Scottie Scheffler romped to an impressive four-shot victory to seal his first Open Championship title at Royal Portrush on Sunday, notching his fourth main success.
The world No.1 eased to a three-under par ultimate spherical of 68, ending on 17-under for the match after capturing within the 60s on all 4 days.
“It’s a fairly particular feeling. It was a troublesome week,” mentioned Scheffler, after changing into the primary participant in over 100 years to win his first 4 main titles by three strokes or extra.
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“I battled laborious all weekend. It was a battle, however I performed some actually good golf and I’m lucky to be standing right here holding the trophy.”
It was the tenth successive time Scheffler has transformed a 54-hole lead right into a win.
His dominance over the previous two years has been such that after he birdied the primary gap, it appeared as if the chasing pack had already misplaced any perception of difficult.
LEADERBOARD:Comply with the motion on the Open
Scheffler, who took a lead he would by no means relinquish with a seven-under 64 on Friday, prolonged his run of successive top-10 finishes to 11 occasions.
That streak now options 4 wins, together with the PGA Championship and British Open titles.
The American, who led by 4 photographs in a single day, grew to become solely the second world No.1 to elevate the Claret Jug after Tiger Woods, finishing the third leg of a attainable profession Grand Slam.
Harris English completed in a distant second place, ending the match on 13-under courtesy of a closing spherical of 66.
Chris Gotterup accomplished a dream fortnight after final weekend’s Scottish Open triumph, carding a 67 to finish a shot additional behind in third.
Residence favorite Rory McIlroy couldn’t launch a severe cost, together with his problem lastly snuffed out by a double-bogey on the tenth gap.
He needed to accept a tie for seventh place on 10-under and a standing ovation from his hundreds of followers surrounding the 18th inexperienced.
“None of us may dwell with what he (Scheffler) had this week, however for me to be in entrance of everybody right here at residence and to get that reception up the final, completely unbelievable,” mentioned Masters champion McIlroy.
– Scheffler’s slip-up –
Scheffler made three birdies in his first 5 holes to serenely attain 17-under for the match, opening up an eight-shot chasm.
Gotterup climbed into second on minus 11, with a bunch of 4 gamers, together with McIlroy, one shot additional again.
Scheffler holed lengthy par putts on the sixth and seventh holes to remain in whole management, however slipped up with a double-bogey on the eighth after it took him 4 photographs to achieve the inexperienced.
It was the primary time he had dropped photographs for the reason that eleventh gap of his second spherical on Friday.
However he confirmed why he not often lets 54-hole leads slip on the ninth, with a trademark exact iron shot establishing one other birdie.
From then on, it was a procession for the 29-year-old as he parred each gap on the again 9 apart from a routine birdie on the par-five twelfth.
“I felt an excellent quantity of peace at the moment. I felt very in command of how I used to be taking part in. I used to be very comfy with my recreation,” Scheffler mentioned.
“Even after the little hiccup there on the eighth gap, we bounced again actually fast with a birdie on 9 and received issues again in gear fairly fast.
“Taking part in this recreation, it’s a battle inside your self on a regular basis to try to get essentially the most out of your recreation and your self. This week, I did a very good job of hanging in there mentally and taking part in some good golf.”
Scheffler had raised eyebrows earlier than the match when he advised his pursuit of dominance on the course was an “unfulfilling life” that solely gives fleeting moments of satisfaction.
He tapped in on the 18th inexperienced to tick off one other achievement on his seemingly unstoppable path to {golfing} greatness, elevating his arms in celebration earlier than embracing his spouse and younger son.
“I don’t assume we thought {the golfing} world would see somebody as dominant as Tiger come by so quickly, and right here’s Scottie kind of taking that throne of dominance,” mentioned Xander Schauffele, whose title defence led to a tie for seventh.
– McIlroy comes undone –
McIlroy held on the fringes of rivalry with three birdies on the entrance 9, towards a lone bogey on the par-four fourth.
However he fired his method shot from the tough on 10 by the again of the inexperienced and ultimately made a six which successfully ended any hopes of lifting a second British Open title this weekend.
English and Gotterup, taking part in collectively within the third-last group, battled it out for second place over the closing holes.
English, who additionally got here second to Scheffler at this yr’s PGA Championship, grabbed the runner-up honours once more because of birdies on the sixteenth and seventeenth holes.
Matthew Fitzpatrick completed tied-fourth as England’s watch for a primary British Open winner since Nick Faldo in 1992 went on, alongside Wyndham Clark and Li Haotong of China.
Australia’s Marc Leishman had a disappointing finish to the match, capturing a four-over par ultimate spherical of 75 to complete even par total, tied 52nd.
The LIV golfer dropped 30 locations on the leaderboard after beginning the day with hopes of pushing into the highest ten to ensure a spot within the discipline for subsequent yr’s Open at Royal Birkdale.
“Some days you may have it, and a few days you don’t. At the moment I didn’t,” Leishman mentioned.
“Disappointing day. Yeah, you may have days like that typically, and clearly you don’t need them to be on Sunday of a British Open. Yeah, we’d wish to have had a greater rating however didn’t.”
Low spherical of the day honours belonged to Bryson DeChambeau.
The LIV Golf star fired a seven-under par spherical of 64 to additionally match Scheffler’s second spherical for the low spherical of the week, one shot shy of Shane Lowry’s course file at Royal Portrush.
DeChambeau climbed right into a share of tenth place, at -9 total consequently.
“Yeah, look, it was honest circumstances the previous few days. I at all times advised you guys I prefer it when it’s honest circumstances. I can play nicely,” he mentioned.
“I nonetheless need to crack the code when it’s raining and windy. However I really feel like we’re getting near some alternatives and options for that. It simply takes a very long time to develop stuff, I’m beginning to study.”