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Scheffler's dominance, players to watch and more following Open Championship

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5 months ago

July 22, 2025

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Scheffler's dominance, players to watch and more following Open Championship

Mark Schlabach
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Mark Schlabach

ESPN Senior Writer
- Senior college football writer
- Author of seven books on college football
- Graduate of the University of Georgia
Paolo Uggetti

Jul 22, 2025, 10:52 AM ET

The final major of the season — the Open Championship — is over, with Scottie Scheffler dominating the field on the way to his second major of the season.

With the FedEx Cup playoffs, the Tour Championship and the Ryder Cup still to come, there is plenty left to play for.

What’s next for Scheffler? Who surprised and who disappointed at the Open? What’s the latest on the race for spots on the Ryder Cup teams? We answer some of the biggest questions coming out of Royal Portrush and heading into the rest of the season.

Scottie Scheffler has now won four career majors. David Blunsden/Action Plus/Icon SportswireMark Schlabach: Scheffler doesn’t want to hear comparisons to Tiger Woods, but perhaps no one has played as consistently for so long since the height of Tiger’s career.

“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,” two-time major champion Xander Schauffele said. “You can’t even say he’s on a run. He’s just been killing it for over two years now. He’s a tough man to beat, and when you see his name up on the leaderboard, it sucks for us.”

Scheffler, 29, is now the third-youngest player with 15 PGA Tour victories and four majors; only Tiger (24) and Jack Nicklaus (25) were younger. He is only the fourth golfer to win the Masters, PGA Championship and The Open before turning 30; Woods, Nicklaus and Gary Player were the others. That’s elite company.

Given Scheffler’s ballstriking and vastly improved putting, I wouldn’t be surprised to see him at least double his four major victories — if not more. I’d be surprised if he doesn’t complete the career Grand Slam in next year’s U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills. For a guy who seems to have better perspective than most when it comes to golf, family and faith, he still has a red-hot competitive fire that we’ve rarely seen.

Paolo Uggetti: Well, you heard the man. He’s on to Memphis (and eventually the Tour Championship), where he’ll start even par and get back at it. Scheffler said in our interview with him that he will take time to enjoy this but if there’s anything we learned about Scheffler this week — or rather have it confirmed — is that the process of becoming the best player in the world is more enjoyable to him than actually being the best player in the world.

“It’s hard to describe what it feels like because, yeah, I don’t feel any different because I’ve won a golf tournament. This is not the be-all, end-all for me, but I’m extremely grateful for it,” Scheffler said. “I don’t think that I’m anything special just because some weeks I’m better at shooting a lower score than other guys are.”

The thing is that Scheffler continues to shoot lower scores than anyone else and there’s no sign of that stopping anytime soon — be it in Memphis, the Tour Championship, the Ryder Cup or eventually the major championships next season. His propensity for being the odds-on favorite will get even more stark and chances are, barring injury or otherwise, he’ll keep adding to his win tally and major championship record too.

Other than Scottie, who were biggest winners at The Open?

Schlabach: It was Scheffler’s tournament with his dominance over 72 holes, but in many ways it was Rory McIlroy‘s week. After missing the cut at the first Open Championship at Royal Portrush in 68 years in 2019, Rory was around for the weekend this time, and he put on quite a show in his homeland.

While McIlroy finished a distant seven shots behind Scheffler for a tie for seventh at 10 under, the week was in many ways a celebration of his Masters victory in April, which allowed him to finally complete the career Grand Slam.

With thousands of fans following him on the links course, McIlroy delivered a 5-under 66 in the third round that at least gave him an ounce of hope in trying to chase down Scheffler. He said the roars after his eagle on the par-5 12th were the loudest he’d ever heard in a golf tournament.

“It’s been an awesome week,” McIlroy said. “I’ve gotten everything I wanted out of this week apart from a Claret Jug, and that’s just because one person was just a little bit better than the rest of us.

“I feel so thankful and just so lucky that I get to do this, I get to do this in front of this crowd. Hopefully, I’ll have one or two Opens left here, if the R&A decide to keep coming back, probably one while I’m still competitive and another one while I’m more gray than I already am.”

