No drama: Scheffler adds The Open, 3rd Slam leg

PORTRUSH, Northern Ireland — Scottie Scheffler may not find his life’s true fulfillment in winning, but that’s not going to keep him from continuing to do it on the sport’s biggest stages.

Scheffler had all the time in the world to celebrate his latest major title, carding a 68 on Sunday to cruise to a four-stroke victory in the Open Championship at Royal Portrush.

The outcome was never in doubt Sunday, as golf’s No. 1 player finished at 17-under 267, delivering yet another dominant performance to win his second major this year and grab the third leg of the career Grand Slam.

Scheffler tapped in for par on the final hole, making it all look so routine. But then Scheffler saw his family, thrust both arms into the air, pumped both arms and tossed his cap in the air. That’s what it was all about for the 29-year-old from Texas, who gets to keep the silver Claret Jug for a year.

American Harris English, who arrived in Britain two weeks ago without his caddie, and Chris Gotterup, who flew over without a plane ticket for Ireland, finished second and third, respectively.

Scheffler became just the fourth player in Open Championship history to shoot 68 or better in all four rounds, joining Collin Morikawa (2021), Henrik Stenson (2016) and Jesper Parnevik (1994).

The start of Scheffler’s final round was ideal. From the first cut of rough, Scheffler hit his approach to the right side of the green on the slope. The ball trickled back and then rolled down to 10 inches from the cup for a tap-in birdie.

Scheffler already won the PGA Championship by five shots this year. He won the Masters last year by four shots and the Masters in 2022 by three shots. Before Sunday, no one had ever won each of their first four major titles by three shots or more.

He also became just the third golfer to win multiple majors by four or more strokes in a single year, joining Ben Hogan (Masters, U.S. Open, The Open in 1953) and Tiger Woods (U.S. Open, The Open in 2000).

Scheffler has won 20 times worldwide since February 2022, and this was the 11th straight time he turned a 54-hole lead into a victory.

“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,” said Xander Schauffele, who tied for seventh.

“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 arrived in Northern Ireland and shared some extraordinary insight when he said celebrating tournament wins doesn’t last but for a few minutes before it was on to the next one. He said he loves the work required to be the best and that he thrives on competition, but in terms of fulfillment, he said he often questions why he wants to win so badly when the thrill of winning is fleeting.

There was just one wobble on Sunday. Scheffler’s tee shot on the par-4 eighth found a bunker, and he got too aggressive, with his next shot hitting the top of the vetted side and rolling back into the bunker.

He got the next one out safely into the fairway, hit wedge to 18 feet and took two putts for a double bogey — ending his streak of 32 consecutive holes without a bogey.

Scheffler then drilled his drive on No. 9, hit wedge to 5 feet for birdie and he was back on his horse. He played the back nine with eight pars and a birdie because that’s all he needed. No one could catch him.

“I played with him the first two days, and honestly I thought he was going to birdie every hole. It was incredible to watch,” Shane Lowry said. “If Scottie’s feet stayed stable and his swing looked like Adam Scott‘s, we’d be talking about him in the same words as Tiger Woods. … His bad shots are really good. That’s when you know he’s really good.”

It was an extraordinary test for Scheffler because of the cheers, not all of them for him. There was pure adulation for Rory McIlroy playing before a home crowd in Northern Ireland. He started the round six shots behind, needing his greatest closing round in a major and help from Scheffler, but McIlroy wound up seven back in a tie for seventh.

“I wish I had have been closer to Scottie going into today and been able to make a real push,” said McIlroy, who became just the sixth player to win the career slam after capturing the Masters earlier this year. “But he’s been on a different level all week and 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 at this point.”

English shot a closing 5-under 66 on Sunday to secure a second runner-up finish to Scheffler at a major this year, after the PGA Championship in May. One of the best years of his career could yet include an appearance in the Ryder Cup at New York in September.

Gotterup’s last two weeks on the links have been life-changing. As the world No. 158, he outlasted McIlroy to win the Scottish Open last week and earn a late qualifying berth for the Open Championship where, on his major debut, he shot weekend rounds of 68 and 67 to finish third.

In the space of eight days, Gotterup has earned around $2.7 million — double his career earnings. Oh, and it was his 26th birthday on Sunday, too.

“I don’t know what’s going on over here,” said Gotterup, whose family roots are Danish, “but maybe my European blood in me a little bit has come to life.”

English finished at 13 under, despite being without longtime caddie Eric Larson, who couldn’t get a travel visa for the U.K. because of prison time served 20 years ago. Instead, his short-game coach, Ramon Bescansa, was on the bag.

“Ramon and I did a great job of coming up with a strategy,” the No. 19-ranked English said. “He kind of knows how I operate.”

English is now just outside the automatic qualifying positions for the American Ryder Cup team

“Hopefully I can get in that top six to lock up a spot,” he said.

Haotong Li of China (70), Matt Fitzpatrick (69) and Wyndham Clark (65) tied for fourth. That gets Li into the Masters next year.

The Associated Press and ESPN Research contributed to this report.