Scottie Scheffler Wins the Open Championship! But Who Paved the Way?

Scottie Scheffler took the crown at the 2025 Open Championship, finishing with an incredible 17 under par. Hosted at the Royal Portrush Golf Club in Scotland, a par-71, 36-hole course, Scheffler completed the 4-round tournament in just 267 strokes. This win now puts him only one major away from being the next name on the roster for those who have achieved a career Golf Grand Slam, watch out Jordan…

Some of you might be wondering, which other golfing Gods have achieved the title of ‘Champion of the Open Championship’ (was that too much?). Let’s take a look at the winners over the last 10 years…

Xander Schauffele took the crown at the 2024 Open Championship, held at Royal Troon Golf Club, Scotland. His final round was one to remember in particular, as he managed to finish with 65 and not a single bogey! Completing the competition at 9 under 275, Schauffele took the centre podium for his second Major of the year.

His feat was closely followed, just two strokes ahead of Justin Rose and Billy Horschel. His impressive run of 4 birdies out of 6 holes on the back 9, allowed him to just take the lead at this very close tournament. Schauffele is the first American make golfer in 42 years, to win both the PGA Championship and The Open in the same calender season.

Hosted at the Royal Liverpool Golf Club, Harman took his first ever major win at the 151st Open Championship. Despite the wet and windy conditions, Harman finished the tournament with a 13-under-par score, putting him six strokes ahead of the second place competitors, Jason Day, Jon Rahm, Tom Kim and Sepp Straka.

His impeccable putting is truly what made his stellar round, managing to convert 58 of 59 putts with in 10 feet. 

The 2022 Open Championship saw Cameron Smith take first place at the renowned Old Course at St. Andrews. Smith began his final round, with a four stroke gap behind Rory McIlroy and Viktor Hovland. However, he turned it around with an incredible, bogey-free 64; including, 5 birdies in a row and another birdie on the final hole. Finishing the tournament at 20-under-par, tied him for the record of lowest-to-par ever in a major, out doing Cameron Young by one stroke, and Rory McIlroy by 2.

Smith played a jaw-dropping back nine stroke count of just 30! The lowest nine-hole score in any Open Championship. His outstanding performance at this tournament earned him the Claret Jug and title of Champion Golfer of the Year.

One of the most remarkable major debut wins in history, Morikawa secured first place at the 2021 Open Championship at Royal St. Georges Golf Club. Finishing 15-under-par, he pushed Jordan Spieth out of top spot by just two strokes. His performance managed to land him his first ever Open Championship win.

The final round saw him just one shot behind the lead, Louis Oosthuizen, which he quickly turned around with 3 consecutive birdies on the front nine, and a bogey-free 66, including a long birdie putt on the 14th. 

His performance at this tournament was one for the history books, setting a number of records. This includes the lowest ever score at Royal St. Georges as well as, the first player since Ben Curtis’ 2003 win, to win the Open at his first ever appearance. Morikawa  is also the first male golfer to take first place at two majors during his debut season. 

Royal Portrush Golf Club hosted the 148th Open Championship, which saw Shane Lowry take first place, his first ever major win. Finishing the tournament with a six shot victory, ahead of Tommy Fleetwood by a substantial margin. Though he tied first place during the first two rounds, his course record-setting 63 in the 3rd round, cemented his position on the podium with a 54-hole Open record, totalling 197.

As the second Irish golfer to earn the Claret Jug, Lowry credited the overwhelming support from his home crowd as being the motivator for the win.

Francesco Molinari’s performance at the 147th Open Championshiop, held at Carnousite Golf Links, Scotland, was a showcase of extreme precision and composure. He boasted a bogey-free final round of 69, completing the tournament at 8-under-par, taking the lead from Kevin Kisner, Rory McIlroy, Justin Rose and Xander Schauffele by two strokes. Molinari is the first Italian golfer in history to win a Major championship.

Starting off the Open with a humble 70 and 72, his final round is what saw him take first spot. Paired with Tiger Woods, Molinari pocketed 13 straight pars, then a birdie on the 14th, finishing his week with a show stopping birdie on the 18th. His performance that season saw him take two other triumphs at the BMW PGA Championship and the Quicken Loans National as well as leading Europe with his 5-0 record at the Ryder Cup and finally, claiming first place at the Race to Dubai. His outstanding season was awarded with titles of European Golfer of the Year and BBC’s World Sports Star of the Year.

Spieth earned first place at the Open Championship, hosted at Royal Birkdale Golf Club, completing four rounds in the sixties, leaving him with a 12-under-par score. This placed him 3 strokes ahead of runner up, Matt Kuchar. Despite starting the final round with a 3 shot head start, Spieth hit a roadblock when he bogeyed three out of the first four holes. This handed the lead to Kuchar, when a wayward tee shot on the 13th saw him take an unplayable drop from the practice area. However, Spieth’s perseverance saved him when he nearly holed his 14th, eagled the 15th with a staggering 48ft putt, and birdied the 16th and 17th.

Spieth is the second man to win three different majors by the age of 24, shared only with golfing royalty, Jack Nicklaus. Spieth is still only one Major win away from completing his career golf grand slam, which would make him the 7th ever to achieve it.

After his ‘High Noon at Troon’ duel with Phil Mickelson, Stenson delivered a memorable final round performance in Major history, claiming his first and only Major title. Ending the tournament with a 63 for his final round, leaving him with 20-under-par; breaking both the Open and overall Major scoring records at the time.

The feat wasn’t handed to him though, Mickelson and Stenson were miles ahead of 3rd place with Mickelson finishing just 3 strokes behind and third place, trailing 11 strokes behind that! It was Stenson’s 5 birdies on the front nine and jaw dropping 51ft putt on the 15th that secured his victory.

And finally, Zach Johnson’s win at the 2015 Open Championship, held at the legendary Old Course at St. Andrews, marks a decade from Scheffler’s win in 2025.

Johnson secured his second Major win, with a dramatic 18th birdie, ending the four day tournament with a 15-under-par score. However, his score tied him with Marc Leishman and Louis Oosthuizen, which saw a four-hole aggregate playoff.

Johnson’s performance during the playoff included birdies on the first two holes, securing the win with a par on the 18th and final hole. He overtook Leishman and Oosthuizen by just one stroke, leaving Johnson as the sixth player to win Majors at both Augusta National and St Andrews.