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Kuwait Times
15 hours ago
- Sport
- Kuwait Times
US golfer Scheffler cruises to fourth major title at British Open
US golfer Scheffler cruises to fourth major title at British Open Second world number one to lift the Claret Jug after Tiger Woods PORTRUSH: Scottie Scheffler romped to a magnificent four-shot victory to seal his first British Open title at Royal Portrush on Sunday, notching his fourth major success. The world number one eased to a three-under par final round of 68, finishing on 17-under for the tournament after shooting in the 60s on all four days. 'It's a pretty special feeling. It was a tough week,' said Scheffler, after becoming the first player in over 100 years to win his first four major titles by three strokes or more. 'I battled hard all weekend. It was a battle, but I played some really good golf and I'm fortunate to be standing here holding the trophy.' It was the 10th successive time Scheffler has converted a 54-hole lead into a win. His dominance over the past two years has been such that once he birdied the first hole, it seemed as though the chasing pack had already lost any belief of challenging. Scheffler, who took a lead he would never relinquish with a seven-under 64 on Friday, extended his run of successive top-10 finishes to 11 events. That streak now features four wins, including the PGA Championship and British Open titles. The American, who led by four shots overnight, became only the second world number one to lift the Claret Jug after Tiger Woods, completing the third leg of a possible career Grand Slam. Harris English finished in a distant second place, ending the tournament on 13-under courtesy of a closing round of 66. Chris Gotterup completed a dream fortnight after last weekend's Scottish Open triumph, carding a 67 to end a shot further behind in third. Home favorite Rory McIlroy could not launch a serious charge, with his challenge finally snuffed out by a double-bogey on the 10th hole. He had to settle for a tie for seventh place on 10-under and a standing ovation from his thousands of fans surrounding the 18th green. 'None of us could live with what he (Scheffler) had this week, but for me to be in front of everyone here at home and to get that reception up the last, absolutely incredible,' said Masters champion McIlroy. Scheffler's slip-up Scheffler made three birdies in his first five holes to serenely reach 17-under for the tournament, opening up an eight-shot chasm. Gotterup climbed into second on minus 11, with a group of four players, including McIlroy, one shot further back. Scheffler holed long par putts on the sixth and seventh holes to stay in total control, but slipped up with a double-bogey on the eighth after it took him four shots to reach the green. It was the first time he had dropped shots since the 11th hole of his second round on Friday. But he showed why he rarely lets 54-hole leads slip on the ninth, with a trademark precise iron shot setting up another birdie. From then on, it was a procession for the 29-year-old as he parred every hole on the back nine except for a routine birdie on the par-five 12th. Scheffler had raised eyebrows before the tournament when he suggested his pursuit of dominance on the course was an 'unfulfilling life' that only provides fleeting moments of satisfaction. He tapped in on the 18th green to tick off another achievement on his seemingly unstoppable path to golfing greatness, raising his arms in celebration before embracing his wife and young son. '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, whose title defense ended in a tie for seventh. McIlroy comes undone McIlroy hung on the fringes of contention with three birdies on the front nine, against a lone bogey on the par-four fourth. But he fired his approach shot from the rough on 10 through the back of the green and eventually made a six which effectively ended any hopes of lifting a second British Open title this weekend. English and Gotterup, playing together in the third-last group, battled it out for second place over the closing holes. English, who also came second to Scheffler at this year's PGA Championship, grabbed the runner-up honors again thanks to birdies on the 16th and 17th holes. Matthew Fitzpatrick finished tied-fourth as England's wait for a first British Open winner since Nick Faldo in 1992 went on, alongside Wyndham Clark and Li Haotong of China. — AFP
News.com.au
15 hours ago
- Sport
- News.com.au
Career grand slam of four majors won't satisfy Minjee Lee who wants British Open crown
