Scheffler sets benchmark in near-perfect Open display

It was a putt to send echoes around Royal Portrush, from all of 23ft for a precious par.

- JACK RATHBORN AT ROYAL PORTRUSH

Matt Fitzpatrick poured it in and avoided one final setback to show the contrasting nature of what an Open Championship test requires. Yet barely a few minutes later, the scale of the task for Fitzpatrick and the rest of the field became ominously clear.

Fitzpatrick is already a major champion, so he knows the merit of a shot-saver, as much as the spectacular strokes that lay the table before, notably those four consecutive birdies from 10-13 when he held a mesmeric control over that little white ball. But that putt only allowed him to cling onto the heels of Scottie Scheffler. A telling reminder of what he’ll need to trade blows with the world’s best player over the next 36 holes.

The soggy conditions around Royal Portrush saw Fitzpatrick emerge with a remarkable five-under-par round of 66 to sit at nine-under-par, bettered only by Scheffler at 10-under-par, as he pursues a second major to complement his US Open title. A feat that would cement his place, once again, in Luke Donald’s Team Europe for the Ryder Cup this September. Moreover, a second major title would catapult him into rare company. Multiple majors are just held in different esteem.

The Sheffield man has played some exquisite golf, leading the field in strokes gained tee-to-green. Yet there was a reminder of the minor blemishes that could prove costly over the weekend. Especially against Scheffler. Fitzpatrick’s remarkable round of golf could have been even better, but for the pesky seven-footer missed on 14 to squander a stroke. Then, a par, which felt like a bogey, on 17 after his enormous 362-yard drive. Then came a magnificent cross-handed chip, which has become synonymous with Fitzpatrick’s polished short game. It took a skid up the green before the brakes screeched. A simple birdie putt, surely, yet the two-footer wouldn’t drop.