Breakfast Ball #80: Weakness? What Weakness?

In This Week’s Newsletter:

Scottie Scheffler Conquers Putting Woes to Win Fourth Major Title with Dominant Display at The Open

In every craft, there’s an age-old debate: should we focus on improving our weaknesses, or doubling down on our strengths? One school of thought argues for addressing flaws to become a more well-rounded individual, though that can sometimes come at the expense of sharpening your best skills. The other approach is to lean into what you do best, carving out a path built on your natural advantages. But in doing so, you risk leaving vulnerabilities exposed.

Two years ago, Scottie Scheffler won twice on tour, finished sixth in the FedEx Cup standings, and earned $21 million. Yet even amid all that success, his game had one glaring weakness. He ranked first in strokes gained approach, first off the tee, third around the greens—yet a dismal 162nd in putting.

In late 2023 he enlisted the services of Phil Kenyon, an English putting coach known for helping elite professionals such as Rory McIlroy, Justin Rose, and Matt Fitzpatrick.

He decided to address his one and only weakness. 13 wins and three majors later, it seems like that was the correct decision.

Scottie Scheffler won The Open Championship by four strokes after a dominant performance at Royal Portrush. Scheffler took the lead late on Friday evening and never looked back, shooting rounds of 67 and 68 over the weekend to capture his fourth major without any real challenge. It was the 10th time in succession that Scheffler converted a 54-hole lead, as the whole tournament took on a sense of inevitability once he ascended to the top of the leaderboard.

That sense of inevitability was heightened due to his performance on the greens. In last week’s preview, I pointed out that he had lost strokes to the field in putting during each of his last three Open appearances, and finished 64th in putting at the Scottish Open just a week ago. But at Royal Portrush he flipped the script, leading the field in strokes gained: putting.

Scheffler sank 59 of 63 putts inside 10 feet and delivered crucial par saves from beyond 15 feet on both the 6th and 7th holes during the final round—moments that effectively crushed the hopes of the chasing pack.

Now the conversation shifts to what comes next. Scheffler is just one U.S. Open victory away from completing the career Grand Slam and has joined yet another exclusive club, becoming only the fourth player in history to win The Masters, PGA Championship, and The Open before the age of 30.

He’s playing at a level the sport hasn’t witnessed since Tiger Woods. And with his putting now dialed in, there’s simply no weakness left in his game. Just some strengths to double down on.

Matt Fitzpatrick Bounces Back to (likely) Qualify for the Ryder Cup as McIlroy and MacIntyre Finish in the Top 10

Matt Fitzpatrick has had a turbulent 12 months. Poor performances led to his world ranking dropping to a 10-year low earlier this season, leaving his place in the European Ryder Cup team in jeopardy. However, the Englishman has impressed in recent months, with a top-10 finish at the PGA Championship and three straight top-20 results going into The Open.

That form continued with an impressive T4 result at The Open, virtually locking in his place in the Ryder Cup team this September without a huge drop off in form. His previous best finish at The Open was T20 at Royal Portrush in 2019, so this result was meaningful: “Yeah, I definitely think it's obviously been a great experience, particularly from where I've come, to be in contention at two majors this year is obviously a huge step forward.” The result also pushed Fitzpatrick into the top 50 of the FedEx Cup rankings for the first time this season, a position he will need to maintain to qualify for the PGA Tour’s signature events in 2026.

Rory McIlroy was unable to reward the adoring home crowd with a victory, but put in a very respectable performance in a tie for seventh. His driver was erratic the first two days, as he had the lowest driving accuracy of any player to make the cut. However, it stabilized over the weekend and he was able to post scores of 66 and 69 to push into the top 10. McIlroy: “I'm really pleased with my week. I wish I had have been closer to Scottie going into today and been able to make a real push. But he's been on a different level all week and he's been on a different level for the last two years to the rest of us.”

Bob MacIntyre had his second consecutive top 10 at a major after a final round 67. Despite the fact that he has not won on tour this season, it is clear that he has elevated his game to another level. He knows he is close to a major title in the future: “Yeah, I know I've got the game. I said it yesterday, I feel like it's a matter of time, if I just keep piecing it all together.”

Other Results:

• 🇺🇸 In a strong showing for the western side of the Atlantic Ocean, Harris English and Chris Gotterup finished behind Scheffler in 2nd and 3rd

  • Gotterup flew to Scotland last week ranked 158th in the world with $2.7M in career earnings—he is now ranked 27th in the OWGR, earned $2.6M in two weeks, and has a great chance to be on the Ryder Cup team. Incredible!

• 🇮🇪 Returning champion Shane Lowry recovered from a bizarre two stroke penalty on Friday to shoot a final round 66 and finish in a tie for 40th

• 🇩🇰 Nicolai and Rasmus Højgaard both finished in the top 20, with the twin brothers posting scores of -8 and -7 respectively

• 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 Tyrrell Hatton continued his good run of form with a T16 finish, with Tommy Fleetwood, John Parry and Justin Rose completing a quartet of Englishman in the same position

  • Justin Rose at 3/1 to finish in the Top 20 ✅ 

• 🇪🇸 Jon Rahm was one of my picks for the tournament, but ended in a tie for 34th

• 🐟️ Ryan Gerard won the Barracuda Championship, an event held for those that did not qualify for The Open

  • Englishman Todd Clements finished in third place, leaping 43 places to 55th in the DP World Tour rankings

The Open Championship in Numbers

25

Major starts it took both Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy to win their first four majors. It would take another 11 years and 39 starts for Rory to win his 5th title. It is hard to see the same outcome for Scottie.

39.3%

Rory McIlroy’s driving accuracy for the tournament. It is difficult to win at Royal Portrush if you don’t hit the fairway.

8.52

Scottie Scheffler’s strokes gained putting during the tournament. A truly remarkable turnaround from his prior form on links greens.

0

Amateurs to make the cut at Royal Portrush. Scotland’s Cameron Adam and American Ethan Fang were the closest at 3-over, two shots shy of the cut line.

30

Men’s golfers who have won four or more majors. Scottie Scheffler is likely to elevate himself into more exclusive company in the not too distant future.

Coming up this week on Tour

• The 3M Open on the PGA Tour in Minnesota is a serious downer after The Open Championship

• LIV’s next tournament is at the JCB Golf & Country Club in Staffordshire, England

If you have any feedback for the newsletter or would like to get in touch, I would love to hear from you! Email [email protected] or message me on Twitter/X at @BlueHorizonGolf. Thank you for reading!