Written By Aidan Mastandrea\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As the 153rd Open Championship<\/a> returned to Royal Portrush for the first time since 2019, it was the last chance of the year for a golfer to etch their name in the history books as a major champion. The 2025 major season came to an end in a way that has become customary recently, as world number one Scottie Scheffler pulled away from the field<\/a>, winning by four strokes to lift his first claret jug. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Scheffler got out of the gates quickly during Thursday’s first round, posting a score of three-under-par, sitting just one shot back of the leaders. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Weather was certainly a factor over the first two rounds \u2013 as is typical for the Open Championship. Scheffler played through harsh rain, enroute to a Friday round of 64 to take the 36-hole outright lead. <\/p>\n\n\n\n “Fortunately, it didn’t pour the whole time,\u201d Scheffler said after his round. \u201cWe only had maybe four or five holes where it was really coming down, and I was able to take advantage of the holes where we had some good weather.” <\/p>\n\n\n\n While Scottie Scheffler plotted his way to the lead over the first two days of the tournament, many eyes were focused on Rory McIlroy. Growing up just an hour down the road from Portrush, the world number two has become a hero to many Northern Ireland natives. The fans poured into the gates to watch as McIlroy attempted to put on a more memorable display than when he missed the cut in 2019. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIt\u2019s been an amazing week, just \u2014 I feel so thankful and just so lucky that I get to do this in front of this crowd,\u201d McIlroy said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n