There was no stopping Scottie Scheffler at Royal Portrush.
Scheffler cruised to his first British Open title, his second major win of the year and his fourth career major victory on Sunday, finishing at 17-under, four shots ahead of second-place Harris English and five ahead of New Jersey native Chris Gotterup, whose third-place finish was the best major performance of his career.
Now, the 29-year-old Scheffler is just a U.S. Open title away from becoming the seventh golfer in history to complete the career Grand Slam.
Rory McIlroy became the sixth golfer to do it earlier this year at the Masters, ending his 11-year quest.
Gene Sarazen, Ben Hogan, Gary Player, Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods are the others to accomplish the feat.
McIlroy finished the tournament tied for seventh at 10-under.
Scheffler earned top-seven finishes in all four majors this year, winning the PGA Championship, finishing fourth at the Masters and tied for seventh last month during the U.S. Open at Oakmont.
All eyes will be on Shinnecock Hills in Southampton next year at the 2026 U.S. Open when Scheffler will try to capture the career Slam.
Whether that will fulfill him remains to be seen.
Scheffler, who was fired up after Sunday’s win, stunned the golf world with his meaning-of-life monologue two days before the first round.
“There’s a lot of people that make it to what they thought was going to fulfill them in life, and you get there, you get to No. 1 in the world, and they’re like, what’s the point?’’ Scheffler said Tuesday. “I really do believe that because what is the point? Why do I want to win this tournament so bad? That’s something that I wrestle with on a daily basis.
“It’s like showing up at the Masters every year. It’s like, ‘Why do I want to win this golf tournament so badly? Why do I want to win the Open Championship so badly?’ I don’t know because, if I win, it’s going to be awesome for two minutes. Then we’re going to get to the next week, ‘Hey, you won two majors this year; how important is it for you to win the FedExCup playoffs?’ And we’re back here again.
“To get to live out your dreams is very special, but at the end of the day, I’m not out here to inspire the next generation of golfers,” he added. “I’m not out here to inspire someone to be the best player in the world because what’s the point? This is not a fulfilling life. It’s fulfilling from the sense of accomplishment, but it’s not fulfilling from a sense of the deepest places of your heart.’’
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