Minjee Lee could round out a career grand slam with victory in next week's Women's British Open that would give her four different major titles and solidify her as an all-time great. But the Australian star said real satisfaction would only come if she won all five as she begins her tilt at the major where she has performed brilliantly without winning by warming up in Scotland. Lee, who jumped back into the world's top 10 by taking out the PGA Championship last month, also has a US Open and an Evian Championship under her belt. While there are five majors on the LPGA tour, including the Chevron Championship, winning four is enough for most to consider the grand slam achieved. But not for Lee, who has already declared her intent to get into the Hall of Fame, and a British Open crow, would go a long way to locking that in. 'I think for me, like all five is the goal,' she said ahead of the Scottish Open. 'I think it's just different for us because we have five and we don't have four. 'I don't know what it should be, but I just think for me, five is the goal.' Lee has professed a love for links golf, and Scotland, and her returns at the British Open have shown her proficiency in handling unpredictable conditions often encountered. In 11 British Open appearances, Lee has recorded six top-11 finishes, including three in the top five. But she also has three missed cuts, testament to the volatile nature of links golf, although that hasn't diminished her appetite for returning. 'I think when we do get the opportunities to play links golf, I really enjoy this type of golf,' she said. 'Sometimes the elements do get the better of us, but I just like doing two weeks in England or the UK. 'Sometimes we're hit with a ton of wind, rain, the conditions are much harder usually. 'I've been here so many times. It's my ninth time playing the Scottish and a bunch of Britishes. It's a bit of a blur because I've hit so many shots that I was like, wow, that did work out.' Lee headed to Scotland after missing her chance to add a second Evian to her resume, finishing in a tie for third behind fellow Aussie Grace Kim. But she's been using her time in Europe and the UK to indulge, which is the right of a three-time major champion. 'Last week I had off so did a little bit of practice in Edinburgh where my caddie is from. Spent a couple days there and went to London for a couple days; ate my way through London,' she said. 'It was great. I mean, I love food.'
USA Today
17 hours ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Ryder Cup: Brooks Koepka, Dustin Johnson will not return to site of 2019 PGA Championship showdown
At first, it didn't appear we'd have much drama for the final round of the 2019 PGA Championship at Bethpage Black. Brooks Koepka, who would regain the world's No. 1 ranking later that day, was a comfortable seven shots ahead of the current No. 1, Dustin Johnson, in Farmingdale, N.Y. But the Palm Beach County residents suddenly were in an epic battle. Two of the most dominant, ruthless golfers of that time battling on a course that matched their intimidation as Johnson cut Koepka's advantage to one stroke on the back nine. In the end, Koepka prevailed by two shots for his fourth major in 23 months, and the two once again held the top two spots in the Official World Golf Ranking. 'To be standing here today with four majors is mind blowing,' Koepka said. And if you think that is "mind-blowing," consider this: In two months, Bethpage Black will host another major event, possibly the biggest and rowdiest this country has ever seen, the 2025 Ryder Cup. And six years ago, heck, three years ago, it would have seemed inconceivable that neither Koepka or Johnson would be wearing the red, white and blue in 2025. But that is the reality now. With the four majors in the books, the two most dominant figures in their sport from 2016 to 2021 and two of the biggest names to defect from the PGA Tour to LIV Golf, have gone from royalty to irrelevant. While Koepka was an easy captain's pick for Zach Johnson two years ago, neither will even occupy one second of captain Keegan Bradley's time as he fills out his 12-man roster in one month. The lone LIV golfer who will be part of the team looking to avenge its 2023 loss to the Europeans: Bryson DeChambeau. Dustin Johnson says it will 'suck' watching Ryder Cup Johnson, 41, showed some life at the British Open, the final major of the season, finishing tied for 23rd. But the two-time major winner and a man who has spent 135 weeks at No. 1 in the world, fourth most all-time, is in the midst of a steady decline. The Jupiter resident had missed the cut in all three majors this season, entering the British Open, and six of the last eight. Koepka showed some life at the U.S. Open, finishing T12. Otherwise, he, too, missed the cut at three majors this season, including the British Open. This is the man who one time said he believed majors were the easiest events to win, his rationale explained in this quote before the 2019 PGA Championship: 'There's 156 in the field, so you figure at least 80 of them I'm just going to beat. From there, you figure about half of them won't play well from there, so you're down to about maybe 35. And then from 35, some of them, the pressure is going to get to them. It only leaves you with a few more, and you've just got to beat those guys.' Since winning his third PGA Championship in 2023, Koepka has two top-20 finishes in majors. His three missed cuts in majors this year are one more than he had in his last 11 years combined. And it's not just against the elite fields