Scottie Scheffler on cusp of joining elite group of golf greats if he can hold off Fitzpatrick & McIlroy to win The Open
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SCOTTIE SCHEFFLER stands on the brink of sporting immortality - and will join an elite group of golf's greats by winning The 153rd Open.
Scheffler, 29, takes a four-shot lead into the final round at Portrush.
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Scottie Scheffler is already one of the golfing greats
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Tiger Woods won three Opens - all as the world No1
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Jack Nicklaus is in the elite group to win the Masters, PGA and The Open before turning 30
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Should he hold on, the American will become just the fourth player in history to win a Masters, PGA Championship and The Open before the age of 30.
And it is not bad company.
The others to achieve the feat?
Gary Player, Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods.
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And yet Scheffler fully deserves to be mentioned in the same sentence as the all-time legends.
He has spent 149 weeks as the world No1 and already picked up three Majors before his Portrush quest - aiming to join Woods as the only other golfer to collect the Claret Jug while at the top of the rankings.
Two of those came at Augusta, winning the 2022 and 2024 Masters.
But for all his dominance - he picked up nine victories in 2024 - there were a few questions.
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Could he pick up Majors elsewhere?
And after conquering the PGA Tour in America, could he master links golf on the other side of the pond?
Amanda Balionis accused by Scottie Scheffler of 'trying to get him emotional' during live TV interview
For links golf - for many the purist form of the game - is a very different challenge with its layout, landscape and, of course, the weather.
He answered the first of those questions at the USPGA Championship in May, breezing to a five-stroke victory at Quail Hollow.
Scheffler sandwiched his PGA victory in between successes at the CJ Cup Byron Nelson and the Memorial, quashing Phil Mickelson's ludicrous claim in March that his compatriot would not taste victory before the Ryder Cup in September.
Now he is answering the second.
Rounds of 68, 64 and 67 - the 64 his best Major round of his career - put him in total control on the Northern Irish coast and left the rest of the field seemingly scrapping it out for second place.
Scheffler had the worst of the stormy weather on both Thursday and Friday, caught out in the torrential downpours and powerful gusts.
But as he so often does, the Texas titan - a giant bear of a man mountain - refused to lose his head.
Part of that is because he is so darn good.
Scheffler knows he is by far the best golfer on the planet.
Part of that is his strong mentality.
Scheffler's first three Majors were wrapped up by three strokes or more - he rocked up at Portrush on Sunday morning knowing he could well become the first man in the modern era to secure their first four by that margin.
And he very rarely squanders leads - claiming victory in his last nine PGA Tour events when starting the final round at the top of the leaderboard.
The one big blip was in 2022 at the Tour Championship when he was six clear but chased down by… McIlroy.
But the biggest part of Scheffler's ability to glide serenely and consistently through shot after shot, hole after hole, round after round and tournament after tournament is because of his perspective on golf.
For most of the greats of golf - and any sport for that matter - they are lauded for their sheer unrelenting dedication, devotion and determination to do absolutely anything and everything to win, win, win.
Winning, for them, is the be all and end all.
Not so for Scheffler.
His perspective has been questioned by some but his honesty is refreshing.
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Scheffler's priority is his faith and family over his profession
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He mastered the challenge of links golf
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Scheffler managed to still play expert golf despite horrendous weather
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And few could argue against its success rate.
Yes, of course he wants to win every tournament he plays in - and much of the time, he does.
But ultimately, golf is part of his life but not his whole life.
His Christian faith, his wife Meredith and now his son Bennett are far higher on his list of priorities than getting a little white ball in a cup hundreds of yards away in giant fields around the world.
Scheffler admitted before this week's Open that the winning feeling is 'fleeting' and 'unfulfilling' - and that he would happily quit golf and walk away for good the day it gets in the way of his family.
Should a Claret Jug be added to his ever-growing trophy cabinet, which also features an Olympic gold medal, all eyes will be on Shinnecock Hills next June when Scheffler heads to the US Open looking to add his name into golf's ultimate history book.
Will it be Gene Sarazen, Ben Hogan, Gary Player, Jack Nicklaus, Tiger Woods, Rory McIlroy and Scottie Scheffler?
Winners of the career Grand Slam.
Only six men have done it so far.
Few would bet against Scheffler being the seventh.
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Scheffler has two green jackets already
Credit: Reuters
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His dominance in recent years echoes that of Woods
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Gary Player won all four Majors to secure the career Grand Slam
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