Uggetti: There’s not enough talk about Harris English, who has finished second place at two major championships this year and lost only to one guy: Scottie Scheffler. You don’t get a trophy for second place but the mark is a testament to the kind of golf English is playing as of late.

This season, English has one PGA Tour win and four top-10 finishes. He’s now ranked inside the top-10 in the OWGR.

“I’m playing some good golf. Just need to clean it up a little bit,” English said Sunday. “But one of my — my two goals this year were to make it to the Tour Championship and make that Ryder Cup team, and hopefully I’ve moved myself a little bit closer to that, and hopefully I can get in that top six to lock up a spot.”

English’s finish at Portrush does get him into that coveted sixth spot for an automatic qualifier, but even if he slips below the sixth spot, it’s safe to say English is nearly a lock to be a part of Keegan Bradley’s team come September at Bethpage.

Most disappointing at The Open?

Schlabach: Not to pick on the LIV Golf League, but three of its most recognizable stars — Brooks Koepka, Patrick Reed and Cameron Smith — were three of the worst flops at Royal Portrush.

Koepka gave us a glimmer of hope when he was in the mix and tied for 12th in the U.S. Open. But the five-time major champion missed the cut in the Masters, PGA Championship and The Open. He hasn’t finished in the top 10 in one of the big four since winning the 2023 PGA Championship.

Smith captured the 150th Open Championship at St. Andrews in Scotland in 2022, but other than winning three times in the LIV Golf League and once in his native Australia, he hasn’t done much of anything. He is the only golfer who missed the cut in all four majors this season.

After Reed was solo third at the Masters and tied for 23rd at the U.S. Open, there was talk that he might sneak his way back onto the U.S. Ryder Cup team. There’s zero chance of that happening now after he missed the cut at Royal Portrush. And, to be honest, given Reed’s controversial history in the Ryder Cup, Greg Norman probably had a better chance at hitting the ceremonial opening tee shot at Bethpage Black.

Uggetti: Patrick Cantlay‘s major record was already lacking much substance in the way of top-10s, let alone wins, but after missing the cut at Portrush, he has now missed three straight major championship cuts this year and has only finished inside the top 20 at a major once in the last two years. Expectations seem to dwindling for Cantlay, who might be one of the better players to not win a major in his career, and it appears that he has fallen off even just his customary form on the PGA Tour — he hasn’t won a tour event since 2022. The majors have simply been further proof of that.

Who is one player you’ll be watching the closest over the next few weeks?

Schlabach: U.S. Ryder Cup captain Keegan Bradley has to be happy about Xander Schauffele‘s form in recent weeks. The two-time major champion missed about six weeks with a painful rib injury at the start of the season, and he’s been trying to find his putting stroke ever since.

Schauffele tied for eighth at the Scottish Open and for seventh at The Open. It’s not like Schauffele hasn’t performed well in the tournaments that mattered most this season: he tied for eighth in the Masters, 28th in the PGA Championship and 12th in the U.S. Open. There are dozens of golfers who would happily take those results.

Uggetti: Chris Gotterup is the X factor the U.S. Ryder Cup team has been waiting for. Think Ludvig Åberg ahead of Rome. Or Scottie Scheffler ahead of Whistling Straits. OK, maybe not quite to that level. But Gotterup has burst onto the scene with a win over Rory McIlroy at the Scottish Open and a third-place finish at The Open this past week — only his fourth major championship start.

