
'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,' McIlroy says. 'It's incredibly impressive.
'Also, he's a great person, and I think he's a wonderful ambassador for our game as well.'
In his final round, Scheffler's lead swelled to seven shots at one stage. He ended up winning by four with a closing three-under 68, topping fellow American Harris English by four shots. He had one blip: a double bogey in the par-four eighth, failing to escape a fairway bunker with his first try.
For the rest of the tournament, he had just three bogeys. Three!
Even considering the benign conditions on the weekend, it was a remarkable display of robotic dominance. His iron play was flawless, his distance control superb. Every time he had a clutch 10-footer to save par, he jarred it, until baby Bennett finally spotted dad.
'He doesn't know what a golf ball is, but he's either eating his golf club or he's hitting something with it, whether it be a piece of furniture or sometimes other kids,' Scheffler says. 'We're working on it.'
What odds on Bennett being pictured next to the claret jug in, say, 25 years time?
.
Min Woo Lee's PGA regret
Lee's victory to topple world No.1 Scheffler had predictions of him contending in one of the big four in 2025, but he only survived to play the weekend at Augusta National, and knows he has a lot of adjusting to do when it comes to the brutal men's professional golf schedule.
'It's great having a win, and mentally you think you're still up on that high and you don't have enough time to just sit down and think of what you did,' Lee said.
Min Woo Lee missed the cut at the Open Championship. Picture: Getty Images
'After a week everyone's congratulating you and it was five days off and then you play the Masters. So, it's like you just have to turn it off and turn it on very quickly and I don't think I handled it as good as (I could have). Wins don't come often, so I'm just learning from that.
'It feels like you are on top of the world and then you play a hard stretch of golf. But we want to be there, we want to play as good as we can in those events and I want to put myself in those situations.'
Scottie Scheffler leads heading into the final round of The 153rd Open Championship. Picture: Getty Images
Lee was one of the eight Australians who missed the cut at golf's most historic event, including Cameron Smith and Adam Scott, with only Marc Leishman managing to play the final 36 holes in Northern Ireland.
Lee, 26, will reset for the PGA Tour's play-offs before coming back to Australia in a bid to win the Australian PGA Championship for a second time and then take on Rory McIlroy in the Australian Open at Royal Melbourne.
His sister, Minjee, became a three-time major winner this year when she claimed the KPMG Women's PGA Championship, fuelling Min Woo's desire for more success at majors level.
'It's good to have that (PGA Tour win) in the bag,' Lee said. 'It's just one of those things just got to reset and then hopefully next year we can do better.'
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News.com.au
17 hours ago
- News.com.au
Wallabies star Carlo Tizzano accused of diving by UK press as British and Irish Lions eye history
Still livid at the contentious last-minute ruling that cost them victory in the second Test against the British & Irish Lions, the Wallabies are facing the threat of total humiliation if they don't quickly move on from the incident that has divided the rugby world. While head coach Joe Schmidt was fuming that the Lions' match-winning try by Hugo Keenan wasn't ruled out because of Jac Morgan's clean out of Carlo Tizzano in the lead up, the jury is split on whether the Wallabies were robbed or their complaints are just sour grapes. While a lot of Australians think Morgan should have been penalised for making contact with Tizzano's neck, the British media – not surprisingly – have taken a very different view, and accused the Wallabies' backrower of diving. 'Tizzano clearly milked the incident, collapsing with a melodrama that could easily have persuaded some officials to chalk off Keenan's try,' British journalist Oliver Brown wrote in the UK's Telegraph. 'The reality was that Morgan's clear-out technique was blameless: he wrapped his arms legally and could not have gone any lower. By contrast, Tizzano's reaction – staggering back, clutching his head as if in mortal agony – was anything but.' Stephen Jones, a long-time critic of southern hemisphere rugby, also took aim at Tizzano, saying the referees should be applauded for seeing his actions as play-acting. 'Tizzano, unforgivably, reached back and dived out of the ruck clutching his head,' Jones wrote. 