Scottie Scheffler didn't just win The Open Championship at Royal Portrush. He dismantled it.
The world's No. 1 player cruised to a four-shot victory Sunday, finishing at 17-under (267 for the tournament) to claim his second major championship of 2025. With rounds of 68-64-67-68, Scheffler became the first player in more than a century to win his first four majors by at least three shots.
That puts him in Tiger Woods territory. The comparisons aren't premature anymore.
Perfection as Routine
The defining moment came at the par-4 sixth hole Sunday. After building a seven-shot lead, Scheffler's biggest celebration wasn't for a birdie. It was a powerful fist pump after sinking a 15-foot par putt.
When you're that dominant, you celebrate the saves because the birdies are expected.
"I played with him the first two days, and honestly I thought he was going to birdie every hole," said Shane Lowry, the 2019 Open champion. "His bad shots are really good. That's when you know he's really good."
Scheffler went 32 consecutive holes without a bogey before making double bogey on the eighth hole Sunday. His response was swift: birdie on No. 9, then eight pars and another birdie to close out the victory.
At 29, Scheffler has won 17 PGA Tour events in 146 career starts. He's finished in the top 25 in all 16 starts this season, including 13 top-10 finishes with 11 straight. He's the only player with top-10s in all four 2025 majors.
When he leads after three rounds, the outcome is certain. He's 4-for-4 in majors when holding the 54-hole lead and 12-for-18 overall in PGA Tour events with eight straight conversions.
This isn't a hot streak. This is sustained excellence.
English Provides Lone Resistance
Harris English shot a final-round 66 to finish second, his second runner-up finish in a major this year. Both losses came to Scheffler.
"The only guy to beat me at the PGA and this week," English said. "I wasn't playing professional golf when Tiger was at his peak. But it's pretty incredible, just how good of a front-runner he is."
Chris Gotterup finished third after winning the Genesis Scottish Open the previous week. He was attempting to become the first player since Rory McIlroy in 2014 to win a PGA Tour event and major in consecutive weeks.
Wyndham Clark, Matt Fitzpatrick and Haotong Li tied for fourth. Li's finish earned him a spot in next year's Masters and matched the best major result by a Chinese player since his third-place showing at the 2017 Open.
McIlroy's Homecoming Falls Short
Playing before adoring crowds in Northern Ireland, McIlroy never found the magic that carried him to his Masters victory in April. He shot even par through 12 holes Sunday and never got closer than five shots to Scheffler.
Still, his walk up the 18th fairway provided the day's most emotional moment.
"For me to be in front of everyone here at home and to get that reception up the last, absolutely incredible," McIlroy said. "I'll remember that for a long time."
McIlroy's assessment of Scheffler was brutally honest: "He's been on a different level for the last two years to the rest of us. He is the bar that we're all trying to get to."
Defending champion Xander Schauffele also tied for seventh. The last player to win consecutive Opens was Padraig Harrington in 2008.
"You can't even say he's on a run," Schauffele said. "He's just been killing it for over two years now. When you see his name up on the leaderboard, it sucks for us."
Numbers Tell the Story, Especially on the Greens
Tournament statistics revealed how Scheffler built his victory on a combination of ball-striking excellence and putting wizardry. He finished tied for 5th in total putts with 111 for the week.
English led the field in Strokes Gained Putting at +8.844, just ahead of Scheffler's +8.522. That narrow margin perfectly reflected their four-shot difference on the leaderboard.
Harry Hall needed the fewest putts with 104, while Matthew Jordan required 108. At the other extreme, Matti Schmid struggled with 133 putts over four rounds.
Royal Portrush's 14th hole, nicknamed "Calamity," lived up to its reputation as the week's toughest test. It played to a 4.303 average against par 4, yielding just 30 birdies against 134 bogeys and 12 double bogeys or worse.
The par-5 12th hole provided the most scoring opportunities, surrendering 219 birdies and 19 eagles while playing nearly half a shot under par.
Chasing History
This victory gives Scheffler three legs of the career Grand Slam. Only the U.S. Open remains, where he tied for seventh at Oakmont in June.
He leads the FedEx Cup standings by more than 1,300 points with the playoffs beginning in three weeks. His four wins this season include two majors, and several big events remain on the schedule.
The Tiger Woods comparisons are unavoidable.
"I don't think we thought the golfing world would see someone as dominant as Tiger come through so soon," Schauffele said. "Here's Scottie sort of taking that throne of dominance."
What Comes Next?
Scheffler held the claret jug on the 18th green while his 15-month-old son Bennett tumbled trying to reach his father. The scene captured a player at the beginning of his prime, not approaching the end.
Scheffler has talked about how victory celebrations are fleeting, how he loves the process more than the rewards. That mindset creates sustainable excellence rather than temporary brilliance.
His approach combines technical precision with mental toughness and robotic consistency. He doesn't overpower courses or rely on miracle shots. He executes at a level that makes everyone else look ordinary.
The 2025 Open Championship will be remembered as Scheffler's official coronation as golf's dominant force. Royal Portrush provided a worthy stage for his masterclass.
The question isn't whether he'll win more majors. It's how many he'll collect before someone figures out how to beat him.