Chris Gotterup finished in third place at the Open Championship. David Cannon/Getty Images”I expected to play well, but I don’t think I expected quite this well,” Gotterup said. “I don’t know what’s going on over here, but maybe my European blood in me a little bit has come to life.”Gotterup hasn’t quite come out of nowhere — he had three top-30 finishes before this run and besides one missed cut, his worst finish since April is T-28 — but this is still a bit of a surprise. He has now leaped into the top 40 of the world rankings and jumped 19 spots in the Ryder Cup rankings.”I haven’t thought about it at all. I mean, it really wasn’t ever on my radar,” Gotterup, a New Jersey native, said of the Ryder Cup. “I obviously hoped to play well, and it would be a miracle. Now I mean, I have no idea. Northeast is my home, and we’ll see what happens.”Gotterup’s next month or so will be crucial to solidifying himself not just as a potential Ryder Cup team member but also a top player on Tour. Even though his best stuff has come across the pond on links courses, his game clearly has a high potential ceiling.Thoughts on the Ryder Cup coming out of The OpenKeegan Bradley is currently 10th in the standings for the U.S. Ryder Cup team. Richard Heathcote/Getty ImagesSchlabach: Scheffler has already qualified for the U.S. team, and I’d guess that the next five golfers in the points standings — Schauffele, J.J. Spaun, Russell Henley, Bryson DeChambeau and English — will probably end up making the squad.

The top six in the points standings after the BMW Championship on Aug. 17 will automatically qualify for the U.S. team, and then Bradley will make six captain’s choices. I think the aforementioned golfers have done enough to be selected, even if they’re not in the top six after the second FedEx Cup playoffs event.

Bradley told Sports Illustrated at The Open that DeChambeau has all but made the team: “Bryson is going to be a very important piece to us winning the Ryder Cup. He brings so much. He brings energy, passion, but most importantly, he’s one of the best players on the planet.”

As for Bradley’s captain’s choices, Justin Thomas and Morikawa rank seventh and eighth in points, respectively, and are Ryder Cup veterans. Ben Griffin, a two-time winner on tour this season, is ninth in points, followed by Bradley, Maverick McNealy and Brian Harman.

After winning the Travelers Championship in June, there’s a strong possibility that Bradley might be a playing captain. He tied for 30th at Royal Portrush, and a solid finish or two in the FedEx Cup playoffs might solidify his position. He would be the first player-captain since Arnold Palmer in 1963.

Andrew Novak (13th in points), Patrick Cantlay (14th), Sam Burns (15th), Wyndham Clark (16th), Lucas Glover (17th), Daniel Berger (18th), Gotterup (22nd) and others remain in the mix.

Uggetti: Though there’s still plenty to figure out with the U.S. team, it appears that the European team is crystallizing into something quite similar to what it had in Rome.

Though he began the year slowly, Matt Fitzpatrick has picked up his form, totaling four straight finishes inside the top 20, including three inside the top-10 and an impressive T-4 finish at The Open this past week.

“First time being in contention for The Open. It’s a big step forward,” Fitzpatrick said. “I’ve been in contention for two of the four majors this year, which is really nice. Last time I did that was 2022. A lot of good stuff to build on, knowing that my game is there to give it a go.”

If there was any slight doubt that Fitzpatrick would be on the team at Bethpage, he has now quieted it.

The same can likely be said for Robert MacIntyre who was a captain’s pick last Ryder Cup and has now had a second-place finish at the U.S. Open and a T-7 finish at the Open. Currently, MacIntyre would qualify on points as he stands comfortably in second place in the rankings.

Perhaps the only question mark remains with the Hojgaard twins, who both played exceptionally well at Portrush — Nicolai (who did not make the Ryder Cup team in Rome) finished in 14th place while Rasmus (who did make the team last time) finished 16th. Rasmus is seventh in the rankings, just one spot outside of the automatic qualifiers, while Nicolai (25th) probably has some more work to do if he wants to be considered.

“We couldn’t handle each other’s success when we were younger, but we can do that now and support each other and get motivated by each other,” Nicolai said this week. “When you get older, you get slightly more mature.”

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Men’s T&F Opens Season at Diplomat Open

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31 minutes ago

December 7, 2025

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Lancaster, PA (December 6, 2025) – The DeSales University men’s track & field team opened the 2025-26 indoor T&F season competing at the Diplomat Open at Franklin & Marshall College on Friday.

The Bulldogs posted 10 MAC qualfying times/marks in the meet.

Among the qualifying times were junior Bryce Guthier taking second in the 400-meters with a time of 52.08. It is the fifth fastest time in indoor history. Senior Davis Trump also qualified in the 5K with a time of 16:20.32.