'And the officials quite correctly concluded that there was no offence.' The debate is certain to rumble on in the lead up to next weekend's final Test in Sydney. World Rugby's top brass are in town to promote the 2027 World Cup and can expect a grilling on the matter. But nothing they say will change the result. The history books already show the Lions won the match 29-26 to take an unbeatable 2-0 lead in the series and with it the chance of a rare 3-0 cleansweep, which would be an unmitigated disaster for Australian rugby. The last time the Wallabies lost 3-0 to the Lions was way back in 1904 so Schmidt is desperate for his players to come away from the series with something to show for their steady improvement. 'I think they are progressing,' Schmidt said. 'It's never linear, it always tends to ebb and flow. 'Our challenge is to try to be as consistent as we can, even within the game.' When Schmidt and his players sit down in the cold light of day to review Saturday's heartbreaking loss at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, sulking about the decision that went against them will do more harm than good. They would be better off acknowledging the painful truth that this was an epic match that both teams can be proud of but the Australians let it slip through their hands after scoring three tries inside the first half-hour to open up a commanding 18-point lead. While the Wallabies were fist pumping and backslapping each other, there was still 50 minutes left on the clock, and the Lions weren't done with yet. They held their composure to dominate the rest of the contest, outscoring the Wallabies 24-3. With the Wallabies desperately trying to hold on, the Lions just kept attacking and finished with five tries to Australia's three, including two critical scores just before halftime that cut the margin to six points at the interval and swung the momentum their way. Even through the red mist of the gut wrenching finish, Schmidt did at least concede his team had squandered a golden opportunity. 'When you build a lead of 23-5 and then that slips, that's hugely disappointing, particularly when it happens in the last play of the game,' he said. 'We are trying to build consistency. We're trying to play a brand of rugby that entertains people. And at the same time, a brand of rugby that we enjoy playing. 'I'm really proud of the effort the players put in and I'm really disappointed for them. 'That probably puts in context the comments that have been made in terms of our disappointment at the end of the game.' While the Wallabies can't win the series, Schmidt said there was still plenty to play for in Sydney apart from avoiding the embarrassment of a whitewash. With Australia hosting the Rugby World Cup in 2027, the focus over the next two years will be on building a team that can compete for the game's ultimate prize. There are enough positive signs to suggest that the building blocks are there, but nothing lifts the spirits more than winning so that has to be the first priority. 'We had a number of guys who are just growing into the game really and so to stand up and deliver what they did against a collection of some of the world's best players, I was immensely proud of the effort they'd made,' Schmidt said. 'They were broken at the end of it and I think one of the things that you've got to do is you've got to keep resolve and you've got to keep going forward. 'We can't wallow in self-pity because we didn't get the result. We've got to keep trying to build the way we play, the behaviours we demonstrate, and the understanding we're trying to build of the game and how we can best play it. 'You can't get more motivated than what the players demonstrated.' Lions chasing 121-year first Not satisfied with breaking the Wallabies' hearts by clinching their three-game series with a match to spare, the British & Irish Lions are now preparing to go in for the kill in game three. And if the Lions succeed in devouring the Wallabies, the Australians can point the finger of blame at rugby league, because it was the Kangaroos that instilled the ruthless instinct in the Lions' master coach Andy Farrell. Even before they arrived in Australia, the Lions were bragging about wanting to complete the first 3-0 clean sweep against the Wallabies in 121 years and they're right on track after they stole a 29-26 victory with a controversial last-minute try at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. As the celebrations kicked off in the bowels of the MCG, the Lions' captain Maro Itoje and head coach Andy Farrell were quick to warn the Wallabies they would get no mercy in next weekend's final Test in Sydney. 'The first time we met was in London or Dublin, when we met Big Faz (Farrell), he made the call, he wants us to go out here and win, he wants us to win everything,' Itoje said. 