Scottie Schefflers putting lets him down as bid for British Open repeat falls just short

SOUTHPORT, England — Scottie Scheffler hung around the leaderboard all week, lurking in his effort to defend his British Open title.And in the end, he fell just three shots short.Scheffler, who has won just once this year after winning 13 times in 2024-25, made a Sunday run, getting himself to within a couple shots of the lead.But his putter, as it did all week, continued to let him down.

He shot a 3-under-par 67 to finish 7 under for the week, tied for fourth.“Today was a great effort,’’ Scheffler said afterward.“I felt like I was doing the right things out there.

I gave myself a lot of looks again today.I guess it just wasn’t my week.

That stuff hurts.“I was very proud of how I played this week when I felt like things weren’t going my way.It was, mentally for me, a really, really good week.’’Rory McIlroy’s Open week never really got going, and it ended in a rather fitting way with a 1-over-par 71 final round to finish well out of it at 1 under par for the week.“I [was] just sort of stuck in neutral for most of the week,’’ McIlroy said after the round.

“Even par over the weekend is not going to get it done.I just felt like any time I got a little bit of momentum out there, I seemed to make a bogey.

Just one of those weeks I couldn’t get it going.’’In the end, McIlroy’s week will be known most for his verbal takedown of Bryson DeChambeau on Saturday.McIlroy was asked if he’d like to see DeChambeau play the Irish Open, which will be played in September at Doonbeg, which is owned by President Trump, with whom DeChambeau is close.“Having someone like Bryson at the Irish Open, yeah, it would be great for the tournament,’’ he said.Tommy Fleetwood, the Southport native who was lifted by the adulation of the local crowds all week, did what he’d hoped to do early in his final round Sunday: get off to a good start.He was 3 under par in his round through eight holes and got to 8 under for the tournament, just two shots off ...