In the field events, DSU posted eight qualfying marks. Junior Weston Simak qualified for the MAC Championships in both the long jump (6.52m) and triple jump (13.72m). His triple jump mark was the second best in team history. First-year Luke Heimann also qualfied in the triple jump (11.86m).

Junior Jonathan Castronovo took home first place in the long jump with a mark of 6.58m, the second best long jump in team history.

First-year John Amoretti qualified in the shot put (12.33m), seniors Jonathan Eudja and Giovanni Wellington qualified in the weight throw with marks of 14.85m and 14.23m. First-year Ryan Rodriguez also quallified in the weight throw (11.89m).

The Bulldogs won’t return to action till the New Year at the Blue and Grey Invitational on Jan. 17th.

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Women’s Track & Field Turns in Multiple High Marks to Begin Season at Cornell

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47 minutes ago

December 7, 2025

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RESULTS

ITHACA, N.Y. –

The Ithaca College women’s track & field team opened its 2025-26 season over the weekend as the Bombers made the short trip across town to compete in the Greg Page Relays hosted by Cornell University on December 5-6.

Lola Gitlin posted a time of 10:25.57 in the 3000-meter run to finish third overall.

Rachel Larson was a fourth place finisher with a time of 8.58 seconds in the 60-meter hurdles. That time is currently No. 1 in Division III after the opening weekend of the season.

Aynisha McQuillar took fifth in the 200-meter dash in a time of 26.61 seconds. McQuillar also ran in the 60-meter dash and posted the 11th fastest time in DIII during the prelim with a performance of 7.78 seconds.

Lyla Powers was fifth in the 500-meter dash with a time of 1:21.75.

Lily Seyfert claimed fifth in the shot put with a heave of 12.78 meters, which is currently ninth in the nation.

Bree Boyle and Erin Eastwood each cleared 3.54 meters in the pole vault, which is tied for 11th on the Division III performance list.

Alexis Brown turned in a leap of 11.02 meters in the triple jump for the 17th best mark in the country.

Ithaca is off for the remainder of 2025 and will return to Cornell on January 10 for the Southern Tier Invitational.

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Men’s Track & Field Opens Indoor Season at Cornell Greg Page Relays

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1 hour ago

December 7, 2025

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RESULTS

ITHACA, N.Y. –

The Ithaca College men’s track & field team opened its 2025-26 season over the weekend as the Bombers made the short trip across town to compete in the Greg Page Relays hosted by Cornell University on December 5-6.

Anik Vossschulte claimed third in the 200-meter dash in a time of 23.32 seconds, while Jacob Antilety was seventh at 23.71 seconds.

Matt Lokshin posted a time of 8.65 seconds in the 60-meter hurdles to place third in the event. Aidan Irwin took fourth in the high jump with a mark of 1.70 meters.

Quinten Lewis posted a mark of 13.73 meters in the triple jump to place fourth and Sebastien-Oliver Lacrete was sixth at 12.68 meters, while Evan Cherry secured fifth in the long jump with a leap of 6.84 meters.

IC’s 4×400-meter relay team of Damian Simmonds, Griffin Lupes, Noah McKibben and George Nilson placed sixth in 3:34.49.

Luke Ellor finished sixth in the shot put with a mark of 14.40 meters.

Three Bombers finished within the top eight in the 500-meter dash as Brad Kellogg was sixth in 1:09.73, Peter Tysiak followed in seventh with 1:10.74 and Matthew DeJulio was next at 1:11.59.

Kaiden Chandler and Luke Ferrer posted times of 4:41.29 and 4:53.44 in the mile to finish in seventh and eighth.

Raf Campanile was seventh in the pole vault with a clearance of 4.25 meters.

Ithaca is off for the remainder of 2025 and will return to Cornell on January 10 for the Southern Tier Invitational.

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Women’s track and field athletes win three events at Utica Holiday Classic

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2 hours ago

December 7, 2025

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UTICA, N.Y. – The Hamilton College Continentals competed against 13 teams at the non-team scoring 2025 Utica University Track & Field Holiday Classic inside the Todd & Jenn Hutton Sports and Recreation Center on Saturday, Dec. 6.

