Portrush (United Kingdom) (AFP) – Scottie Scheffler said his first taste of winning the British Open was “special” after romping to his fourth major title by four shots at Royal Portrush on Sunday. The world number one shot to the top of the leaderboard during his second round on Friday and never looked back to finish on 17 under par.
“It’s a pretty special feeling,” Scheffler told Sky Sports. “It was a battle, but I played some really good golf and I’m fortunate to be standing here holding the trophy.” Scheffler is making the extraordinary look serene as he won for the fourth time in his last 11 events.
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However, lifting the Claret Jug held a greater significance for the 29-year-old after his memories of waking up early to follow the British Open across the Atlantic Ocean as a child. “I grew up waking up early to watch this tournament on TV, just hoping and dreaming I would get the chance to come play in this championship,” added Scheffler. “It’s pretty cool to be sitting here with the trophy. It’s hard to put into words.”
Scheffler birdied three of his first five holes to snuff out any possibility that he would not convert his four-shot overnight lead into victory. Even an uncharacteristic misjudgment when he failed to get out of a fairway bunker at the eighth, which led to a double bogey, could not derail Scheffler’s charge.
“I felt a good amount of peace today. I felt very in control of how I was playing. I was very comfortable with my game,” he added. “Even after the little hiccup there on the eighth hole, we bounced back really quick with a birdie on nine and got things back in gear pretty quick.”
“Playing this game, it’s a battle within yourself all the time to try and get the most out of your game and yourself. This week, I did a really good job of hanging in there mentally and playing some good golf.”
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