The final major of 2025 was the Open Championship, and the tournament was being played at Royal Portrush in Northern Ireland. It was the third time the course had done the honours, and last time, in 2019, it was an Irishman who finished atop the leaderboard. Back in 1951, English golfer Max Faulkner had come out on top, but there was no doubt who almost everyone on either side of the Irish border wanted to triumph in 2025.
After completing the career Grand Slam at the Masters earlier in the year, many believed that Rory McIlroy would really kick on and, having ended his major drought, would quickly add to his haul of majors. Things seemed set up almost perfectly, with the US PGA Championship to be played at Quail Hollow. Rory had won his first tournament on the PGA Tour at that venue and recorded two more victories at a course that clearly suits his game.
It wasn’t to be, though, as he finished a disappointing 47th and then was only 19th at the US Open. However, with the Open Championship set to be played in his home nation, hopes were high that he would land the sixth major of his career. The fact that he had shot the course record at Portrush – a magical 61 – aged just 16 didn’t hurt either.
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Scheffler Leaves Rory and Rest in the Shade
| Pos. | Player | Par Score | Earnings |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Scottie Scheffler | -17 | $3,100,000 |
| 2 | Harris English | -13 | $1,759,000 |
| 3 | Chris Gotterup | -12 | $1,128,000 |
| =4 | Wyndham Clark | -11 | $730,667 |
| =4 | Matt Fitzpatrick | -11 | $730,667 |
| =4 | Haotong Li | -11 | $730,667 |
| =7 | Robert MacIntyre | -10 | $451,833 |
| =7 | Xander Schauffele | -10 | $451,833 |
| =7 | Rory McIlroy | -10 | $451,833 |
| =10 | Corey Conners | -9 | $304,650 |
| =10 | Brian Harman | -9 | $304,650 |
| =10 | Russell Henley | -9 | $304,650 |
Sadly, it wasn’t to be for the local hero, although he did much better than he had managed in 2019 when he missed the cut. Six years ago, he opened with a disastrous 79, an eight on the very first hole setting the tone. He followed that up with a brilliant 65 but still had to pack his bags and watch on as the rest of the world’s stars played at the weekend.
This time around, Rory played well overall, shooting rounds of 70, 69, 66 and 69 for a 10-under total that was good enough for tied seventh. He always seemed on the edge of contending but never quite managed to put himself in a position where he could threaten the leaders. Every time he strung together a few birdies, he tended to give a shot or two back and slowly but surely, the relentless brilliance of Scheffler left him in the shade.
The American started with a 68, but it was on the Friday that he really took control of the tournament. His stunning 64 was the lowest round of the whole week and saw him jump to -10 and the top of the leaderboard. He was one clear of Matt Fitzpatrick at that stage and fully seven ahead of McIlroy.
Scheffler has earned so many comparisons with Tiger Woods over the past couple of years and ominously for the field, this was, rather surprisingly, the first time the world number one held the 54-hole lead at the Open since Tiger in 2006. Woods, who won 15 majors in total, went on to win at Royal Liverpool that year, and so the warning signs were clear for the chasing pack this time around.
Scheffler is a formidable front-runner, not least because he makes so few mistakes. His approach play and ball control are on a different level, and given he was putting well at Royal Portrush, it seemed hard to see a way that anyone could catch him. The US ace duly delivered closing rounds of 67 and 68 that were, for the most part, flawless.
His 67 on Saturday was devoid of bogeys and meant that for the fourth time he held the lead at a major after 54 holes. He had won the other three, and so if anyone missed the earlier alarm bells, they were sounded again, louder and clearer than ever. He was now four clear of Chinese golfer Li Haotong and five in front of English hope Fitzpatrick.
He made the final round something of a procession by hitting three birdies on the front nine. A bad tee shot on eight, however, gave the field a little hope, just a tiny sliver. His lead had stretched to seven shots earlier, but he made a double bogey, dropping shots for the first time since the 29th hole of the tournament.
No player was able to get within four shots on Sunday, and in the end Scheffler was able to play conservatively over the closing stretch. He finished with six straight pars to win by four from fellow American Harris English who ended on 13 under.
Scheffler claimed his fourth career major, $3.1m in prize money and increased his massive lead at the top of the world rankings. He will seek to complete the career Grand Slam at the US Open next year, but his place among the greats is already secure.
Tiger Comparisons Abound
Scheffler’s golf has, for a long time now, been at a level no player other than Woods has produced. There have been so many comparisons with the man who most rank as one of the two greatest golfers of all time. However, with this latest victory, the similarities between what the two have achieved seem even more marked.
Clearly the 29-year-old has a long way to go to get anywhere near Tiger’s tally of 15 wins in the big four events. He will have to go some to approach the Californian’s 82 PGA wins too. And of course there have to be doubts about Scheffler’s longevity in the sport given his recent comments about golf not being a satisfying life for him and the importance he placed on being a better father than a better golfer.
Even so, the remarkable coincidence that both of these great American golfers won their fourth majors exactly 1,197 days after claiming their first, truly added fuel to the comparison fire. Like Woods, when Scheffler plays well, nobody can compete, but when he plays badly he still tends to make the top 10.
Since winning the Masters at the start of the 2022 major season, he has won four of the 16 big ones he has contested. He has also finished second twice, with a further six top-10s, meaning he has finished outside the top 10 just four times in those 16 events. He now boasts 17 career PGA titles, including two wins at the Players. He is tied-50th on the all-time list for PGA wins, tied-22nd for majors and third in terms of weeks spent as the world number one.
If he can maintain his hunger for the game, then he will move much higher on those lists. He has raised the bar, and it seems the rest are unable to match him. Fans of the sport will simply hope he sticks around long enough to show what he is truly capable of.