where these two former champions have struggled. They have become middle-of-the-pack players in LIV Golf. Neither has won on the Saudi-backed tour this year, finishing in the top 5 one time each in 10 LIV events. Two years ago, Dustin Johnson told the Palm Beach Post he was disappointed captain Zach Johnson left him off the Ryder Cup team, admitting he did not play well but believed he "played well enough to be on the team." Before the British Open, he told The Athletic, "It's going to suck watching (the Ryder Cup) from home. I just haven't played well enough this year." As easy a choice as Koepka was for the team in 2023 after finishing tied for second at the Masters and winning the PGA Championship, his fifth major, he'll be just as easily dismissed this year. Koepka, 35, hinted in April that he believed he figured out what's held him back and then missed the cut at the Masters with a 74-75. He admitted from around the Masters until just before the U.S. Open, "I haven't been happy. It's been very irritating. … you didn't want to be around me.' A brief resurgence at the U.S. Open buoyed that confidence, but now that's likely gone after a 75-74 at Royal Portrush in the year's final major. Is complacency to blame for many LIV golfers fading? For both, it's back to LIV's 54-hole, shotgun-start events to close out the season. Theories abound as to why so many marquee names who sacrificed their legacies to join LIV have faded. Koepka and DeChambeau are the lone LIV golfers to have won a major since leaving the Tour, but only DeChambeau and Jon Rahm currently are thriving and move the needle when it comes to the world stage. While LIV does little to prepare its golfers for the majors with its format and being forced to play on many courses that are less challenging, the ongoing debate will center on the financial security these top-tier stars obtained with their initial contracts. For the elite few, those deals exceeded $100 million. "It's hard to make an argument that LIV prepares you to win major championships," Irishman Paul McGinley, a former Ryder Cup captain, recently said. "They are playing team events, they're not playing on the most difficult golf courses, traveling around the world and then having to come back to America to play three to four majors." Tom D'Angelo is a senior sports columnist and reporter for The Palm Beach Post, part of the USA Today Network. He can be reached at tdangelo@
USA Today
20 hours ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Golf odds for 2026 majors: Scottie Scheffler early favorite after Open Championship win
The world's No. 1 golfer just won the final major on the golf calendar this year, and betting experts anticipate plenty more big wins on the horizon. Updated odds for the 2026 golf majors are out, and Scottie Scheffler is the familiar name at the top of every list. He is considered the favorite to win every major in 2026 coming off his 2025 Open Championship victory at Royal Portrush, according to BetMGM. It shouldn't be a surprise at this point. Scheffler was also the betting favorite entering all four majors this season. He also won his first PGA Championship in May. Scheffler only needs to win the U.S. Open to join Gene Sarazen, Ben Hogan, Gary Player, Jack Nicklaus, Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy as the only golfers in the modern era to win the sport's grand slam. 'Any doubts about Scottie Scheffler's British Open pedigree were emphatically squashed by the American at Royal Portrush with an effortless four-shot victory," BetMGM senior trader Matt Wall said. "BetMGM immediately shortened his 2026 Masters price to +400 from +500 and that could still shorten further should he continue to dominate on the PGA Tour. The comparisons with Tiger Woods certainly don't look out of place right now. All the early action is on Scottie to win all four majors at +25000, and he is the favorite in each one right now.' Here's a breakdown of the early odds to win golf's majors in 2026: What are the early odds for golf's 2026 major championships? BetMGM odds as of Tuesday, July 22 2025 RYDER CUP: Dates, format, history, qualifiers for US vs. Europe golf event
Winnipeg Free Press
a day ago
- Sport
- Winnipeg Free Press
Scottie Scheffler comparisons might be closer to Jack Nicklaus than Tiger Woods
PORTRUSH, Northern Ireland (AP) — Even with four majors, three legs of the Grand Slam and 20 victories around the world, it's a little early to be making Scottie Scheffler comparisons. And yes, it's a bit silly. But one moment is worth noting. His four-shot victory at the British Open complete, Scheffler saw 15-month-old son Bennett coming toward him on the 18th green at Royal Portrush. The toddler face-planted going up the slope. Scheffler eventually scooped him into his left arm, his right hand holding the claret jug. This was pure joy. It was reminiscent of Canterbury in the 1973 PGA Championship. Jack Nicklaus, who that week broke the record for most major titles, was coming off the 18th green after the second round when 4-year-old son Gary ran out to meet him. The Golden Bear carried off his cub. 