After wishing for a more eventful Masters Tournament in 2025, we couldn’t have asked for a better result. Rory McIlroy doing his best to throw it away, with the best in the world in hot pursuit. A potential worthy winner in Justin Rose taking Rory right to the edge, and then gracefully bowing out when the golf gods finally decided to put us all out of our misery, and allow arguably the greatest European golfer of all time to compete his masterpiece.
The PGA Championship, now in May, was an anomaly. We forgot about Scottie Scheffler. It was all teed up for Rory McIlroy to kick on, and there were talks of the Rory Slam in 2025. These now seem slightly insane, but at the time you can forgive our recency bias as we returned to Quail Hollow, a site where Rory had had serious success.
JJ Spaun provided a fantastic US Open storyline at Oakmont. A great golfer in his own right that had not registered amongst the punters, he owned the final round and refused to bow out. A birdie, birdie finish that will always be etched into my memory.
And then The Open, at Royal Portrush. Collectively, the golf bettor community didn’t want to believe Scheffler would win his 4th major in just 20 starts. He hadn’t been there before. He missed the Scottish Open. He won’t win on links turf. He doesn’t care.
Sadly, the harsh reality we now face is that Scottie Scheffler is one of the greats in the game. A Top 10 player of all time? Take a reality check. But if he continues at his current winning rate (between 35 and 40% in the last 2 seasons) this will be revisited. He is one major from matching Rory McIlroy. He is one major from matching Brooks Koepka.
The reason Scheffler’s dominance is confusing is, is that he doesn’t really seem to want it. He wants to win. His game is robotic. He still hits creative shots, but we only process the outcome. Green in regulation. Par or birdie. It is fitting that while Scheffler was manufacturing an utterly predictable three under par on Saturday, home favourite Rory McIlroy was unearthing golf balls from the Portrush turf, holing 60 footers, getting down in 4 from 140 yards out, and generally appearing more relatable than the unflappable Scheffler.
We are forced to accept the fact that if Scheffler is in contention through 36, the opposition need to get with the programme, and start chasing him down. He won’t relinquish the lead, so you need to force his hand. The golf world is now praying for a Y.E. Yang equivalent, where someone unexpected stares Scheffler own on a Sunday and clinches a rogue major. I can see this happening at the 2026 US Open, rather than the Grand Slam being signed off in predictable style, an outsider, a first time winner sits in the clubhouse and watches his position improve.
This may be the beer talking, but golf isn’t enjoying the monotonous nature of Scheffler’s wins. Because he almost gets it too easy. Predictability gets us nowhere, watching Scottie lose 9&7 at the Ryder Cup in ’23 was one of the only relatable moments we have had from the Texan.
The pseudo-complaining about fulfilment at The Open was the icing on the cake – he is already one of the greats, and now it isn’t enough. That’s what I heard, and backpedalling won’t change that. Sergio Garcia’s feral howl when the putt dropped at Augusta in 2017 and Rory’s wild cry in 2025 are what gives me strength and makes me want to dedicate even more precious hours to analysing this ridiculous sport.
I have watched sport for many years. Scheffler is akin to Steve Smith batting for Australia in his prime, confusing the English bowlers.
He incorporates Richie McCaw from the All Blacks, always operating under the radar of the referees and the TV cameras.
He is part Usain Bolt, better than the field without breaking a sweat.
He is part Wayne Gretzky as he sees things we can’t, part Paul Scholes as we can’t pinpoint why exactly he plays so well, but the wins keep rolling in.
I expect 6+ majors from Scheffler. But we need a villain to pop up, a googly that throws him off, a fastball that takes him by surprise, perhaps in the form of a player with a bag full of hybrids that permeates the impenetrable.
What is more likely, he never wins another major, or he wins four more? I am inclined to turn towards the latter. The Tour Championship is a dead cert, so I hope 2026 will have other ideas.
Pat
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