Scheffler dominates in British Open victory for 2nd major this year
golf
By DOUG FERGUSON
Scottie Scheffler had all the time in the world to celebrate his latest major title. This British Open was never in doubt Sunday as golf's No. 1 player delivered another dominant performance to win his second major this year and grab the third leg of the career Grand Slam.
Scheffler began with a shot into 10 inches for birdie. One hour into the final round, his lead already was seven shots and no got closer than four the rest of the way at Royal Portrush.
He closed with a 3-under 68 for a four-shot victory, sending him to the U.S. Open next year with a chance to make it a clean sweep of golf's biggest titles.
Scheffler won the Masters by three shots in 2022 and by four shots last year. He won the PGA Championship by five shots in May.
And then he arrived in Northern Ireland and shared some extraordinary insight when he said celebrating tournament wins doesn't last but a few minutes before it was on to the next one. He loves the work required to be the best. He thrives on competition. But in terms of fulfillment, he often questions why he wants to win so badly when the thrill of winning is fleeting.
He tapped in for par on the final hole, making it all look so routine. But then he 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.
And he gets to keep the silver claret jug for a year.
Rory McIlroy referred to the outcome as 'inevitable' when Scheffler built a four-shot lead going into the final round, and it was every bit of that.
© Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Japan Times
21 hours ago
- Japan Times
Venus Williams returns with doubles win at DC Open
Seven-time Grand Slam singles champion Venus Williams returned to competitive tennis after a 16-month hiatus on Monday with a doubles victory at the WTA and ATP DC Open. The 45-year-old American joined compatriot Hailey Baptiste to defeat Canada's Eugenie Bouchard and U.S. teen Clervie Ngounoue 6-3, 6-1 in a first-round match. "After the match Hailey asked me, 'How did that feel?' It's probably even harder to play the doubles first because I'm not a doubles player," Williams said. "So it's great to have her to kind of hold the team up. She has had the experience. She served first because she has been playing all year and playing well. I think that helped me a lot. "I think also just to get the feel for the ball. Obviously singles I have a little more experience even though doubles I have had some great results. "It's just nice to be able to play. Where I am at this year is so much different where I was at last year. It's night and day, being able to be here and prepare for the tournament as opposed to preparing for surgery a year ago." Williams makes her return to singles on Tuesday in the main court night feature match against American Peyton Stearns. A crowd of about 3,000 spectators watched the doubles match, including NBA star Kevin Durant, who is from Washington. "We were both so focused and after the match, I was, like, 'Did you see Kevin Durant walk in?' She was, like, 'Yeah,'" Williams said. Fans chanting "K-D" made it tough for Baptiste to focus but she was happy to have a famous fan in the stands. "It's sick that he came out to support us," she said. "It's really cool." "I was, like, 'I want to show KD what I can do. Hit the ball to me,'" Williams said. "They hit every ball to you. I was, like, OK, whatever. However we win is fine." For Williams, who battled health issues during much of her layoff, just being back on the court was a victory. "I just want to be healthy. You can play all the matches in the world, can you do all the things in the world, but when your health is gone or when your opportunities are being taken away, it just puts a whole new perspective," Williams said. "I wasn't even thinking about tennis at that point. Just wanted to have a successful surgery that I lived through. "Tennis is a game, it's our life, literally our obsession, it's actually a cult, I think. But at the end of the day, it doesn't really matter if your health is not there. "Definitely put it in perspective for me and maybe made it easier to make the decision to maybe come back out here and maybe play even freer." Williams said she enjoys sharing her emotions with spectators after a triumph. "It's so much work," she said. "I've been training for months to get to this moment, and then you train to be prepared to win in this moment, but it's not a guarantee. You don't win until that final point is over. "It's important to share those emotions with the crowd." Bouchard will retire next week in Canada and was pleased for one last meeting with Williams. "To play against her one last time is fun and special," Bouchard said. "I was like kudos to you to keep kicking it. She's 14 years older than me and still plugging away. I have nothing but respect for her. She's such a legend."