'My favorite photo in golf,' Nicklaus said years later in a Facebook post that he ended by saying, 'Family first, golf second.' Sound familiar? 'He plays a lot like I did,' Nicklaus said in late May at the Memorial, and perhaps that's where any similarities should start. Comparisons with Tiger Woods are natural because they are separated by a generation, and no one has been this dominant for such a long stretch since Woods. Scheffler has stayed at No. 1 for the last two years and two months. But their games, their styles, their paths are not all that similar. Everyone saw Woods coming when he was on 'The Mike Douglas Show' at age 2, when he won the Junior Worlds six times and both the U.S. Junior and the U.S. Amateur three straight times. He made a hole-in-one in his pro debut. He won his first PGA Tour event in his fifth start. Scheffler spent his first year as a pro on the Korn Ferry Tour. 'I played with him a lot in college, and he was not that good,' Bryson DeChambeau said with a laugh. He now refers to Scheffler as being 'in a league of his own.' Woods was all about power and putting. Scheffler is fairways and greens. Woods was overwhelming, winning the Masters by 12 shots, the U.S. Open by 15 and the British Open at St. Andrews by eight for the career Grand Slam at age 24. Scheffler is relentless. He can take the drama out of a major without notice. He's the first player to win each of his first four majors by at least three shots since J.H. Taylor more than a century ago, when the British Open was the only major and had fields smaller than a signature event. Nicklaus picked up on this at the Memorial without ever talking to Scheffler about it. Before the tournament, Nicklaus spoke about his approach to golf — more emphasis on the tee shot (left-to-right shape, like Scheffler) and the approach, less dependence on putting for a good score. And when he got the lead, Nicklaus did what was required. Scheffler won that week by four shots. 'Once I got myself into position to win, then you've got to be smart about how you finish it,' Nicklaus said. 'And that's the way he's playing. He reminds me so much of the way I like to play.' Scheffler was quick to point out he was just over one-fourth of the way to matching Woods' 15 majors (and his 82 tour wins, for that matter). Scheffler most likely can never reach his appeal. Woods was special, a corporate dream. He came back to win at Pebble Beach when trailing by seven with seven holes to play. Fans didn't dare turn away without fear of missing a shot they might never see again. Scheffler won the British Open and mentioned Chipotle. He was trying to explain, as he did when he first reached No. 1 in 2022, that golf doesn't define him. That's what was lost in his remarkable monologue earlier in the week at Royal Portrush. The joy comes from getting to play, getting to work, getting better. The goal is to win. And then he goes home to a wife and son. He is about faith, family and then golf. Fame isn't part of the equation. Scheffler mentioned two Chipotle restaurants at home in Dallas. He can no longer go to one of them because he is recognized. At the other one he's just a guy at the counter trying to decide if he wants extra guacamole. 'I try to live as normal of a life as possible because I feel like a normal guy,' he said. 'I have the same friends I had growing up. I don't think that I'm anything special just because some weeks I'm better at shooting a lower score than other guys are.' There was one other Scheffler comparison. Nicklaus doesn't believe he could have achieved all that he did without his wife, Barbara, whom he honored this year at the Memorial and who is universally regarded as the first lady of golf. Nicklaus played his 164th and final major at St. Andrews in 2005 and said that week: 'I'm not really concerned about what my legacy is in relation to the game of golf, frankly. I'm more concerned with what my legacy is with my family, with my kids and my grandkids. That's by far more important to me.' Scheffler's emotions began to pour out at Royal Portrush only when he saw Meredith, the girl he first met as a high school freshman and finally dated as a senior. He made his PGA Tour debut at the Byron Nelson that year at 17. He recalled being at her house the week before when a promotion about the tournament came on TV. Meredith said to him: 'Wait a minute. Isn't that what you're doing?' Scheffler said she's a fast learner. 'Every time I'm able to win a tournament, the first person I always look for is my wife,' he said Sunday. 'She knows me better than anybody. That's my best friend. It takes a lot of work to be able to become good at this game, and I wouldn't be able to do it without her support.' Thursdays Keep up to date on sports with Mike McIntyre's weekly newsletter. To the rest of golf world, he's the No. 1 player in the world, now the 'champion golfer of the year.' Fame won't escape him now even if it doesn't define him. ___ On The Fringe analyzes the biggest topics in golf during the season. ___ AP golf:
