Scottie Scheffler touted as rising Tiger Woods after dominating British Open

The 29-year-old Texan formally received the title of champion golfer of the year on Sunday after winning the 153rd British Open in Northern Ireland by a multi-stroke margin. Scheffler gave a dominant performance with a 17-under par total of 267, according to the Open. Fellow American Harris English took second place in the four-day tournament with a score of 13-under par. 2025 Masters champion Rory McIlroy tied for seventh and described Scheffler as the standard for all golfers. There have been maybe two or three players in golf history with a record as impressive as Scheffler’s record for the past 24-36 months, McIlroy said.

Scheffler became the third golfer in the game’s history to win multiple majors by at least four strokes within a single year. The last golfer to achieve the feat was Tiger Woods in 2000. Scheffler also became the fourth golfer to win the Masters, PGA Championship, and the British Open before age 30, joining Tiger Woods, Jack Nicklaus, and Gary Player. The parallels between Scheffler and Woods were not lost on both commentators and fellow tournament players. The golfing world did not expect to see someone with Tiger Woods-level dominance come on the scene so soon, said Xander Schauffele, who tied for seventh on Sunday.

Scheffler came one step closer to achieving a Grand Slam, a colloquialism for winning all four major golf championships: the Masters, the PGA Championship, the British Open, and the U.S. Open. Scheffler won the Masters in 2024 and both the PGA Championship and the British Open Championship in 2025. Scheffler will have the chance next June to join the handful of Grand Slam golfers in the U.S. Open next June.

What is Scheffler like off the green? Scheffler is recognized as a family man and made headlines last year for winning the 2024 Masters, then becoming a first-time father within just weeks. The 29-year-old celebrated his Sunday win after finding his wife, Meredith, their 15-month-old son, and his parents in the crowd, just like the PGA Championship earlier this year. Scheffler told the media on Sunday that while he enjoys the game, there’s more to life than golf. Winning is nice, but it doesn’t fulfill the heart’s deepest desires, Scheffler said. He describes himself as a Christ follower and has spoken about his faith in interviews.

Assault charges filed against Scheffler during the 2024 PGA Championship in Louisville were later dismissed. The county attorney said in court that the evidence fit Scheffler’s characterization of the incident as a misunderstanding.