'Don't get me wrong, I'm absolutely delighted with the result, but we want to go again next week.' Farrell was also bullish about his team's intentions for Sydney but did at least credit to the Wallabies for how well they played in Melbourne after losing the series opener in Brisbane. Written off as no-hopers, the Wallabies led 23-5 in the first half and held the lead for 79 minutes before the Lions snatched the win in the last play of the game. 'Fair play to them, they turned up,' Farrell said. 'They said they were going to turn up physically, but it wasn't just that. They played a great brand of rugby, whether it be their kicking game, 50-22s, et cetera, moving the ball around etc. They played a great brand of rugby.' While the Wallabies were left to rue what could have been, the Lions went straight into full party mode. Soaking up the atmosphere of playing in front of 90,000 fans they did a lap of the MCG to pose for photos with family and fans before heading to the sheds and bursting into song. At the same time Itoje and Farrell were answering questions at their post game press conference, the Lions' squad could be head belting out Status Quo's 'Rockin All Over The World.' When it came time for the Wallabies coach and captain to front the media, they had to face their inquisition while the Lions' were singing Neil Diamond's 'Sweet Caroline.' 'This is a dream for everyone in that dressing room,' Farrell said. 'These lads have dreamt of being a British & Irish Lion all their lives,' said Farrell. 'And to get to the point where we come to the MCG, 90,000 people, with a dramatic finish like that, to win the series is what dreams are made of. 'If you're a child watching that back home do you want to be a British & Irish lion? 100%. That's the dream, that's the fairytale that these lads have wished for. So we're over the moon.' For Farrell, beating the Australians in a series ticked off one of the few items missing from his bucket list. A superstar rugby league player in his day before he turned to coaching rugby union, Farrell played for Great Britain against the Kangaroos in three Ashes' series, in 1994, 2001 and 2003, captaining his country in the last two. But he lost all three series', all in painful circumstances. In 1994 and again 2001, Britain won the Test but lost the next two to concede the series. Then in 2003, the unforgiving Kangaroos hammered the Brits 3-0. Now he has his revenge. The significance wasn't lost on Itoje, who became the first Lions' captain in 12 years to win a series anywhere in the world. 'These are one the moments in your life that you'll cherish. This will live long in the memory,' he said. 'So often in sport, you have to move on to the next thing, focus on what's next, focus on the next challenge. Every now and again, I think it's important to savour the moment. 'This has always been the goal for the results to be this way, this point in the tour. And we're just delighted, this is what dreams are made of.'
The Advertiser
a day ago
- The Advertiser
Bennett not keen on spoon talk as Bunnies fall to last
Wayne Bennett has swatted away wooden-spoon talk after South Sydney slumped to last on the ladder following a gutsy 14-12 loss to Cronulla. Hours after Gold Coast upset the Warriors to move off the foot the NRL ladder, the Rabbitohs were gallant but ultimately beaten by the Sharks on Saturday night. Cronulla spent most of the game camped on the Rabbitohs' line, with more than 70 per cent of the game played inside the Sharks' attacking half. But Souths still did enough to take a 6-2 lead at the break, holding firm as the Sharks bombed opportunities with dropped balls and forward passes. Ultimately Will Kennedy's bat-on for Ronaldo Mulitalo and a Blayke Brailey try proved enough for the Sharks' third straight win. The result ensured Cronulla will finish the round in the top eight, where Craig Fitzgibbon's men look likely to stay with a favourable run home. "It was the very definition of (an ugly win)," Fitzgibbon said. "Our execution was miles off, but at least we did the very thing we needed to do to keep them out of the game with field position. "That was the pleasing part, not much else." Souths, meanwhile, have more pain in a year when they have regularly had large portions of their salary cap on the sidelines. Prop Tevita Tatola dislocated his shoulder scoring a last-minute try to narrow the margin, and Jack Wighton was sin-binned after a head clash that concussed Toby Rudolf was deemed a shoulder charge. The Rabbitohs have not claimed a wooden spoon since 2006, and Bennett has never taken one home in 38 years of coaching in the premiership. But Souths' eighth straight loss on