At the side of the 18th green with the claret jug sitting there, just metres away, finally Scheffler stumbled. The crowd had been quietly praying for it for four days, wanting a McIlroy miracle. And here it was: Scheffler tripping over headfirst with the most coveted trophy in golf within sight.
It was a pity for the McIlroy legion, but baby Bennett was the one who hit the deck.
He’s still not quite accustomed to walking properly, let alone getting around the swales and valleys of this links beauty in Northern Ireland, which is going to make physiotherapists around the world very rich in the coming weeks.
“I don’t think he’s ever been up a hill that big before,” Scheffler laughs. “I felt kind of bad for him. He just kept falling down. That’s part of the learning curve and growing up.”
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At this rate, baby Bennett is growing up on Sunday afternoon television, getting more airtime than half the field given the alarming regularity dad, world No.1 Scottie Scheffler, is racking up tournament wins these days. It’s about the only time we see a Scheffler with any vulnerability.
It’s hardly breaking news, but Scheffler won The Open championship at Royal Portrush on Monday (AEST). It was the most predictable outcome to what is usually the sport’s most unpredictable tournament.
In the space of 39 months, Scheffler has won four majors and now is within touching distance of the career grand slam, needing just the US Open to join golf’s most exclusive club. Just don’t ask him if he’s bothered thinking about it yet.
Scottie and the one Scheffler to take a mistep on the greens this week. Picture: Christian Petersen/Getty ImagesSource: Getty Images
So, is he the best since Tiger Woods? With respect to Rory McIlroy, it’s hard to say no.
Can he even do the unfathomable and, by the end of his career, threaten Tiger’s haul of 15 majors? Still just 29, it’s not impossible.
“I still think they’re a bit silly,” Scheffler says of the Woods comparisons. “Tiger won, what, 15 majors? This is my fourth. I think Tiger stands alone in the game of golf.”
Shrugs Xander Schauffele, last year’s champion golfer of the year: “I don’t think we thought the golfing world would see someone as dominant as Tiger come through so soon, and here’s Scottie sort of taking that throne of dominance.
“You can’t even say he’s on a run. He’s just been killing it for over two years now. When you see his name up on the leaderboard, it sucks for us.”
A rare show of emotion from Scottie Scheffler. Picture: Andy Buchanan/AFPSource: AFP
Unlike Tiger, Scheffler is not a man who will transcend the sport. His personality won’t allow it. He likes the quiet life, where faith and family come before golf, in exactly that order. He’s found a chipotle joint in Texas where he’s not recognised, so he’s started eating there more than the other one where he would be mobbed.
“I’m not going to tell you where it is!”
In his most revealing press conference of his career before this tournament, Scheffler gave a sermon on how golf doesn’t leave him “fulfilled in the deepest place of my heart”. It came right at the end of his meeting with the press. When he wins, he said enjoys it for “about two minutes” and then he wonders what’s for dinner. It was compelling viewing, a small window into golf’s most devastating winning machine since Tiger.
Scheffler on ‘silly’ Tiger comparisons | 06:16
Could it also be construed as slightly disrespectful to his rivals who wish they had as much talent as Scheffler has in his pinky finger?
“Maybe I didn’t do as effective of a job as I hoped to in communicating that,” Scheffler says.
“It’s something I actually talked to Shane (Lowry) about this week was just because you win a golf tournament or accomplish something, it doesn’t make you happy. It doesn’t. 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.”
Scottie Scheffler, a man of family and faith before golf, celebrates with his wife Meredith Scheffler and son Bennett after winning The 153rd Open Championship. Picture: Richard Heathcote/Getty ImagesSource: Getty Images
There is no appetite to be a corporate king, like other megastar athletes. Unlike McIlroy, he’s also shown no appetite to travel the world to spread the golfing gospel, at least not yet. It’s unlikely to change.
“In a historical context, you could argue that there’s only maybe two or three players in the history of the game that have been on a run, the one that Scottie’s been on here for the last 24 to 36 months,” McIlroy says. “It’s incredibly impressive.
“Also, he’s a great person, and I think he’s a wonderful ambassador for our game as well.”
In his final round, Scheffler’s lead swelled to seven shots at one stage. He ended up winning by four with a closing three-under 68, topping fellow American Harris English by four shots. He had one blip: a double bogey in the par-four eighth, failing to escape a fairway bunker with his first try.
For the rest of the tournament, he had just three bogeys. Three!
Even considering the benign conditions on the weekend, it was a remarkable display of robotic dominance. His iron play was flawless, his distance control superb. Every time he had a clutch 10-footer to save par, he jarred it, until baby Bennett finally spotted dad.
“He doesn’t know what a golf ball is, but he’s either eating his golf club or he’s hitting something with it, whether it be a piece of furniture or sometimes other kids,” Scheffler says. “We’re working on it.”
What odds on Bennett being pictured next to the claret jug in, say, 25 years time?
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