Scheffler Supreme as Historic Open Victory Caps Golden Season
World No. 1 keeps his rivals at bay and writes another chapter in major history at Royal Portrush
Las Vegas - Scottie Scheffler delivered a masterclass in control and composure to win The Open Championship at Royal Portrush on Sunday, closing with a three-under 68 to finish at 17-under-par 267, four clear of Harris English.
In a season already glittering with trophies, the 29-year-old American, world No. 1 and FedExCup leader, became the second reigning top-ranked player to lift the Claret Jug since Tiger Woods. “It’s been a dream year,” Scheffler said. “You grow up imagining moments like this, but to do it here, at The Open, is hard to put into words.”
Scheffler’s victory was his 17th PGA TOUR title and his fourth of 2025, equalling his personal best of four wins in a season. His relentless consistency was again on display — he has finished in the top 25 in all 16 starts this year, including 13 top-10s. He now stands tied for 50th on the all-time PGA TOUR wins list.
“Every time I tee it up in a major, I just want to give myself a chance on Sunday,” Scheffler said. “I was proud of the way I stayed patient and trusted my game.”
The win also secured Scheffler’s place among the greats, making him the 31st player with at least four major titles. He has now completed the Masters-PGA-Open triple, joining a select group to have done so. Notably, he became the first player in the modern era to win his first four majors all by at least three shots, adding another statistical flourish to a dominant career.
Harris English closed with a 66 to take solo second, a repeat runner-up finish to Scheffler this season after also chasing him home at the PGA Championship. Chris Gotterup, fresh from his win at the Scottish Open, finished third, while a trio of players — including former U.S. Open champions Matt Fitzpatrick and Wyndham Clark — shared fourth alongside Haotong Li, who matched his best Open finish.
The leaderboard was a showcase of elite pedigree. Rory McIlroy, the Masters champion and world No. 2, finished tied seventh, narrowly missing the chance to emulate Woods’s 2005 feat of winning the Masters and The Open in the same year. Defending champion Xander Schauffele also tied for seventh, extending his remarkable run of 15 consecutive majors without a finish worse than T28.
Scheffler’s poise was underscored by yet another display of frontrunning authority. He has now won each of the last ten times he held the outright 54-hole lead on TOUR, and remains a perfect four-for-four in converting such leads at majors. “I take a lot of pride in playing from the front,” he said. “It’s a different kind of pressure but also a privilege.”
On a calm but testing day along the Northern Irish coast, Scheffler became just the seventh Open champion to card four rounds in the 60s, the first since Collin Morikawa in 2021, sealing his place in history at the championship that so often crowns the game’s most complete players.
The major season may be over, but Scheffler has made one thing abundantly clear: this is his era, and the milestones are only just beginning to stack up.