Saturday night marked the worst losing streak of Bennett's career, with the Bunnies behind the Titans on for-and-against. Bennett's men have two guaranteed points with a bye in round 26, while matches against Gold Coast and Parramatta could determine the fate of the spoon. Not that the veteran coach is interested in the topic. "I knew someone would ask that question," Bennett responded when asked if he was concerned about the spoon. "I am not answering it." Souths didn't lack spirit on Saturday, scoring with their only good set of the first half when Jye Gray stepped across field and put Tyrone Munro over on the siren. But otherwise the lack of good ball meant halfback Lewis Dodd had little chance to create anything in attack, before he was taken off with 12 minutes to go. The centre of attention when he arrived in Gosford as Souths' first-choice half five months ago for a pre-season trial, Dodd had only started one NRL match since. The big-money Englishman did produce one of the key moments of the opening 40 minutes in defence, holding up Nicho Hynes after the Sharks halfback split Souths open. "We only had two sets ... the rest of the time we were in the back of the field and finding it pretty hard to come out," Bennett said. "He (Dodd) didn't let anybody down." Souths will have regular No.7 Jamie Humphreys back from a concussion next week, after Bennett blooded playmaker Ashton Ward on Saturday night. Wayne Bennett has swatted away wooden-spoon talk after South Sydney slumped to last on the ladder following a gutsy 14-12 loss to Cronulla. Hours after Gold Coast upset the Warriors to move off the foot the NRL ladder, the Rabbitohs were gallant but ultimately beaten by the Sharks on Saturday night. Cronulla spent most of the game camped on the Rabbitohs' line, with more than 70 per cent of the game played inside the Sharks' attacking half. But Souths still did enough to take a 6-2 lead at the break, holding firm as the Sharks bombed opportunities with dropped balls and forward passes. Ultimately Will Kennedy's bat-on for Ronaldo Mulitalo and a Blayke Brailey try proved enough for the Sharks' third straight win. The result ensured Cronulla will finish the round in the top eight, where Craig Fitzgibbon's men look likely to stay with a favourable run home. "It was the very definition of (an ugly win)," Fitzgibbon said. "Our execution was miles off, but at least we did the very thing we needed to do to keep them out of the game with field position. "That was the pleasing part, not much else." Souths, meanwhile, have more pain in a year when they have regularly had large portions of their salary cap on the sidelines. Prop Tevita Tatola dislocated his shoulder scoring a last-minute try to narrow the margin, and Jack Wighton was sin-binned after a head clash that concussed Toby Rudolf was deemed a shoulder charge. The Rabbitohs have not claimed a wooden spoon since 2006, and Bennett has never taken one home in 38 years of coaching in the premiership. But Souths' eighth straight loss on Saturday night marked the worst losing streak of Bennett's career, with the Bunnies behind the Titans on for-and-against. Bennett's men have two guaranteed points with a bye in round 26, while matches against Gold Coast and Parramatta could determine the fate of the spoon. Not that the veteran coach is interested in the topic. "I knew someone would ask that question," Bennett responded when asked if he was concerned about the spoon. "I am not answering it." Souths didn't lack spirit on Saturday, scoring with their only good set of the first half when Jye Gray stepped across field and put Tyrone Munro over on the siren. But otherwise the lack of good ball meant halfback Lewis Dodd had little chance to create anything in attack, before he was taken off with 12 minutes to go. The centre of attention when he arrived in Gosford as Souths' first-choice half five months ago for a pre-season trial, Dodd had only started one NRL match since. The big-money Englishman did produce one of the key moments of the opening 40 minutes in defence, holding up Nicho Hynes after the Sharks halfback split Souths open. "We only had two sets ... the rest of the time we were in the back of the field and finding it pretty hard to come out," Bennett said. "He (Dodd) didn't let anybody down." Souths will have regular No.7 Jamie Humphreys back from a concussion next week, after Bennett blooded playmaker Ashton Ward on Saturday night. Wayne Bennett has swatted away wooden-spoon talk after South Sydney slumped to last on the ladder following a gutsy 14-12 loss to Cronulla. Hours after Gold Coast upset the Warriors to move off the foot the NRL ladder, the Rabbitohs were gallant but ultimately beaten by the Sharks on