The meet was the first of the 2025-26 season for the Hamilton women, who will be back at Utica for the Pioneers’ Winter Opener on Friday, Jan. 16 after taking a break for finals and the winter holiday.

The Continentals qualified for the 2026 All-Atlantic Region Track & Field Conference Indoor Championships in four different events and finished first in three events.

Emily Pogozelski ’26 won the 3,000-meter run by over 20 seconds with a regional-qualifying time of 10:27.93. Mackenzie Loudon ’29, who was competing in her first collegiate meet, took first place and qualified for regionals in the triple jump.

Loudon was also part of Hamilton’s winning 4×200-meter relay with Tatiana McCray ’28, Ava Chiappinelli ’29 and Marley Meyers ’28. Their performance was more than five seconds faster than the regional-qualifying time.

McCray ran a regional-qualifying 7.96 seconds and finished in second place in the 60-meter dash final. Chiappinelli also qualified for regionals in her first collegiate meet and finished right behind McCray with a time of 7.99 seconds.

TOP PERFORMANCES

300-Meter Dash (17 Runners)

4. Marley Meyers ’28, 43.08

7. Hannah Turner ’26, 43.91

60-Meter Dash (35 Runners)

2. Tatiana McCray ’28, 7.96 (PR, AARTFC)

3. Ava Chiappinelli ’29, 7.99 (AARTFC)

600-Meter Dash (16 Runners)

5. Aisha Kandji ’29, 1:47.31

4×200 Meter Relay (9 Teams)

1. McCray ’28, Mackenzie Loudon ’29, Chiappinelli ’29, Meyers ’28 (1:46.42, AARTFC)

3000-Meter Run (19 Runners)

1. Emily Pogozelski ’26, 10:27.93 (PR, AARTFC)

Triple Jump (15 Athletes)

1. Loudon, 11.29 meters (37 feet, 0.5 inches; AARTFC)

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Volleyball Advances to Program’s First Sweet Sixteen, Sweeps Florida Saturday

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2 hours ago

December 7, 2025

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DALLAS (SMU) – For the first time in program history, SMU volleyball is headed to the Sweet Sixteen after sweeping Florida (16-12) in the Round of 32 on Saturday with set scores of 25-11, 25-21, 26-24.

With the win, SMU won its 27th match of the season, tying the program record for single-season wins. It also gave coach Sam Erger her 100th victory at SMU and in her Division I head coaching career.

Averi Carlson dished out 38 assists, the most in a three-setter for the senior setter this season. Carlson led the Mustangs to a .370 hitting percentage in the win. Kennedi Rogers went for 14 kills, hitting .440, with four digs and three blocks. Malaya Jones closely trailed Rogers with 13 kills, eight digs and seven blocks, tying her career high.

SMU out-blocked the Gators 15-4, spearheaded by a career-high nine blocks from freshman Maggie Croft. The Mustangs’ blocking efforts helped hold the Gators to a .156 hitting percentage for the match.

MATCH NOTES

With 13 kills against Florida, Jones (503) is now the second player in SMU Volleyball history to reach 500 kills in a season. She joins Rachel Giubilato, who notched 568 kills in 2006.

Averi Carlson (1,341) moved to third in the rally scoring era and sixth all-time for single-season assists at SMU.

Jones reached the double-digit kill mark for the 26th time this season and for the ninth straight match.

Rogers recorded double-digit kills for the sixth time this season.

It marked Schilling’s 22nd time in double-figures this season and her fifth straight.

With six blocks against the Gators, Anyanwu draws within 14 of breaking the program record for most blocks in a season. (188 by Janelle Giordano in 2015)

SMU had double-digit blocks (15) for the 17th time this season and for the second straight match.

SMU has won 20 of its last 21 matches and its 12th straight.

The Mustangs end the 2025 season with 15 wins at Moody Coliseum, tying the program record for most in a season.

The win marks the Mustangs’ 15th sweep, 11th at home this season.

HOW IT HAPPENED:

SMU controlled the first set from start to finish in all phases of the game. SMU hit .483 with no errors on 29 swings in the first, while holding Florida to a .000 hitting percentage. Rogers put in five kills to lead the Mustangs, who got point production from six different players to help propel them to a 25-11 set one victory. SMU commanded the net with a 5-0 advantage in blocks.

