Portrush (United Kingdom) (AFP) – Scottie Scheffler dismissed comparisons of his grip on golf to Tiger Woods’ prime as “silly” after storming to his first British Open on Sunday. The world number one took his overall major total to four, three of which have come in the past two years, as he moved to within a US Open victory of completing the career Grand Slam.
Rory McIlroy said Scheffler’s dominant run over the past two years, which includes 10 PGA Tour wins and an Olympic gold medal, has only been matched by “two or three players in the history of the game.” However, the American said he has a long way to go to match the 15-time major champion.
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“I still think they’re a bit silly. Tiger won, what, 15 majors? This is my fourth. I just got one-fourth of the way there,” said Scheffler after lifting the Claret Jug. “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.”
Scheffler began the week at Royal Portrush by surprising reporters with comments that his life is “not a fulfilling one” despite his standing in the sport. He celebrated another dominant performance, which saw him cruise to victory by four shots after shooting 17 under par, with his wife Meredith and one-year-old son Bennett. And Scheffler doubled down that winning tournaments is not what defines him.
“Just because you win a golf tournament or accomplish something, it doesn’t make you happy. Maybe for a few moments, maybe for a few days, but at the end of the day, there’s more to life than playing golf,” he added. “Am I grateful for it? Do I enjoy it? Oh, my gosh, yes, this is a cool feeling. I can’t wait to get home and celebrate this championship with the people that have helped me along the way. But at the end of the day, it doesn’t fulfill the deepest desires of my heart.”
– ‘Hiccup’ overcome –
Scheffler is making the extraordinary look serene as he won for the fourth time in his last 11 events. However, lifting the Claret Jug held a greater significance 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. He 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 misjudgement when he failed to get out of a fairway bunker at the eighth, which led to a double bogey, could 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 said. “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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