Saturday night. Cronulla spent most of the game camped on the Rabbitohs' line, with more than 70 per cent of the game played inside the Sharks' attacking half. But Souths still did enough to take a 6-2 lead at the break, holding firm as the Sharks bombed opportunities with dropped balls and forward passes. Ultimately Will Kennedy's bat-on for Ronaldo Mulitalo and a Blayke Brailey try proved enough for the Sharks' third straight win. The result ensured Cronulla will finish the round in the top eight, where Craig Fitzgibbon's men look likely to stay with a favourable run home. "It was the very definition of (an ugly win)," Fitzgibbon said. "Our execution was miles off, but at least we did the very thing we needed to do to keep them out of the game with field position. "That was the pleasing part, not much else." Souths, meanwhile, have more pain in a year when they have regularly had large portions of their salary cap on the sidelines. Prop Tevita Tatola dislocated his shoulder scoring a last-minute try to narrow the margin, and Jack Wighton was sin-binned after a head clash that concussed Toby Rudolf was deemed a shoulder charge. The Rabbitohs have not claimed a wooden spoon since 2006, and Bennett has never taken one home in 38 years of coaching in the premiership. But Souths' eighth straight loss on Saturday night marked the worst losing streak of Bennett's career, with the Bunnies behind the Titans on for-and-against. Bennett's men have two guaranteed points with a bye in round 26, while matches against Gold Coast and Parramatta could determine the fate of the spoon. Not that the veteran coach is interested in the topic. "I knew someone would ask that question," Bennett responded when asked if he was concerned about the spoon. "I am not answering it." Souths didn't lack spirit on Saturday, scoring with their only good set of the first half when Jye Gray stepped across field and put Tyrone Munro over on the siren. But otherwise the lack of good ball meant halfback Lewis Dodd had little chance to create anything in attack, before he was taken off with 12 minutes to go. The centre of attention when he arrived in Gosford as Souths' first-choice half five months ago for a pre-season trial, Dodd had only started one NRL match since. The big-money Englishman did produce one of the key moments of the opening 40 minutes in defence, holding up Nicho Hynes after the Sharks halfback split Souths open. "We only had two sets ... the rest of the time we were in the back of the field and finding it pretty hard to come out," Bennett said. "He (Dodd) didn't let anybody down." Souths will have regular No.7 Jamie Humphreys back from a concussion next week, after Bennett blooded playmaker Ashton Ward on Saturday night.
News.com.au
a day ago
- News.com.au
Scottie Scheffler clears the air on British Open fart-gate
The Scottie Scheffler fart-gate took a brand new twist. On the 17th hole at the British Open last Thursday, when Scheffler was chipping to the green, the broadcast feed picked up someone passing gas. While some thought a fan was the culprit, Scheffler completely changed the narrative this week, the New York Post reports. Scheffler was featured on Barstool Sports' 'Pardon My Take' podcast and shed light on who is really to blame for the incident — himself. 'Yeah, that was me,' Scheffler admitted on the show. 'Oh yeah, that was me. 'You're out there for like six hours, you're eating some different food over there. Some stuff is going to happen. 'You never know with the boom mics there, you never know what they're going to pick up. I'm definitely surprised it hasn't happened more in the past picking up stuff like that. I literally didn't think anything about it then after we got inside, Xander [Schauffele] was showing me the video. He pulls up the video and I see myself standing on 17, and I'm like, 'Oh, I know what this is.'' Now that the truth is out, the gas might've helped fuel his shot as Scheffler almost chipped it straight into the hole. Scheffler finished Thursday 3-under par and continued to ride high into the weekend before he ran away with the British Open crown, his first time winning that major. The chasing group behind him never got within four strokes on the final day. Scheffler, before winning the event, was the world No. 1 golfer and the betting favourite to win the Claret Jug. 'It is a pretty special feeling,' Scheffler said after winning. 'It was a tough week; I battled hard all weekend. Today, once again, was a battle, but [I] played some really good golf. I'm fortunate to be standing here holding the trophy.' The British Open now gives Scheffler the third of the four major trophies in golf, as he needs the U.S. Open to complete the career grand slam.
