The Open 2025: How Scottie Scheffler has become the world's most dominant golfer since Tiger Woods

As Scottie Scheffler steamrolled his mode to the Claret Jug, determination was different sanction which kept being mentioned successful the sermon surrounding his impending Open victory.

Tiger Woods. Remember him?

Scheffler's peers regularly referred to Woods erstwhile they came disconnected the Royal Portrush people past Sunday. So excessively did the tv and vigor commentators analysing the action.

The comparisons betwixt the existent satellite fig 1 and 15-time large champion Woods - the pre-eminent superstar who elevated play to a caller stratosphere successful the precocious 1990s and aboriginal 2000s - continued successful the aftermath of Scheffler's 4th large title.

An eye-catching statistic further fuelled the frenzy. Exactly 1,197 days had passed betwixt each player's archetypal large triumph to their fourth.

Scheffler's effect to the parallels being drawn? "I inactive deliberation they're a spot silly," helium said.

"I conscionable got one-fourth of the mode there. I deliberation Tiger stands unsocial successful the crippled of golf."

One happening is undebatable. Scheffler is conquering the men's crippled similar cipher since Woods successful his pomp.

Here, BBC Sport analyses however the 29-year-old American is doing it.

The archetypal motion of Scheffler's peculiar qualities came astatine the 2021 Ryder Cup.

Questions had been raised astir the young American being picked arsenic a Whistling Straits wildcard, but the mode successful which helium bossed European talisman Jon Rahm successful the Sunday singles - putting the hosts connected the way to a uncommon regular triumph - was a motion of things to come.

In the 4 seasons since, Scheffler has won 4 of the 15 majors - the 2022 and 2023 Masters, positive this year's US PGA Championship and Open - and earned a further 8 top-10 finishes.

Throw successful 12 PGA Tour victories, on with the Olympic golden medal astatine Paris 2024, and it is wide wherefore helium is the undisputed satellite fig one.

"Scottie is the barroom that we're each trying to get to," said satellite fig 2 Rory McIlroy.

"You could reason there's lone possibly 2 oregon 3 players successful the past of the crippled that person been connected a tally similar the 1 that Scottie's been for the past 24 to 36 months."

One of those players is - evidently - Woods.

By securing triumph astatine Portrush, Scheffler became lone the 2nd subordinate to triumph The Open portion satellite fig one. The archetypal was Woods, who did it 3 times successful 2000, 2005 and 2006.

Scheffler's machine-like ability, which is evident adjacent erstwhile helium does not look to beryllium playing astatine his peak, is akin to his chap American.

It is small wonderment respective of his peers person described Scheffler this week arsenic being "Tiger-like".

"I don't deliberation we thought the golfing satellite would spot idiosyncratic arsenic ascendant arsenic Tiger travel done truthful soon and here's Scottie taking that throne," said 2024 Open champion Xander Schauffele.

"He's a pugnacious antheral to beat, and erstwhile you spot his sanction up connected the leaderboard, it sucks for us."

For some, the parallels betwixt Scheffler and Woods - who has claimed a associated grounds 82 PGA Tour victories - mightiness consciousness premature.

Scheffler has a agelong mode to spell to lucifer the longevity of his compatriot, whose large triumphs stretched from 1997 to 2019.

But the comparisons proceed to persist due to the fact that of the mode Scheffler imperiously tears done fields similar Woods did successful his pomp.

At Portrush, determination was a consciousness of inevitability astir the result erstwhile Scheffler moved 4 shots up aft Saturday's 3rd round.

His unerring consistency and ruthless quality to adjacent retired victories is what sets him isolated from the rest.

It was the 10th tourney successful a enactment Scheffler had converted an outright 54-hole lead, though helium inactive has a agelong mode to spell earlier matching the 37 consecutive times which Woods did it.

"Back successful the time that's what separated Tiger," said English erstwhile satellite fig 1 Justin Rose.

"You get a batch of guys starring tournaments and typically it is hard to adjacent out, but Scottie and Tiger are capable to enactment these tournaments distant amended than most.

"That's however you are judged astatine the extremity of the day."

Scheffler's emotionless look arsenic helium patiently and precisely carved up the Dunluce Links was a acold outcry from the vigor often shown by Woods.

On a last Sunday lacking immoderate benignant of jeopardy, 1 of the astir colourful moments came connected the sixth green. There was a uncommon flicker of emotion from Scheffler.

A vigorous pump of the fist signalled his pleasance astatine dropping 1 of respective par-saving putts connected his mode to glory.

Those who request high-octane vigor from their sporting stars were disappointed. But Scheffler's calm demeanour is precisely wherefore helium is truthful successful.

"He doesn't attraction to beryllium a superstar. He's not transcending the crippled similar Tiger did," said Jordan Spieth, who a decennary agone was being compared to Woods aft winning 3 majors and finishing runner-up successful 2 others betwixt 2015-17.

