Scottie Scheffler said that he felt at peace during his final round as he cruised to the Open championship at Royal Portrush.
The American dominated throughout the week and shot three-under on the final day to close out the tournament at -17, winning with a four-stroke cushion to runner-up Harris English.
Speaking ahead of the tournament, Scheffler told the media that he struggled with the unfulfilling nature of life on tour, but he put those qualms to bed on Sunday in clinching his fourth major title, saying he felt at peace in his final round.
Asked how he kept a cool head through the final round, Scheffler said: “I don't really know. I felt a good amount of peace today. I felt very in control of how I was playing. I was very comfortable with my game.
“Every day is a battle, playing this game is a battle with yourself to get the best out of your game and yourself, and this week I did a really good job of hanging in there mentally and playing some really good golf.
“It was a tough week, I battled hard all weekend, today once again was a battle, but played some really good golf and I'm fortunate to be standing here holding the trophy.”
Still just 29, Scheffler is already within one win of the career Grand Slam, only requiring the US Open to complete his set. After finishing the round, he reflected on his career to date, deadpanning as he described the journey as ‘really cool’.
He went on: “I grew up waking up early to watch this tournament on TV, just hoping and dreaming I would get the chance to come play in this championship, so it's pretty cool to be sitting here with the trophy. It is hard to put into words.
“The tournament just ended so it will take a little while for this to sink in, but this is a really cool feeling.”
Home favourite Rory McIlroy had been an outside contender heading into the final day, but was not able to unseat the Texan, whom he lauded as a standard-bearer.
“[Scheffler is] an incredible player,” said the Northern Irishman, who completed his own career Grand Slam by winning the Masters in April. “He's been dominant this week. Honestly, he's been dominant for the last couple years. He is the bar that we're all trying to get to.”
