Scottie Scheffler, the 153rd Open Champion, made it look easy around Royal Portrush this weekend. The world number one has dominated golf for over three years now, and today’s Open win confirms that his reign isn’t ending anytime soon.
The American finished 17 under par, four shots clear of fellow countryman Harris English in second. History was made as he lifted the Claret Jug — and now he stands just one U.S. Open title away from completing the career Grand Slam.
Embed from Getty ImagesYou’d think watching someone make golf look so simple — and the rest of the field look so ordinary — would be a joy. But the inevitability of Scheffler’s wins has started to feel almost too predictable. In truth, calling the Champion Golfer of the Year “boring” feels disrespectful — but in golfing terms, it’s probably the highest compliment you can give.
Minimal mistakes win major championships, and that’s exactly Scheffler’s game. Even when he does slip up — like the double bogey at the eighth in his final round — he shrugs it off and bounces back immediately, like he did with a birdie at the ninth, the first time all week he’d birdied that hole.
In any sport, you crave drama: the final-hole putt in golf, the last-minute winner in football, the deciding double in darts. It’s those moments that create chaos, memories and magic. But when Scheffler’s in this form, that drama rarely gets a chance.
Scheffler is so relaxed, so locked in on what he has to do, that it looked like he didn’t even flinch walking down the 18th fairway — tens of thousands of fans acknowledging his accomplishment as he cruised to victory with a four-shot lead.
Embed from Getty ImagesWitnessing greatness can stir up all sorts of emotions — happiness, admiration, envy — all of which have been felt since Scheffler took control. And when you glance at the names beneath him on the leaderboard, it’s hard not to feel a flicker of frustration: eight of the top nine separated by just three shots. Without Scheffler in this mood, we might have had an Open Sunday for the ages.
Embed from Getty ImagesWhat makes it harder for a lot of people I think is Scheffler comments during his press conference at the start of the week:
“There’s a lot of people that make it to what they thought was going to fulfil them in life, and you get there, you get to No 1 in the world, and they’re like what’s the point?” he said. “I really do believe that, because what is the point? Why do I want to win this tournament so bad?
“That’s something that I wrestle with on a daily basis. Showing up at the Masters every year, it’s like, why do I want to win this golf tournament so badly? Why do I want to win the Open Championship so badly? I don’t know. Because, if I win, it’s going to be awesome for two minutes. Then we’re going to get to the next week and it’s: ‘Hey, you won two majors this year; how important is it for you to win the FedExCup playoffs?’ And we’re back here again.”
“I’m not out here to inspire someone to be the best player in the world, because what’s the point? This is not a fulfilling life. It’s fulfilling from the sense of accomplishment, but it’s not fulfilling from a sense of the deepest places of your heart.”
Perhaps this mindset, coupled with his deeply held faith, helps explain why Scheffler has remained so remarkably composed, even when the pressure reaches its peak.
Embed from Getty ImagesSadly, for me, as much as I take my hat off to that mentality, as a golf fan, a player and someone who dreams of a future in the game, it’s just not an approach I can fully get behind. Of course, I understand it — there are more important things in life: your health, your family, your closest friends. But to put in all that work, to make all those sacrifices — and to know others made sacrifices for you too — just to say it only means something for a couple of minutes… as a fan, that’s a deflating feeling.
I grew up in the era of Tiger Woods’ dominance, but I don’t really have memories of it — apart from his incredible Masters win in 2019. But from what I’ve seen watching Tiger, there was always personality, raw passion, and an edge on the golf course that even now makes it impossible not to root for him. With Scheffler, as much as I admire his mentality and respect his greatness, it’s just not the same.
He deserves credit for the way he plays the game, and it’s up to those chasing him to raise their own levels if they want to keep pace. There were questions about whether someone so dominant on American soil could do the same overseas, on the unpredictable links. Maybe The Open was the one major that would elude him — but it almost seems now that Scheffler took offence to that idea. Once he hit the front, everyone knew it was over.
In a sport built on drama, risk and emotion, Scottie Scheffler’s greatness comes from taking all of that away — and winning anyway. It might not thrill everyone in the moment, but it’s a standard that every player dreaming of lifting the Claret Jug will now have to meet.
Cover image credit: The 153rd Open – Day Four
PORTRUSH, NORTHERN IRELAND – JULY 20: Scottie Scheffler of the United States lifts the Claret Jug on the 18th green following victory on Day Four of The 153rd Open Championship at Royal Portrush Golf Club on July 20, 2025 in Portrush, Northern Ireland. (Photo by Oisin Keniry/R&A/R&A via Getty Images)
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