Scottie Scheffler wins The Open for the first time, continues his great journey

The Giant at Portrush

Scheffler entered the final round with a four-stroke lead and played so solidly that he gave his opponent no chance to turn the game around. Except for a small stumble in the middle of the round, the rest of the performance was overwhelming: cool, precise and full of character.

During a week of play on the picturesque Causeway Coast, Scheffler stood out as a giant among mortals, reminiscent of Tiger Woods at his peak.

With a decisive round of 68 strokes (-3), Scheffler made history with the 4th major title of his career (after The Masters in 2022 and 2024, PGA Championship in 2025), but perhaps the most important and convincing title.

When his final par putt landed on the 18th hole, amid thunderous cheers from the packed stands, Scheffler’s normally steely exterior cracked. He threw his white cap in the air, ran into the arms of caddie Ted Scott, hugged his wife Meredith and lifted their young son Bennett high. It was a beautiful moment that ended his journey to his first Open title.

“Thank you to the fans for coming out. I know I wasn’t the biggest fan today, so I really appreciate you guys coming out. It was a great week,” Scheffler said at the trophy presentation ceremony. He became the third American in a row and the fourth in the last five years to win The Open.

The small family shared the emotional moment of coronation with Scheffler.

Unstoppable Victory

With the victory at Royal Portrush, Scheffler has three of the four prestigious major titles in his hands and is only missing the US Open to complete the career Grand Slam.

Notably, he is the first golfer in more than a century to win the first four majors by three strokes or more, and the first world number one golfer to win The Open since Tiger Woods in 2006.

Many believed that Portrush, with its challenging holes like the par-3 "Calamity Corner" 16th, would cause Scheffler to stumble, but the reality proved otherwise. History speaks for itself: Scheffler has won each of the last nine times he has led after 54 holes on the PGA Tour. And all three of his previous major titles have come from third-round leads.

“When you play against the best, everything they do looks so easy, you can't understand why they're so good,” Justin Rose, who finished with a total score of -7, said admiringly.

Scheffler won convincingly.

The atmosphere on the final day was already heating up, but when he stepped onto the field Scheffler immediately poured cold water on the hopes of the rest with birdies at holes 1, 4 and 5.

While fans were talking about a record-breaking victory, even surpassing Tiger Woods' eight-stroke lead at St Andrews in 2000, Scheffler had a problem: a double bogey on the eighth hole after two failed attempts to escape a bunker.

The gap was reduced to four strokes and Scheffler dropped points for the first time since round 2 two days ago. But any hope his opponent could turn the game around quickly disappeared, when he immediately made amends with birdies at holes 9 and 12, completely extinguishing any hope.

Rory McIlroy could not turn the situation around.

McIlroy helpless before the distance is too far

Perhaps the only player who can compete with Scheffler in the final two days is Bryson DeChambeau. The muscular American golfer had an explosive round of 64 (-7), equaling the tournament record, to climb to 10th place (-9), after a disastrous opening round of 78.

Scheffler aside, this year's Open was a tight race among the remaining names. Harris English was the standout player with a final-round 66 of 13-under to take second place. Chris Gotterup, who won the Scottish Open last week, was right behind him with a final-round score of 12-under.

Back home in Northern Ireland, thousands flocked to Royal Portrush on a sunny final day hoping to see Rory McIlroy create a miracle. But the six-shot deficit was too big, and McIlroy could not make history.

He finished the tournament in T7 position with a score of -10, along with Xander Schauffele (2024 defending champion) and Robert MacIntyre (Scotland).

“I wish I could have stayed closer to Scottie and put some real pressure on him,” said McIlroy, who completed his career Grand Slam with the 2025 Masters. “This week, and the last two years, he’s been on a whole different level.”

Another bright spot was Li Haotong, the first Chinese golfer to compete in a major, who maintained his form, finishing T4 with a total score of -11, equal to Matt Fitzpatrick (UK) and Wyndham Clark (USA).