'A very special walk'

Scottie Scheffler is becoming used to the feeling of winning majors but the greatest walk in golf was a new one – and it will not be forgotten quickly.

The world No.1 is approaching 150 weeks at the summit of his sport and scaled new heights at Royal Portrush, prevailing by four shots after a suitably imposing display in this land of giants.

Scheffler came prepared. He had notes prepared for his Champion Golfer’s speech, which he retrieved midway through his expressions of gratitude.

But as much as he would have visualised walking down the 18th fairway with the Claret Jug in his sights, nothing quite prepares you for the reality.

“It's a very special walk,” he said. “To be honest with you, walking up 18, I didn't really know if I was going to get that much support from the crowd.

“The crowd, I think, wanted somebody else to win this week, and I kind of got to play spoiler a little bit, which was fun as well.

“It really was a great reception. I heard a lot of the fans supporting me out there today. It was a really cool environment to be able to play in.

“Being able to walk up 18 with the tournament in hand is a really tough thing to describe. It's a really cool feeling.

“I have a lot of gratitude towards being able to accomplish something like this. It's taken a lot of work and a lot of patience.

“It's a high level of focus over 72 holes of a tournament. This was, I felt like, one of my best performances mentally. We did a really good job of staying in it all week.”

Scheffler made headlines in the build-up to The 153rd Open when questioning the reasoning behind his intense motivation, and the fulfilment he truly receives from winning golf’s biggest events.

Scheffler has bigger priorities in his life – faith and family, to name two – but that does not mean he takes his success for granted. Quite the opposite.

“At the end of the day, I have a tremendous amount of gratitude towards moment like these,” he said.

“I literally worked my entire life to become good at this game and play this game for a living.

“It's one of my greatest joys of my life to compete out here. To be able to win The Open here at Portrush is a feeling that's really hard to describe.

“I don't know why I'm so lucky that I get to live out my dreams, but it's something I'm very grateful for.”

Scheffler’s family were at the centre of his celebrations and you sense his son Bennett, currently 14 months old, may be shown the footage of him stumbling up the greenside mound at a succession of gatherings in the years to come.

It is too soon to tell if the talent is in the genes but Scheffler certainly hopes so.

“He likes it,” he said. “He doesn't know what a golf ball is, but he's either eating his golf club, or he's hitting something with it, whether it be a piece of furniture or sometimes other kids. We're working on it.

“It’s pretty special to be able to celebrate here with my family. I hope Bennett's able to get into golf one day. The game of golf has taught me a tremendous amount.

"I feel like every day you go out and play golf you're looking in the mirror, and I've met some of my best friends through the game of golf. It's a very special game.”