Japan Today
a day ago
- Japan Today
British Open champion Scottie Scheffler says comparisons to Tiger Woods 'a bit silly'
Scottie Scheffler of the United States speak at a press conference after winning the British Open golf championship at the Royal Portrush Golf Club, Northern Ireland, Sunday, July 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Jon Super) golf By DOUG FERGUSON Another comparison between Tiger Woods and Scottie Scheffler surfaced during the final round of the British Open. This one wasn't about numbers or trophies, but a fist pump. And it was for par. Scheffler needed only one hour to expand his four-shot lead to seven shots with a steady diet of fairways and greens at Royal Portrush on Sunday, along with three birdie putts. But he missed his tee shot on the par-3 sixth and his chip was weak, leaving him a 15-foot par putt. Scheffler fiercely pumped his fist when it dropped, evoking memories of Woods and his 15-shot win at Pebble Beach in the 2000 U.S. Open. Woods had a 12-foot par putt on the 16th hole of that final round, and it was the most emotion he showed all day when he made it. He wanted a clean card and wound up going his final 26 holes bogey-free. Woods was so utterly dominant that his only competition came from himself. That's how it felt with Scheffler when he won the claret jug for the third leg of the career Grand Slam. Scheffler went 32 holes without a bogey until he took two shots to get out of a fairway bunker on No. 8 and made double bogey. What stood out to Scheffler in his four-shot victory was the lack of bogeys, the DNA of his dominance. 'To only have one double — really one over-par hole in the last 36 holes of a major championship — that's how you're able to win these tournaments,' he said. He won the British Open by four shots. He won the PGA Championship in May by five shots. He won by four in the 2024 Masters. Scheffler was five shots ahead on the final hole in his first Masters win in 2022 when he four-putted while simply trying to finish. There are plenty of numbers to consider, starting with his position at No. 1 in the world. No one has held it longer since Woods. Scheffler and Woods are the only players in the last 50 years to win two majors in the same year by at least four shots. Researchers with time on their hands at the PGA Tour discovered that Scheffler and Woods each went 1,197 days between winning their first and fourth majors. Enough of the comparisons, Scheffler said. 'I still think they're a bit silly,' he said. 'Tiger won, what, 15 majors? This is my fourth. I just got one-fourth of the way there. I think Tiger stands alone in the game of golf. He was inspirational for me growing up. He was a very, very talented guy, and he was a special person to be able to be as good as he was at the game of golf.' For majors alone, a better comparison would be with Rory McIlroy. He also won four majors in three years, including two of them in 2014. McIlroy won a U.S. Open and a PGA Championship by eight shots, the latter a record margin. And then he went 11 years without a major. Greatness in golf is also about longevity. Scheffler won for the fourth time this year and now has 20 victories worldwide. He has won 11 straight times with the 54-hole lead. The 29 year old from Texas was introduced as champion golfer of the year, a title the R&A has used for more than a century. Scheffler at this rate might be champion golfer of his generation. And to think he was slowed at the start of the year recovering from a puncture wound on his right hand that he got while trying to cut ravioli with a wine glass. The year's top highlight still might be McIlroy winning the Masters amid tense drama to finally complete the Grand Slam. That was his third win of the season, following The Players Championship and Pebble Beach. McIlroy, however, sounded almost dismissive about them Sunday evening. 'I also had the three wins when Scottie wasn't quite on his game,' he said. Also driving the comparisons to Woods are high praise from just about everyone who has had to face Scheffler since that first win in 2022. 'He is the bar that we're all trying to get to,' McIlroy said. '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,' Xander Schauffele said. 'You can't even say he's on a run. He's just been killing it for over two years now.' Any hesitation about comparisons — besides the 15-4 tally in majors, as Scheffler is quick to point out — is their style of play. Woods was as dynamic as he was relentless, especially with recovery shots. Scheffler doesn't have that many because he's rarely out of position. Woods was groomed for stardom when he appeared on 'The Mike Douglas Show' at age 2. Scheffler never cared about anything other than playing golf and getting better at it. 'He doesn't care to be a superstar. He's not transcending the game like Tiger did. He's not bringing it to a non-golf audience necessarily,' Jordan Spieth said. 'He doesn't want to go do the stuff that a lot of us go do, corporately, anything like that.' He works. He competes. He wins. That's what Woods did, and that's what matters to Scheffler. 'I don't focus on that kind of stuff,' Scheffler said of the comparisons. "That's not what motivates me. I'm not motivated by winning championships. I don't look at the beginning of the year and just say, 'I want to win X amount of tournaments.' I don't do that. 'When I wake up to practice, what motivates me is getting to live out my dream,' he said. 'I get to play professional golf, and I feel like I'm called to do it to the best of my ability.' © Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
The Mainichi
a day ago
- The Mainichi
Tennis: Osaka named to Japan team for Billie Jean King Cup finals
TOKYO (Kyodo) -- Former world No. 1 Naomi Osaka will be part of Japan's five-woman team for September's Billie Jean King Cup finals in China, the Japan Tennis Association announced Monday. The four-time Grand Slam winner will be joined by Moyuka Uchijima, Ena Shibahara, Eri Hozumi and Shuko Aoyama at the eight-nation finals of the premier women's international team tennis competition in Shenzhen. Japan skipper Ai Sugiyama named the team in an online press conference. "I believe that this is the best team we have right now," Sugiyama said. "We want to harness the strength of our team as we aim to reach the top." Japan will open its campaign against quarterfinal opponent Britain on Sept. 18. Defending champion Italy and host nation China are also among the finalists. The Japanese team qualified for the finals by beating Canada at Tokyo's Ariake Colosseum in April, minus an injured Osaka.