Down four (16-12) in the second frame, SMU responded with five straight points on a run that included two aces from Madison Scheer. After trading points, SMU went on a 4-0 run to pull away in the frame. The Mustangs went on to win the frame 25-21.

Tied 20-20 entering the red zone of the third set, SMU got the first two points on an ace from Carlson and a block from the freshman tandem of Rogers and Croft. Despite a 3-1 run by Florida that put the Gators at set point first, the Mustangs responded with three straight to close the match, ending the frame with their sixth block of the set to win 26-24.

SMU LEADERS:

SMU Kills Leader: Kennedi Rogers (14)

SMU Assists Leader: Averi Carlson (38)

SMU Digs Leader: Jordyn Schilling (11)

SMU Blocks Leader: Maggie Croft (9)

SMU Ace Leader: Madison Scheer (2)

SMU Points Leader: Malaya Jones (17.5)



Up Next: SMU will get a rematch with No. 3 seed Purdue in the NCAA Regional Semifinal on Thursday evening in Pittsburgh, Pa.

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Trans volleyball player Blaire Fleming hits back at claim about female teammate’s eating disorder

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2 hours ago

December 7, 2025

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Transgender college volleyball player Blaire Fleming has hit back at claims that she triggered her teammate’s eating disorder due to emotional distress — and said that she doesn’t “feel bad for her.”

Fleming, 23, was at the center of a scandal last year involving Brooke Slusser, who filed multiple lawsuits against her San Jose State University (SJSU) teammate after discovering that she was transgender.

Slusser alleged that the panic and stress from that period of her life led her to develop an eating disorder, leading to anorexia so severe that her menstrual cycle stopped for nine months.

The pair had previously shared hotel rooms and changing spaces for a whole season in 2023 before Slusser said she found out that Fleming, who is biologically male but reportedly started medically transitioning at 14, was trans.

“From the stress and how anxious I was every single day, I just wasn’t eating really at all,” Slusser told Fox News Digital last week.

“I went from around 160 to 128 [lbs] in that one semester. It definitely isn’t healthy for someone of my size to be that weight, and I ended up losing my menstrual cycle for nine months. So it was definitely severe,” she said.

Slusser later dropped her classes in the final semester this past spring, citing constant in-person harassment by students who opposed her stance.

Fleming has since responded, claiming that Slusser’s eating disorder dated back for as long as she knew her, prior to her learning that she was trans.

“She’s been anorexic and struggled with food since I’ve known her aka since 2023. She literally would weigh herself 2-3x a day and keep track of it on her whiteboard in her room,” Fleming told Fox News Digital on Sunday.

“So I really don’t care or feel bad for her. And she didn’t drop her classes, she failed out, hope that helps!” Fleming said.

Slusser has now come back and disputed Fleming’s allegations.

“These statements are just not true. I have always lived a very healthy lifestyle. Before these events took place I was very disciplined in fueling myself for athletics and [kept] track to make sure I was where I need to be to be the best athlete,” Slusser told Fox News Digital.

“It wasn’t until all the craziness started that my healthy lifestyle turned very unhealthy into not eating the amount I should,” Slusser said.

“As for school, I decided to stay home after fall 2024 to better myself and heal. So no, I did not return to San Jose and enroll myself in more courses at an institution that didn’t have my best interest,” she added.

Slusser alleged that she was never told Fleming’s birth sex and said the two regularly shared hotel rooms on away trips, according to her lawsuits filed against the NCAA and Mountain West Conference.

Fleming allegedly requested to be roomed with Slusser, a request she said was granted by team leadership, according to lawsuits.

Slusser said that the 6ft1 Fleming confessed to being transgender during a conversation over ice cream with another teammate in April 2024.

In September 2024, Slusser joined swimmer Riley Gaines’ lawsuit against the NCAA.

At the same time, SJSU’s volleyball team saw a series of forfeits by opposing teams, with police protection regularly assigned.

The US Department of Education is currently investigating SJSU for potential Title IX violations.

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