There's only been two or three players in the history of the game that have been on a run like this

No sooner had the Claret Jug been lifted high above Scottie Scheffler's head than the scramble for superlatives began. And with every word and exaltation there was also a sense that golf's Overton window had shifted, with his peers daring to voice opinions previously beyond the pale.

- Sean Ingle

It was Xander Schauffele who perhaps said it best, as Scheffler was slow-walking up the 18th, as if trying to savor every second of a first Open Championship victory. "I don't think we thought the golfing world would see someone as dominant as Tiger come through so soon, and here's Scottie sort of taking that throne of dominance," said Schauffele, the 2024 champion, having finished seven shots back. "You can't even say he's on a run. He's just been killing it for over two years now."

"He's a tough man to beat, and when you see his name up on the leaderboard it sucks for us."

Scheffler is making a habit of this. This was his fourth major title in three years. For good measure, he has 17 PGA Tour wins over the same period. And the majority of them have been like this, a four-shot victory over Harris English that rarely looked in doubt.

Rory McIlroy was another player who had hoped for a miracle yesterday only to see golf's ultimate dementor had sucked his hopes with three early birdies. After that the result was not in doubt, with Scheffler easing to victory in 17 under par.