Scheffler a class apart as he romps to first Open title

A relentless Scottie Scheffler sealed his archetypal British Open triumph by 4 shots arsenic helium turned the last time of the tourney into a procession astatine Royal Portrush connected Sunday.

The 29-year-old American satellite fig 1 started retired with a four-stroke pb and isolated from 1 blip, ne'er looked similar relinquishing his grip arsenic the chasing battalion were reduced to scrapping for the insignificant places.

Scheffler hardly enactment a ft incorrect each week connected the glorious Causeway Coast, rekindling memories of 15-times large victor Tiger Woods successful his pomp, and helium rubber-stamped his 4th large rubric with a objective final-round 68.

Take the ascendant Scheffler retired of the equation and the 153rd Open would person been a thriller with the leaderboard underneath him chopping and changing each weekend.

In the end, Harris English was the champion of the remainder connected 13 nether aft a final-round 66 with chap American Chris Gotterup a further changeable back.

Huge galleries thronged the people and thousands arrived hoping spot a Rory McIlroy occurrence connected the last day.

But Northern Ireland's favourite sporting son, who began six shots down Scheffler, was incapable to equine a complaint and ended up successful a necktie for seventh connected 10 under.

Li Haotong, the archetypal Chinese antheral to spell retired successful the last radical of a major, finished tied 4th connected 11 nether with England's Matt Fitzpatrick and American Wyndham Clark.

Scheffler has present completed 3 legs of his vocation Grand Slam and needs a U.S. Open crown to implicit the set. He besides became the archetypal existent satellite fig 1 to assistance the Claret Jug since Tiger Woods successful 2006.

Those hoping to witnesser a conflict royal for golf's oldest large should astir apt person known better.

On the past 9 occasions Scheffler had gone into the last circular of a PGA Tour lawsuit leading, helium emerged victorious, portion his 3 erstwhile large wins besides arrived aft a 54-hole lead.

When helium birdied the first, 4th and 5th holes to determination 8 strokes wide the lone question seemed to beryllium whether helium could acceptable an Open grounds for a winning margin.

Even erstwhile errors did creep in, helium simply rolled successful agelong par-saving putts connected the sixth and seventh holes to crush the tone of those hoping for an improbable collapse.

Only erstwhile helium double-bogeyed the eighth aft failing to get retired of a bunker did Scheffler look similar a specified mortal, his pb abruptly sliced to 4 strokes.

But it proved mendacious anticipation for those pursuing a elephantine of golf, and a birdie astatine the ninth and different astatine the 12th spread steadied the vessel and each that needed deciding past was who would travel second.