Scottie Scheffler lifts the Claret Jug on the 18th green following at The 153rd Open Championship at … More
Scottie Scheffler is golf’s reluctant superstar. He may not want to roar and claim the crown that once belonged to Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods, but he is at the top right now.
Scheffler won the Open Championship at Royal Portrush in Northern Ireland the way Tiger used to win his majors when he was at his peak. He dominated the field from the midway point of the tournament and never loosened his grip during the final 36 holes. Scheffler was 17 under par when he claimed the Claret Jug and that was four strokes better than runner-up Harris English. Scheffler had just one bogey – it was a double on the 8th hole in Sunday’s final round – during his closing two rounds
His walk up the 18th fairway with the victory all but guaranteed was greeted with loud cheers even though the patrons wanted hometown favorite Rory McIlroy to earn the title of Champion Golfer of the Year. If McIlroy had been the winner, the cheers would have been louder because he is a more charismatic performer than Scheffler. But he is not a better golfer, something that McIlroy is quite willing to acknowledge.
“He is the bar that we’re all trying to get to,” McIlroy said. “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. Incredibly impressive.”
That run includes four of his sport’s major championships. He has won the Masters twice, the PGA Championship and now the Open. The countdown is now on until next year’s U.S. Open, because he will have his first opportunity to capture the career grand slam of his sport’s major titles. That’s the club that McIlroy joined in April when he survived and won the Masters. It took Rory 11 years to do it after he landed on the precipice.
Scheffler is the reluctant hero
Scottie Scheffler has dominated his sport in a manner similar to Tiger Woods. (Photo by Kevin C. … More
Scheffler is a different kind of golfer than McIlroy. His emotions are clearly under control and he always seems buttoned up. He is unwilling to claim his spot as the best player in his sport and he dismisses any comparisons to Tiger when he was at his peak.
“Tiger won, what, 15 majors? This is my fourth,” Scheffler said after his coronation. “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.”
Modesty is the watchword for Scheffler as he entertains his status in the golf world. He says his motivation is not winning tournaments or gaining major championships. Instead, he just wants to work hard and get better every day. He realizes that he has a great life because he gets to play the sport he loves for a living.
The 29-year-old Scheffler has 17 career victories. He has joined Woods, Nicklaus and Gary Player as the only players to earn four major championships before reaching the age of 30.
He is the reluctant meteor who keep rocketing higher and higher. He will not declare himself as the king of his sport, but his competitors have no trouble bestowing that honor on him.
Xander Schauffele is among the few who can challenge Scheffler on occasion. He did not hesitate to give Scottie his plaudits.
“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,” Schauffele said. “You can’t even say he’s on a run. He’s just been killing it for over two years now. He’s a tough man to beat, and when you see his name up on the leaderboard, it sucks for us.”
Scheffler put on a peak performance at The Open Championship. He shows no signs of slowing down any time in the foreseeable future.