Scottie Scheffler settled, settled and settled until he surged through the finish line of his opening 18 holes at the 2025 Open Championship. Signing for a first-round 68 to position himself one stroke behind the early co-leaders of Matt Fitzpatrick,

The British Open had a little bit of everything Thursday, from sunshine to rain, a breeze to strong gusts. And no surprise, it had Scottie Scheffler never far from the lead.

Scheffler credited his putting with keeping him on the first page of the leaderboard after failing to gain strokes on the greens in the Scottish Open last week. Scheffler was a touch testy when pressed for what made his short stick more magical on Thursday than it was last week.

Scheffler, the world’s No. 1 player who has not finished out of the top 10 in the last four months, a stretch that includes another major among three wins.

A Thursday 68 from Scottie Scheffler at Royal Portrush would have been the kind of score that put everyone else at The Open on notice. Scheffler came into this week as one of the clear favourites, though there’s always been a sense that links golf doesn’t quite suit his game.

Scottie Scheffler opened up his 2025 Open Championship with a 3-under 68 in the first round at Royal Portrush Golf Club.

Scottie Scheffler raised more than a few eyebrows with an unexpected admission ahead of The Open this week. With 16 PGA Tour victories, three major triumphs, 148 consecutive weeks as world No.1 and enough riches to last him a lifetime, the 29-year-old has just about everything he has ever wanted.