"I deliberation it's much truthful the quality successful property from immoderate different superstar that you've seen successful the modern epoch and possibly successful immoderate sport.

"I don't deliberation anybody is similar him."

While Scheffler's caput is mechanical, his method is not.

His unorthodox footwork looks clumsy astatine times and is different crushed - according to Ireland's Shane Lowry - wherefore galore bash not see him successful the aforesaid enactment arsenic Woods.

"If Scottie's feet stayed unchangeable and his plaything looked similar Adam Scott's, we'd beryllium talking astir him successful the aforesaid words arsenic Tiger," said Lowry, who won his solitary large astatine Royal Portrush successful 2019.

"I deliberation due to the fact that it doesn't look truthful perfect, we don't speech astir him similar that.

"I deliberation he's conscionable unthinkable to watch, and his atrocious shots are truly good. That's erstwhile you cognize he's truly good."

As soon arsenic Scheffler's long-time manager Randy Smith spotted the youngster astatine their signifier scope successful Dallas, helium knew determination was thing which acceptable the kid apart.

Smith was moving with PGA Tour nonrecreational Joel Edwards and saw 10-year-old Scheffler, sat crosslegged nearby, absorbing everything helium witnessed.

"He's not comparing himself to different eight-year-olds oregon different 10-year-olds," Smith, who besides coached Justin Leonard to the 1997 Open, wrote for Golf Digest past year., external

"He's comparing himself to a subordinate connected the Korn Ferry Tour, a PGA Tour victor oregon to the feline who conscionable won the Open Championship."

Scheffler successfully enactment what helium had learned into signifier connected the US inferior circuit, past started cleaning up successful the collegiate crippled arsenic helium juggled his play with a concern grade astatine the University of Texas.

The inevitable determination into the nonrecreational ranks came successful 2018. But it was not a straightforward introduction.

Scheffler had to scrap for his qualifying paper to the Korn Ferry Tour, lone clinching his playing presumption successful 2019 with a melodramatic up-and-down par prevention - which helium aboriginal described arsenic the astir important scramble of his career.

From that point, his vocation accelerated.

In 2020, Scheffler earned the archetypal large top-10 decorativeness of his vocation astatine the PGA Championship and his improvement led to being named the PGA Tour's 'Rookie of the Year'.

A twelvemonth aboriginal came the Ryder Cup breakthrough which marked his accomplishment arsenic an elite force.

"What separates Scottie is his fire," Smith added.

"It's not conscionable competitiveness - though helium has much of that than anyone I've ever coached.

"It's the axenic emotion of practicing and experimenting and learning things connected your own. It's determination."

At the commencement of this Open week, galore wondered if the occurrence continued to burn.

Scheffler raised eyebrows by admitting helium regularly questions wherefore helium is inactive playing play and lamented however helium has small accidental to digest his triumphs.

But the mode successful which helium celebrated winning the iconic Claret Jug - roaring towards his loved ones earlier sobbing connected the enarthrosis of his woman Meredith and hoisting lad Bennett into the aerial - demonstrated his burning tendency to triumph majors had not fanned.

"When I aftermath up successful the morning, I effort and enactment max effort successful each time I get to spell retired and practise," helium said.

"When I'm moving out, erstwhile I'm doing the acold tub, doing recovery, I consciousness similar I'm conscionable called to bash it to the champion of my ability.

"It's conscionable mostly astir putting successful the due enactment and coming retired present and competing."

Even aft helium had climbed to the apical of the satellite rankings, determination were immoderate doubts astir Scheffler's game.

The statistic proved helium was the champion from tee to green. They besides proved helium was among the worst with the putter.

A telephone was made to English putting guru Phil Kenyon - whose lawsuit database is simply a who's who of large champions - successful a bid to amended with the flatstick.

Attention was peculiarly paid to Scheffler's speechmaking of the greens and expanding the stableness of his grip.

Switching to a claw grip - wherever the close manus acts arsenic a pincer little down the shaft - has transformed Scheffler into 1 of the astir reliable putters successful the game.

The tweak helped him go the archetypal subordinate to support the PGA Tour's Players Championship, triumph a 2nd Masters, Olympic golden and 5 different titles successful a stellar 2024 that besides had echoed Woods.

Leading the putting statistic aft 3 rounds astatine Portrush, having holed 97% of his putts wrong 5 feet and 90% of those wrong 10 feet, enactment him successful command. He holed putts of 14, 15 and 16 feet connected Sunday.

"[The grip] was thing we tested retired past twelvemonth and felt comfy from the start," Scheffler said.

"I usage it arsenic we get person to the hole, lag putting. Outside of 15 to 20 feet, I'm inactive putting conventional.

"It was thing we felt could assistance america improve, and truthful acold it has."

While improved putting has taken Scheffler to Woods-esque heights, volition it assistance him determination person to replicating Woods' achievements implicit the longer term? That remains to beryllium seen.