British Open 2025: There are two stories that matter on Sunday at Royal Portrush—the best vs. the favorite

PORTRUSH, Northern Ireland — They were separated by an hour on the course, with the expanse of a country between them, and the only thing standing in either golfer’s way of a claret jug is each other.

There are 18 holes left at Royal Portrush and a half dozen players who have a realistic chance, yet on Sunday at the 2025 British Open only two will truly matter, as Rory McIlroy attempts to chase down Scottie Scheffler to become Champion Golfer of the Year.

This takes nothing away from those still in contention. Matt Fitzpatrick has rediscovered his form, Haotong Li continues to show resilience, Chris Gotterup is proving his Scottish Open triumph was the genuine article rather than a one-week wonder. Harris English is building momentum for a potential U.S. Ryder Cup berth, Xander Schauffele is mounting an impressive title defense, and Tyrrell Hatton has not pantomimed taking a bazooka to the course (yet). Any of these players possesses the skill and fortitude to claim victory. It's just with 18 holes remaining, the galleries have already cast them as the supporting cast in what has become a two-man drama that everyone wants to witness.

Scheffler has earned that right through 54 holes of links excellence. Saturday was a tour de force of Scheffler's specialty: When the going is good—which for Scheffler has been the past four years—his game produces rounds so consistent and complete they can appear methodical, not realizing that's perhaps the highest compliment a golfer can receive. What began as a one-shot lead finished at four. The highlight was a perfectly struck approach at the par-5 seventh that set up an eagle, adding two birdies and no bogeys against 15 pars.

Scheffler showcased golf that was steady because that's exactly what the situation and course demanded. He is not a gunslinger who creates drama through spectacular recoveries and escapes. He is a master surgeon, precise and efficient, completing the operation with such skill that the difficulty becomes invisible to observers. It lacks the theater of miraculous saves, but that's entirely the point. Boring golf. Championship golf.

If you wanted excitement, it could be found an hour ahead of Scheffler on the tee sheet, where McIlroy was not merely entertaining but electrifying a nation.

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While the crowds have been enormous for the native son, there was also—and there's no delicate way to express this—a thread of nervous energy rippling through them Thursday and Friday. They remembered the crushing weight of expectation that buckled McIlroy in 2019 and were terrified of becoming complicit in repeating that heartbreak. Saturday carried an entirely different energy. The dream of a McIlroy triumph flickered on, but starting seven shots behind the World No. 1—with a dozen competitors standing between him and Scheffler—this crowd understood the assignment. McIlroy needed every ounce of their belief to transform collective yearning into reality.

McIlroy delivered his end. He buried a snaking 35-footer at the first for birdie, added another at the par-5 second, then hunted down his approach at the brutal fourth hole for a third red number in four holes. But the scorecard captured only a fraction of what was unfolding.

McIlroy has long been golf's most beloved figure, and that affection always intensifies during the Open Championship. What has manifested this week transcends typical adoration. Spectators are literally climbing over one another for even a glimpse—not just to witness him, but to communicate something deeper: We are here. We see you. We feel this with you.

It has been a peculiar stretch for McIlroy since his Masters victory, his anticipated victory lap morphing into something more complex and uncertain. But home doesn't scrutinize recent form or care about outside judgment. Home is sanctuary, asking nothing of you except to be yourself.

Which is why, after his blistering start began to cool and the dream seemed to slip away, when McIlroy's 56-foot eagle attempt at the 12th began its slow journey across the green—trickling, trickling, trickling—until it vanished into the cup and the entire property seemed to convulse with euphoria … well, regardless of Sunday's outcome, some moments transcend scorecards and sport itself, reminding us why we invest our hearts so completely in this maddening game and those who play it.

So here is what is on the line Sunday: For Scheffler, victory means capturing a third leg of the career Grand Slam, claiming the links title that remains conspicuously absent from a résumé that all transcendent golfers possess. It would cement four years of dominance unmatched since Tiger Woods in his prime. It would elevate serious discussions about his ultimate ceiling—whether he represents merely generational excellence or something approaching all-time greatness. It would thrust his philosophy of separating results from personal worth into the mainstream spotlight it has long merited.

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Ramsey Cardy

For McIlroy, a sixth major championship and second claret jug are statistics, secondary to something bigger. The weight of an entire nation's sporting soul pressing down on his shoulders is a load few athletes will ever comprehend, let alone bear with grace. The cost of carrying such collective hope has already extracted its toll. But the reward … well, it’s not about immortality. It’s becoming the answer to a prayer that an entire people have whispered since Portrush returned to the Open rota.

Sunday will not be determined by destiny. For all the romanticism that golf commands on this side of the world, championship golf bows to no higher power than skill and nerve. Despite the signs proclaiming "FORGED BY NATURE," Sunday will not yield to rain or wind, whether the elements rage or remain docile. The galleries will attempt to channel their fervor through the bright yellow leaderboards flanking the 18th green, willing their chosen name to the summit, only to discover their passion holds no jurisdiction there.

What unfolds over the final 18 holes at Royal Portrush rests solely with Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy, because the things that matter most in this life are never bestowed—they are earned through the unshakeable belief in oneself when everything hangs in the balance.

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Is it the British Open or the Open Championship? The name of the final men’s major of the golf season is a subject of continued discussion. The event’s official name, as explained in this op-ed by former R&A chairman Ian Pattinson, is the Open Championship. But since many United States golf fans continue to refer to it as the British Open, and search news around the event accordingly, Golf Digest continues to utilize both names in its coverage.

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