Master Scheff

Scottie Scheffler wrote his name into the magical history of The Open with a commanding victory at Royal Portrush in 2025.

It was the American’s first Claret Jug and fourth major overall, leaving him just a US Open shy of the venerated career Grand Slam.

Scheffler’s coronation in County Antrim was one of six victories he amassed in 2025, solidifying his status as the standout player in men’s golf.

Here we take a look at some of the key numbers behind that landmark triumph.

Strokes Gained (Approach): +9.059

Scheffler has been the undisputed world number one since May 2023.

Since then, he has won 14 events – including two majors – an Olympic gold medal and earned a lifetime exemption on the PGA TOUR.

He was the hottest golfer on the planet coming into The 153rd Open and he showcased his brilliance with four days of sublime play on golf’s biggest stage. Nobody was able to match his effortless excellence over the fabled Dunluce links with his iron play being the most effective tool in his unparalleled arsenal.

Scheffler led the field in Strokes Gained (Approach), attacking the pins at every opportunity. Whether it was from 200 yards or 60 yards, his accuracy was unerring.

Scheffler’s brilliance with his blades created 32 birdie chances inside 20ft (the most in the field), while only Jesper Svensson (18) had more looks inside 10ft than Scheffler (17).

Greens In Regulation: 77.8%

Scheffler was T3 (alongside Tyrrell Hatton) for Greens In Regulation (77.8%), with only Haotong Li (80.6%) and Ludvig Aberg (79.2%) able to boast more impressive statistics in this area.

Strokes Gained (Putting): +8.522

It seems a long time ago that Scheffler made the pivotal decision to improve his performance on the greens. But in teaming up with renowned putting coach Phil Kenyon, the world’s premier golfer took his near-perfect game to even greater heights.

What was once the weakest part of his game suddenly became a strength. This was evidenced nowhere more so than in Northern Ireland.

Scheffler drained putts from all over, ranking second in Strokes Gained Putting (+8.522), behind only eventual runner-up Harris English (+8.844), with both players a whole stroke clear of Dustin Johnson, Harry Hall and Oliver Lindell in this category.

Meanwhile, Scheffler was sixth in total distance of putts holed (391.3 feet), behind English (463.4), Takumi Kanaya (462.4), Wyndham Clark (410.9), Jacob Skov Olesen (400.00) and Rasmus Hojgaard (391.8).

Par-3 Scoring: -6

Scheffler did not drop a single shot on any of Portrush’s par-3s in 2025 and subsequently led the way in Par-3 Scoring on six-under-par.

He birdied Calamity Corner (the 16th) in each of the opening three rounds and picked up a shot on each of Portrush’s three other short holes across the week.

Those were just six of Scheffler’s 21 birdies in Portrush (T1 alongside Hall and Rickie Fowler).

Clark (-9) had the most joy on par-4s with Chris Gotterup (-13) picking up the most shots on par-5s.

Minimising mistakes rather than picking up gains is often the way to victory, and Scheffler stuck to this mantra, suffering just three bogeys and one double-bogey in 72 holes, the fewest of any player. The Champion Golfer was blemish-free in the third round and only slipped up once in the final 36 holes.

He was also 2/2 for Scrambling, one of only five players with a 100% record in that category.

Driving Accuracy: 46.4%

Scheffler is 61.6% in Driving Accuracy for the nascent 2026 PGA TOUR season.

However, this percentage was somewhat lower at Portrush last July. While former world number one Lee Westwood was clear of the field, hitting 41/56 fairways (73.2%), Scheffler found just 26, (46.4%), placing him outside the top 100.

Subsequently, the 29-year-old ranked 48th for Strokes Gained Off the Tee (+0.955), a statistic topped by Scotland’s Robert MacIntyre (+5.993).

But while Scheffler may not have been perfect off the tee, every other facet of his game was, naturally, world class.

American: 1-2-3

US golfers have long had an affinity with The Open.

From Jock Hutchinson in 1921 to Scheffler in 2025, 34 players from the USA have had the honour of lifting the Claret Jug.

Scheffler’s victory at Royal Portrush was the third straight win for an American in golf’s original Championship, following Brian Harman in 2023 and Xander Schauffele 12 months later.

And the world number one led home an American 1-2-3 with English (-13) and Gotterup (-12) filling the podium places.