Air of inevitability blows in as Scottie Scheffler seizes control of the Open | The Open

Scottie Scheffler had another 20 holes in this open to play championship. History tells us that the tracks can evaporate into one. Dense rough, binds bunkers, the pressure ladder attached to the oldest adult. Open calamity is written in folklore. The ghost of Jean Van de Velde persists. And yet, the bookmakers had only scheffler at only 1-8 to raise the jug of Bordeaux. The big lady clears her throat. Twenty holes. What sports planet is it?

It is possible to lack adjectives for Scheffler. Compensation, remarkable, relentless. No one will ever correspond to the impact of Tiger Woods on the golf course, but it is really not an exaggeration to suggest that Scheffler can be just as dominant. Sunday evening on the Causeway Coast, Scheffler will surely be a quadruple winner and three quarters of the path to a big slam in a career. This is only its 24th major start as a professional. In one of them, his pursuit of glory was undermined by being thrown into a police cell.

Immediately before the pandemic, no one beyond golf geeks knew who was Scheffler Scottie. Confidence – or certainty – attached to what is happening then is supported by Scheffler winning on the last nine previous occasions when he held an advance of 54 holes. He has been looking for a 12th victory since the spring of 2024.

This advantage is up to four shots. The 69 of Li Haotong means that it is closest to the 14 under the peer of Scheffler. Li will play in the final group of an adult for the first time in a career from top to bottom. Scheffler; 68, 64, 67. He barely broke sweat.

The hope of a fight on Saturday was brief, while Matt Fitzpatrick bypassed an eagle in the 3rd to tie the head. Scheffler rejected by recovering two shots at the 7th but Fitzpatrick Birdie at the same hole kept interesting things. Scheffler reached 13 under peer by winning a shot in the 8th.

On the new back, there were two ridiculous backups of Scheffler, in the 11th and 14th after finding a deep foliage. The 16th is called calamity for a reason; Scheffler made fun of his reputation graceful with a two -sided birdie. Fitzpatrick had made an error in 13th row, with his two Birdie holes, later offset by another error on the penultimate hole. The Yorkshireman closed on Nine Under after its level 71 level.

Scheffler promised not to think too much about his position. It seems its most beautiful attribute, a state of mind that does not move according to the rankings. “I like to be here in competition,” said Scheffler. “This is why we work so hard, to have opportunities like this and I am excited for the challenge of tomorrow. Winning major championships is not an easy task and I got into good position.

“Upon entering tomorrow, I’m going to get up there on the first tee and I will try to put the ball into the fairway. When I arrive at the second blow, I will try to put this ball on the green. There are not really too many things else.” Simple, so happily. Try to say that to poor Matti Schmid, who drew 79.

Fitzpatrick has deplored problems on the Greens. What was the problem with putts, Matt? “They would simply not enter,” he replied with an admirable candor. Fitzpatrick has added: “Let’s be realistic, it has five in advance. It’s not easy. But if you are taking a good start, then obviously put a little pressure on the first doors and hope the best … You have three in six, like some of the guys today, the 7th among five and all of a sudden, you are in a way in return, you hope you do.”

The less scheffler tournament is decent. Rory McILroy reached eight under a dramatic 66, his lowest score of the week, before wonderful crowds. McILroy’s return has already been all he could have imagined. The Boy Boy has Chris Gotterup, Harris English and Tyrrell Hatton for Scoring Company.

One day when the chances were abundant, the reigning champion, Xander Schauffele, posted five under the peer to spend less than seven. Lee Westwood failed to gain less than five, but a new rear of 29 in the glorious sun proved to be extremely pleasant for the veteran. Westwood credited his wife and Caddy, Helen, with the triggering of the race by offering the old n ° 1 in the world a tuna sandwich on the 10th tee.

Bob Macintyre, who is now at eight gunshots, summed up the despair of all this for simple mortals. At the beginning of 2025, Macintyre asked his shopping cart to assess the distance behind the best classified player in the world, he was in various statistics. The said man of Bag abandoned the process after having quickly carried out Macintyre, then 16th in the ranking, was closer in all the departments of n ° 2 that n ° 2 was at n ° 1. It is not the dominant sea air in Portrush. Instead, an air of inevitability.