Scottie Scheffler may be dominating golf in a way few others have before, but the American remains reluctant to see himself in the same conversation as Tiger Woods.
On Sunday, Scheffler claimed his first Open Championship – and his fourth major overall – with a four-shot victory at Royal Portrush, continuing a remarkable run that has seen him win 10 PGA Tour events, an Olympic gold medal, and three majors in just two years.
Despite his growing trophy haul, the world No 1 was quick to play down suggestions he is forging a Tiger-like era in golf.
“I still think they’re a bit silly,” Scheffler, 28, said of the comparisons. “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.”
Scheffler’s dominance was again on full display on the windswept Northern Irish coast. Starting Sunday with a four-shot lead, he birdied three of his first five holes to put any doubts to rest. Even a rare double bogey on the eighth – after failing to escape a fairway bunker – couldn’t halt his momentum. A birdie at the ninth restored calm, and from there, it was a procession.
“I felt a good amount of peace today,” said Scheffler, who closed out the tournament at 17-under. “Even after the little hiccup there on the eighth hole, we bounced back really quick. It’s always a battle within yourself to get the most out of your game. This week, I did a really good job mentally and just played some really solid golf.”
Victory brought a childhood dream full circle. “I grew up waking up early to watch this tournament,” he said. “Just hoping and dreaming I’d one day get the chance to play in it. To win it? It’s hard to put into words.”
He celebrated the moment with his wife Meredith and their one-year-old son Bennett, but as he has made clear, even winning the Claret Jug won’t define his happiness.
“Just because you win a golf tournament, it doesn’t make you happy,” Scheffler said. “Maybe for a few moments, maybe for a few days. But at the end of the day, there’s more to life than golf.”
That perspective hasn’t dulled his competitive fire. With only a US Open win missing from his career Grand Slam, Scheffler’s legacy is already being etched into golf’s history books.
Team Angel Wolf Beach Blast takes place every Wednesday between 4:30pm and 5:30pm
David Haye record
Total fights: 32
Wins: 28
Wins by KO: 26
Losses: 4
The specs
Engine: 0.8-litre four cylinder
Power: 70bhp
Torque: 66Nm
Transmission: four-speed manual
Price: $1,075 new in 1967, now valued at $40,000
On sale: Models from 1966 to 1970
Three tips from La Perle's performers
1 The kind of water athletes drink is important. Gwilym Hooson, a 28-year-old British performer who is currently recovering from knee surgery, found that out when the company was still in Studio City, training for 12 hours a day. “The physio team was like: ‘Why is everyone getting cramps?’ And then they realised we had to add salt and sugar to the water,” he says.
2 A little chocolate is a good thing. “It’s emergency energy,” says Craig Paul Smith, La Perle’s head coach and former Cirque du Soleil performer, gesturing to an almost-empty open box of mini chocolate bars on his desk backstage.
3 Take chances, says Young, who has worked all over the world, including most recently at Dragone’s show in China. “Every time we go out of our comfort zone, we learn a lot about ourselves,” she says.
Profile of RentSher
Started: October 2015 in India, November 2016 in UAE
Founders: Harsh Dhand; Vaibhav and Purvashi Doshi
Based: Bangalore, India and Dubai, UAE
Sector: Online rental marketplace
Size: 40 employees
Investment: $2 million
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
Director: Paul Weitz
Stars: Kevin Hart
3/5 stars
hall of shame
SUNDERLAND 2002-03
No one has ended a Premier League season quite like Sunderland. They lost each of their final 15 games, taking no points after January. They ended up with 19 in total, sacking managers Peter Reid and Howard Wilkinson and losing 3-1 to Charlton when they scored three own goals in eight minutes.
SUNDERLAND 2005-06
Until Derby came along, Sunderland’s total of 15 points was the Premier League’s record low. They made it until May and their final home game before winning at the Stadium of Light while they lost a joint record 29 of their 38 league games.
HUDDERSFIELD 2018-19
Joined Derby as the only team to be relegated in March. No striker scored until January, while only two players got more assists than goalkeeper Jonas Lossl. The mid-season appointment Jan Siewert was to end his time as Huddersfield manager with a 5.3 per cent win rate.
ASTON VILLA 2015-16
Perhaps the most inexplicably bad season, considering they signed Idrissa Gueye and Adama Traore and still only got 17 points. Villa won their first league game, but none of the next 19. They ended an abominable campaign by taking one point from the last 39 available.
FULHAM 2018-19
Terrible in different ways. Fulham’s total of 26 points is not among the lowest ever but they contrived to get relegated after spending over £100 million (Dh457m) in the transfer market. Much of it went on defenders but they only kept two clean sheets in their first 33 games.
LA LIGA: Sporting Gijon, 13 points in 1997-98.
BUNDESLIGA: Tasmania Berlin, 10 points in 1965-66
UAE central contracts
Full time contracts
Rohan Mustafa, Ahmed Raza, Mohammed Usman, Chirag Suri, Mohammed Boota, Sultan Ahmed, Zahoor Khan, Junaid Siddique, Waheed Ahmed, Zawar Farid
Part time contracts
Aryan Lakra, Ansh Tandon, Karthik Meiyappan, Rahul Bhatia, Alishan Sharafu, CP Rizwaan, Basil Hameed, Matiullah, Fahad Nawaz, Sanchit Sharma
The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
