Three Thoughts - The 2025 British Open
The Open returned to Royal Portrush and delivered another Scottie Scheffler rout.
He is too good.
After winning the PGA Championship in May, we were treated to the question of whether he could win at The Open, where it would require him to deal with the idea of links golf in the United Kingdom.
There, we are told, firm and fast rules the day and the unforgiving and unpredictable bounces and breaks rattle a player. It is up to him to remain calm and to deal with the randomness of golf holes that were put there by the planet’s creator, not a bulldozer. Nature decided the course for us, we are merely playing on the earth as it was formed and are at its mercy.
This, unlike its US counterparts, allows a certain randomness and surely a different skill-set than winning at a perfectly manicured track like Augusta National.
So, yes, Mr. Scheffler has proven that he can win at a perfectly perfect place, but what about where he cannot control all of the variables? What if the weather blows in and a violent wind with it? What if he takes a poor bounce in a bad place and is given a reward he doesn’t deserve? Then what?
Well, we now know. He plays four rounds and none of them is worse than a 68. He went 68-64-67-68 and finished 17 under par. He honestly appeared like he might win by double-digits, but allowed everyone the dignity of keeping the winning margin at 4 as Harris English was down at -13 looking up hopelessly.
He did get some bad-bounces and caught at least one lip of a bunker on Sunday, but in the end, he navigated Royal Portrush with ease and made his status as the big favorite going in well-placed. He is the the king right now. There is no doubt.
His 4-stroke win closed the books on the final major of 2025. It was a very memorable year of major championship golf, but now we must wait until April of 2026 to see another one. We now have 263 days until we get to see another of these beauties.
And with that, these are my Three Thoughts: