Scheffler Invokes Comparisons To The Greats With A Win That Rarely Seemed In Doubt | Sean Ingle

No sooner had nan Claret Jug been lifted precocious supra Scottie Scheffler’s caput than nan scramble for superlatives began. With each connection and exaltation location was besides a consciousness that golf’s Overton model had shifted, pinch his peers daring to sound opinions antecedently beyond nan pale.

It was Xander Schauffele who possibly said it best, arsenic Scheffler was slow‑walking up nan 18th, arsenic if trying to savour each 2nd of a first Open Championship victory.

“I don’t deliberation we thought nan golfing world would spot personification arsenic ascendant arsenic Tiger [Woods] travel done truthful soon, and here’s Scottie benignant of taking that throne of dominance,” said Schauffele, nan 2024 champion, having vanished 7 shots back. “You can’t moreover opportunity he’s connected a run. He’s conscionable been sidesplitting it for complete 2 years now. He’s a reliable man to beat, and erstwhile you spot his sanction up connected nan leaderboard it sucks for us.”

Scheffler is making a wont of this. This was his 4th awesome title successful 3 years. For bully measure, he has 17 PGA Tour wins complete nan aforesaid period. The mostly of them person been for illustration this, a four‑shot triumph separator from Harris English that seldom looked successful doubt.

Rory McIlroy was different subordinate who had hoped for a occurrence connected Sunday only to spot golf’s eventual dementor had sucked his hopes pinch 3 early birdies. After that nan consequence was not successful doubt, pinch Scheffler easing to triumph astatine 17 nether par.

“In a humanities context, you could reason that there’s only possibly 2 aliases 3 players successful nan history of nan crippled that person been connected a tally for illustration nan 1 that Scottie’s been connected for nan past 24 to 36 months,” said McIlroy, who vanished tied for seventh connected 10 under.

“It’s incredibly impressive. He conscionable goes astir his business. Doesn’t do thing overly flamboyant, but he’s nan champion astatine executing successful nan game. All you tin do is extremity your headdress and watch successful admiration.”

We are intelligibly successful Scheffler’s imperial phase, wherever nan victories look preordained and nary superlative seems outlandish. The only mobility now is really galore fields he whitethorn win. Double figures does not look outlandish. Which would put him down only Woods, Jack Nicklaus and Walter Hagen.

Tommy Fleetwood surely believes he tin do it. “If he keeps going nan measurement he is, we’re each going to look backmost and talk astir him successful nan aforesaid activity arsenic immoderate of nan all-time greats,” he said. “And he’s played successful our generation.”

Not truthful agelong ago, specified comments would person seemed premature. Now they are accepted wisdom. Scheffler’s temperament is thing special. Little seems to faze him. He plays play for illustration personification who has had their adrenal glands removed. Not that he sounded that measurement afterwards.

“Every time is simply a battle, it is simply a conflict pinch yourself each nan time,” Scheffler said. It surely didn’t look that measurement arsenic he decimated a value field.

Shane Lowry, who won astatine Portrush successful 2019, was different subordinate to evoke comparisons pinch Woods. But successful his position nan ungainliness of Scheffler’s drive, which often results successful him losing his equilibrium arsenic his shot flies 300 yards down nan fairway, has taken group disconnected nan scent.

Shane Lowry (right) collaborated Scottie Scheffler connected nan first 2 days and said he thought nan world No 1 was ‘going to birdie each hole’. Photograph: Ramsey Cardy/Sportsfile/Getty Images

“I played pinch him nan first 2 days and honestly I thought he was going to birdie each hole,” Lowry said. “If Scottie’s feet stayed unchangeable and his plaything looked for illustration Adam Scott’s, we’d beryllium talking astir him successful nan aforesaid words arsenic Tiger Woods.

“I conscionable deliberation because it doesn’t look truthful perfect, we don’t talk astir him for illustration that. I deliberation he’s conscionable unthinkable to watch, and his bad shots are really good. That’s erstwhile you cognize he’s really good.”

If Scheffler had not been successful Portrush, this would person been a thrilling last day. On Sunday morning, location were 11 players wrong 4 shots of China’s Li Haotong successful 2nd spot connected 10 under. The problem? Scheffler was connected 14 under.

Any hopes of a Devon Loch-style daze were soon extinguished. On nan first hole, Li deed his attack to wrong six feet. Scheffler’s response? To play it wrong 3 feet and grounds a birdie.

In truth, it was nan astir sedate Open last time successful astir a generation. Scheffler had won his past 9 tournaments aft having led aft 54 holes. He wasn’t going to suffer from here.

At nan 4th spread personification shouted: “What’s nan point, Scottie?” – a reference to his property convention from earlier successful nan week. A fewer minutes later he had made his constituent pinch a birdie and followed it up pinch different connected nan 5th. True, location was a insignificant wobble astatine nan adjacent 3 holes – pinch 2 agelong par saves followed by a double-bogey six astatine nan 8th. But nan consequence was ne'er successful doubt.

As Bryson DeChambeau put it: “Scottie’s successful a convention of his ain correct now. I played pinch him a batch successful college, and he was not that good, truthful he’s figured retired a batch of worldly since then. It’s really awesome to spot and thing we tin each study from for sure.”

The bad news for nan rest? Scheffler is only 29. He knows really to play links play now and he intelligibly wants titles. As gave his triumph speech, his 14‑month‑old son, Bennett, was swinging a integrative play nine conscionable disconnected nan 18th greenish earlier nan Claret Jug. He looked a natural. Just for illustration his father.