In the end we got the conclusion that most of us had envisaged at the start of the week. The world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler claimed his fourth Major in just 16 starts to move one shy of Rory McIlroy and he’s still not in his thirties.
We’ve not had an English winner since Sir Nick Faldo in 1992 and here we had one in second place, Harris English from Sea Island in Georgia. Another American, Chris Gotterup, took third on his 26th birthday to complete the most ridiculous trip to the United Kingdom in recent weeks.
Unlike 2019 the sun shone and so did the Dunluce Links of Portrush. Around 300,000 were there to witness the whole thing and most will come away maybe having seen one of the greatest golfers of all time.
Scheffler out on his own at the top
Scottie Scheffler won his first PGA Tour event less than three and a half years ago – he now has 17 victories, including four Majors. If/when he wins the US Open – next year we’re at Shinnecock – he will follow Rory McIlroy into the career Grand Slam record books and he’s still only 29.
The now four-time Major winner is just relentless. The comparisons with Tiger keep coming and, with every win, they seem more and more sound. One or two think he’s a bit lucky, that he catches more breaks than others. Ordinary shots don’t get punished as much as others and good shots become great thanks to a break off a slope.
Which, to the untrained eye, seems fair enough.
The simple truth is that he barely misses a shot and most of them are played from the very top of the leaderboard. When did you last see him short-side himself?
How often do you see him chipping across the green at the lengthy par 5s, only to add another birdie to the scorecard? He’s got one of the great golf brains and, to make matters worse for everyone else, an iron game and caddy to make that even more of a superpower.
In a week or so we’ll all forget about the par putts at 6 and 7. Peak Tiger.
One negative was the Sunday par on the 236-yard 16th, Calamity. Every other day he made a two.
In the end he won by four – 68-64-67-68 – his most convincing Major victory to date.
How did Portrush stand up?
We got it all at Portrush and the Dunluce Links stood up to everything. Though it was nothing like the biblical conditions of 2019 we had rain, a lot more sunshine and a variety of winds and the course played beautifully.
The pins were tucked away but the scoring was ideal. The opening hole seemed to be more of a factor than last time around and, again, we didn’t get to see the closing stretch being played with the Championship on the line.
The players will often remark that Portrush is fair. There are fewer bunkers (62) than any other Open layout and it’s played more through the air. The best round of the week was shared by Scheffler and Bryson DeChambeau, with their respective 64s.
It’s sensational in places and already a firm fixture on the rota, a cracking examination which is as well supported as anywhere and with a seaside town that everyone, both the fans and the players, can’t get enough of.
What more could the R&A wish for?
Can we have a stiffer conclusion?
This might be very nitpicky or just plain wrong but how many Open courses have a genuine great finishing hole? The 18th at Portrush hasn’t been helped by the lack of drama on both visits, or the fact that it follows a par 4 that’s a drive and a flick, but many of us would love a brute of a par 4 (think driver and at least a 5-iron) to close out the Championship.
We don’t get that here and we don’t get it at many places. Muirfield immediately springs to mind, maybe Birkdale with the right wind. The game’s unrecognisable from the days of Faldo drilling in a long iron to seal The Open but it felt more appropriate to the Championship.
Everyone loves the Old Course but, as the perfect Open finishing hole, not for me.
What did we make of Rory?
After all the hullabaloo of Augusta McIlroy finished the Major season by being eclipsed by Scheffler. We just wanted to see the local hero have a go at this and he did just that. The opening tee shot on Thursday told us plenty about how nervous he will have been and he finished the four days 10 under par.
A flier at 10 put an end to his very remote chances but this was a hugely positive week, both for his game and his general happiness. He spoke well and openly, the smile was back and, with all the pressure piled on him, he will leave Portrush much in credit.
Who are the future Open winners?
In his previous seven Open starts DeChambeau had missed three cuts and only an 8th at St Andrews, a course unlike any other Open test, was a finish inside the top 30. Too one-dimensional, the two-time US Open champion seemed a terrible fit for this Championship.
But he’s slowly working it out. There weren’t any birdies on day one and he looked set for home after an opening 78 but he then played the remaining 54 holes in 16 under – the second lowest 54-hole total in Open history.
Once upon a time Phil Mickelson couldn’t decipher the Open challenge, then he worked out the ball flight at Troon in 2004 and, nine years later, triumphed at Muirfield.
If DeChambeau does get his hands on the Claret Jug then Portrush will likely get a mention in his Open education.
Can you have a better fortnight?
Two weeks ago Chris Gotterup left the States as the 158th best player in the world and without a place in The Open. Then he won the Scottish Open, beating Rory McIlroy into second, picked up over £1m and then altered his plans to head to Portrush for his Open debut. His biggest problem was that he didn’t have enough clothes.
Now we all know who Chris Gotterup is and we might even get to see him at Bethpage in September. He’s been quite a breath of fresh air with the unstrapped glove (he doesn’t like to feel restricted), handsy swing, supreme ball striking and lovely ball flight. In the end he finished in third, all on his own and he will now find himself within the top 30 players on the planet.
Who has helped their Ryder Cup cause?
Sergio Garcia is ranked 174th (see LIV Golf) in the Ryder Cup rankings, yet still there’s a sniff of a chance that he’ll line up for Europe for an 11th time.
The Spaniard has played in every match since 1999, save for 2010 and 2023, but he does have course form in his favour, albeit a long time ago, and he would be the ideal partner for Jon Rahm. He’s won this year and he’s also been very ordinary but he’s the leading all-time points scorer (and he’s also good mates with Luke Donald).
“It’s no secret that we have been talking. Jon (Rahm) and I are good friends. We played well when we played at Whistling Straits, I was watching a few YouTube videos this week on our matches there,” explained Garcia after his best round of the week, a 68 which he managed despite breaking his driver on the 2nd tee.
“Obviously going into New York, experience is always good, mostly because those experienced guys have a great job to do there to make sure that those rookies know what they’re getting into, to put their arm around you and make you feel like don’t worry, I’ve got you, when people are shouting at you and screaming and wishing you all the bad things that you can think of.”
The LIV players won’t get another chance to add to their ranking – Tyrrell Hatton has surely done enough, whatever the list says at the end of August. Likewise Rahm who will make his fourth start at Bethpage.
Otherwise Matt Fitzpatrick, who moved up eight spots to 22nd at the Scottish, is now very much back in the reckoning which is another plus for Luke Donald.
Patrick Cantlay was a major force for the Americans in Rome but he missed his last three Major cuts to do his chances no good at all. The likes of Harris English and Wyndham Clark did their chances a huge favour.
Read next: Where are they now? The last 10 Open Championship winners
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Article Link: Next Open winner after Scottie Scheffler found as big Ryder Cup clues drop