Scottie Scheffler began his bid for the third leg of the career Grand Slam on Sunday, taking a four-shot lead into the final round of the British Open at Royal Portrush.
The start was ideal. From the first cut of rough, Scheffler hit his approach to the right side of the green on the slope. The ball trickled back and then rolled down to 10 inches from the cup for a tap-in birdie.
Scheffler already won the PGA Championship by five shots this year. He won the Masters last year by four shots and the Masters in 2022 by three shots. No one has ever won each of their first four major titles by three shots or more.
This was an extraordinary test because of the cheers, not all of them for him. There was pure adulation for Rory McIlroy playing before a home crowd in Northern Ireland. He was six shots behind, needing his greatest closing round in a major and help from Scheffler.
McIlroy already is the Masters champion, the sixth player to win the career slam, and he has been in a far more relaxed mood before adoring fans.
There was more admiration for Scheffler, though one fan along the first fairway got some laughs when he yelled out, “Go Rory!” as Scheffler walked by.
Scheffler was paired with Li Haotong of China, who also hit a brilliant opening shot to 4 feet for birdie but then dropped a shot on the next. Li already has the highest finish by a Chinese player in a major, tying for third at Royal Birkdale in the 2017 British Open.
___
AP golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golf
