21/07/2025

SPORTS MONDAY | JULY 21, 2025

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Scheffler in Tiger-mode

World No. 1 set to spoil McIlroy’s dream in British Open finale

T HE last nine times American Scottie Scheffler has led after 54 holes on the PGA Tour, he has closed out the victory and there is no reason to suggest he will not make that a perfect 10 at the British Open. The 29-year-old world No. 1 extended his lead from one to four strokes with a calm and collected bogey-free round of 67 on a picture-perfect Royal Portrush course on Saturday. Barring a nonchalant eagle at the par-five seventh, he left the chasing pack to provide the fireworks as he dis played the sort of Zen-like focus once associated with 15-time major winner Tiger Woods in his pomp to seize con trol. Scheffler also led after 54 holes in all of his three major wins and while he will be taking nothing for granted, someone will surely have to do some thing special to stop him. “Your guess is as good as mine,” Scheffler, the first world No. 1 to lead the Open at the halfway stage since BRYSON DECHAMBEAU has taken aim at The Open Championship officials after being put on the clock during Saturday’s third round. DeChambeau is no stranger to speaking his mind and the American has urged golf’s governing body to adopt a new method to keeping the pace of play. The speed players get around the course has been a contentious issue all week, with some groups in the earlier rounds having taken upwards of six hours. Despite losing half the field for Saturday’s round three, players were still sluggish with their pace of play, meaning officials were forced to step in. That was the case for DeChambeau, who revealed after his third round that he’d been timed on the 17th hole after his tee shot. But DeChambeau believes he has a solution that could help speed play up across the board: timing each and every individual. The inventive golf star explained: “It’s very simple. It’s not difficult at all. You eventually time everybody for their whole entire round. Very simple.” Although he did admit some of his competitors might not be too pleased: “Nobody wants to do it because people are too scared to get exposed.” The LIV ace continued: “If somebody is playing slower, the (official) can go up to him and say, ‘Hey, man, you’re over par with your time’. All you do is you just time them for every single shot. He gets there and puts the bag down, and how long it takes him to hit that shot and how long it takes him to walk to the green. It’s not rocket science.” DeChambeau himself believes his round took a little longer than expected because of his intricate putting routine. The weather conditions at Royal Portrush have been precarious all week, meaning the green speeds have varied – something DeChambeau didn’t want to risk. – Express Newspapers DeChambeau takes aim at Open officials

With eagles and birdies being sunk all across the c o u r s e ,

pionships is not an easy task, and I’ve put myself in a good position. “Going into tomorrow I’m going to step up there on the first tee and I’m going to be trying to get the ball in the fairway, and when I get to the second shot I’m going to be trying to get that ball on the green. There’s not much else going on.” That simple mantra has worked wonders on Portrush’s Dunluce Links. He has made only three bogeys in three rounds – a figure matched only by China’s Li Haotong who is his nearest challenger ahead of Sunday’s finale on the Antrim coast. After Friday’s majestic round of 7-under 64, the lowest of the week, Saturday was about making sure he consolidated hav ing built a strong foun dation.

Woods in 2006, said when asked why he has become such a good finisher. “I like being out here competing. “This is why we work so hard is to have opportunities like this, and I’m excited for the challenge of tomorrow. “ W i n n i n g major cham

Scheffler took a while to get going but just when the field began to sense an opportu nity, he eagled the seventh thanks to a sublime approach shot and then birdied the eighth. He then dug in, making a vital par save from 10 feet on the 11th hole after a rare missed green. “I think the card could look stress free, but I had two really nice par saves on the back nine that were key,” he said. “I made a nice eight-ish footer on 11, another one on 14, so two really important putts I felt like. “I think anytime you can keep a clean card around a major champion ship, you’re going to be having a pretty good day.” Scheffler, whose tied seventh last year at Troon was his previous best Open result, knows there is still plenty of work to do, but he is looking immovable. – Reuters

Scottie Scheffler plays on the 12th hole at the Open Championship at Royal Portrush. – AFPPIC

Schauffele stay in Open contention

FIGHTING his swing and seeing world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler pulling away from the field, Xander Schauffele turned to the scoreboards around the Royal Portrush Golf Club seeking extra motivation at The Open Championship on Saturday. “I don’t react (to leaderboards), but today I was,” Schauffele said after complet ing his third round. “I just felt like there’s no point in not. I need to find any bit of – not that I’m not motivated, but any extra moti vation I can to giddy up and try to get something done. There’s a few guys that are playing some incredible golf.” The defending Open champion entered this week winless during a year that began with an injury and has yet to catch any real steam. That included the first two rounds at Royal Portrush, where Schauffele opened with a 71 and then bat tled his way through a 2-under 69 on Friday – a round he held together despite feeling like he had no control over his golf ball. With the sun out and the wind calmer on Saturday, Schauffele carded a pair of eagles en route to tying for the second lowest round of the day with a 66 that included only one bogey. “Yeah, today was nice. Had a nice phone call with (swing coach) Chris (Como) last night,” Schauffele said. “Yesterday felt terrible. Even with some of the shots coming in, I felt like I was luck boxing my way through the back nine, somehow making contact and then sitting RORY MCILROY fed off a wave of his fans’ euphoria to shoot a brilliant third-round 66 at Portrush on Saturday and remain in contention to win his second British Open title. The world No. 2 from Northern Ireland struggled for inspiration in opening rounds of 70 and 69, but he birdied three of his first four holes before sinking a stunning 56-foot eagle putt on the par-five 12th to send his fans into raptures. “It was incredible,” he said. “It was so much fun. I got off to the perfect start.” Another birdie followed at the 15th, a bogey at the 11th hole the only blemish as he finished

it somewhere near the hole and getting it in. “Today felt like I was in more control. Obviously the weather was much nicer and sort of what we’re used to on the PGA Tour. But it felt like I could control my golf ball a lot more.” Asked if he played his way back into contention on Saturday, Schauffele said “not really.” “I missed two short birdie putts, which I’m looking at. If I’m nit

Xander Schauffele. – REUTERSPIC

picking my whole deal, I needed three more today to feel like I’m somewhere close

enough to whatever Scott or (Matt) Fitzpatrick or Haotong (Li) are going to post. “I’m so far back, who knows with the weather and whatnot. I believe in myself and what I can do. So just black out hopefully,” he said. “No luck box

ing, blackout, there’s your headline, and try to shoot something and give myself a lot of opportuni ties.” – Field Level Media

McIlroy keeps Open dream alive

surprise,” McIlroy said. “Everyone’s seen the way he’s played over the last two or three years. He’s just so solid. He doesn’t make mistakes. He’s turned himself into a really consistent putter as well so there doesn’t seem to be any weakness there.” McIlroy is planning a quiet evening and Sunday morning without any rugby matches to worry about. “Grab some dinner, try to sleep as much as I can,” he said. “Don’t have any rugby to distract me tomorrow morning. Watched New Zealand France and the Lions game today.” – Reuters

on eight under par to stay in the mix to win his sixth major crown. “Then to play those last seven holes at three under I thought was a good effort,” he said. “I played well. I rode my luck at times, but it was an incredible atmosphere out there. I feel like I’ve at least given myself half a chance tomorrow.” The big problem for McIlroy, who became the sixth player to complete golf’s Grand Slam of all four major titles by winning the Masters in April, is that world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler will start the final round six shots ahead of him. “He’s playing like Scottie. I don’t think it’s a