Rory McIlroy makes Scottie Scheffler claim after Open triumph with Tiger Woods comparison

Rory McIlroy hailed Scottie Scheffler as one of the hottest players in history after the American sealed a four-shot Open win in sunny Ulster. The world No.1 has dominated golf over the last two years by winning 14 out of his 38 events.

And the reigning US PGA champion won the third leg of his career Grand Slam here at the age of 29. World No.2 McIlroy said: ”None of us could hang with Scottie this week. He's an incredible player. He's been dominant this week. Honestly, he's been dominant for the last couple years. He is the bar that we're all trying to get to.

”In a historical context, you could argue that there's only maybe two or three players in the history of the game that have been on a run, the one that Scottie's been on here for the last 24 to 36 months. Incredibly impressive. He’s a very worthy winner. Also, he's a great person, and I think he's a wonderful ambassador for our game as well.”

Scheffler has now recorded 11 top-eight finishes in a row - the best since Tiger Woods in 2007/08 - as he became the third consecutive American winner. Scheffler is also the second player after Woods to win the Open as world No.1.

Last year’s champion, Xander Schauffele, said: “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. You can't even say he's on a run. He's just been killing it for over two years now.”

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But the Olympic champion, who has now topped the rankings for over two years, claimed comparisons with Woods were “a bit silly”. He said: “Tiger won, what, 15 majors? This is my fourth. I just got one-fourth of the way there. I think Tiger stands alone in the game of golf.

“He was inspirational for me growing up. He was a very, very talented guy, and he was a special person to be able to be as good as he was at the game of golf.

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Scheffler celebrated with his wife Meredith, son Bennett and parents Scott and Diane. In his pre-tournament press conference, he said that golf was not a 'fulfilling life' and he asked himself: “What is the point?“

The world No.1 said: “This is amazing to win the Open Championship, but at the end of the day, having success in life, whether it be in golf, work, whatever it is, that's not what fulfills the deepest desires of your heart.”