Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland looks at his putt on the 7th green during the second round of the British Open golf championship at the Royal Portrush Golf Club, Northern Ireland, Friday, July 18, 2025. (AP Photo/Francisco Seco)

Tyrrell Hatton of England chips onto the 7th green during the second round of the British Open golf championship at the Royal Portrush Golf Club, Northern Ireland, Friday, July 18, 2025. (AP Photo/Francisco Seco)

Brian Harman of the United States chips onto the 16th green during the second round of the British Open golf championship at the Royal Portrush Golf Club, Northern Ireland, Friday, July 18, 2025. (AP Photo/Jon Super)

Brian Harman of the United States acknowledges the crowd after making a birdie putt on the 18th green during the second round of the British Open golf championship at the Royal Portrush Golf Club, Northern Ireland, Friday, July 18, 2025. (AP Photo/Jon Super)

Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland chips onto the 7th green during the second round of the British Open golf championship at the Royal Portrush Golf Club, Northern Ireland, Friday, July 18, 2025. (AP Photo/Francisco Seco)

Haotong Li of China plays from the rough on the 12th hole during the second round of the British Open golf championship at the Royal Portrush Golf Club, Northern Ireland, Friday, July 18, 2025. (AP Photo/Francisco Seco)

J.J. Spaun of the United States play his tee shot on the 16th during the second round of the British Open golf championship at the Royal Portrush Golf Club, Northern Ireland, Friday, July 18, 2025. (AP Photo/Jon Super)

Scottie Scheffler of the United States plays out of the rough on the 17th hole during the second round of the British Open golf championship at the Royal Portrush Golf Club, Northern Ireland, Friday, July 18, 2025. (AP Photo/Jon Super)

By DOUG FERGUSON | AP Golf Writer

PORTRUSH, Northern Ireland — Scottie Scheffler had no idea what was coming his way Friday in the British Open. He warmed up in a short-sleeved shirt. The umbrella was out when he walked off the first green.

For the thousands at Royal Portrush watching him, they knew exactly what to expect from the world’s top-ranked player, and Scheffler delivered another relentless performance. Three straight birdies to close the gap. Two more at the end to take the lead.

Scheffler had a 15-foot putt that was one turn away from dropping for a final birdie. He happily settled for a 7-under 64, his lowest round in a major, to take a one-shot lead over former U.S. Open champion Matt Fitzpatrick of England.

It was his lowest round in a major, yes, but there was a normalcy about it, too. Scheffler has been doing this for three years now and there is little left to say. Even when Sky Sports showed a list of his key statistics – driving accuracy down, greens in regulation great – that elicited little more than a shrug.

The statistics led to a shrug.

“Overall, I’m hitting the ball solid,” Scheffler said. “The tournament is only halfway done. I got off to a good start.”

Scheffler made eight birdies on another wild afternoon of weather, putting him at 10-under 132 as he chases the third leg of the career Grand Slam.

Fitzpatrick was equally dynamic when he began the back nine with four straight birdies, only to miss a 5-foot par putt on the 14th to slow his momentum, and a 3-foot birdie putt on the 17th hole that was mildly irritating. He shot 66.

“I felt like every facet of my game was on today and I felt like I really played solid,” Fitzpatrick said. “To take advantage of the opportunities I had out there was obviously really positive.”

Brian Harman got the best of the weather – surprising sunshine – and took dead aim in his hunt for another claret jug. Harman played bogey-free for a 65 that left him only two shots behind, along with Li Haotong of China, who had a 67.

Everyone else was five shots behind or more.

That includes Rory McIlroy, who went around Royal Portrush in his native Northern Ireland with plenty of cheers but only a few roars. McIlroy had a 69 but lost a lot of ground because of Scheffler, Fitzpatrick and Harman.

McIlroy started the second round just three shots behind. He goes into the weekend seven shots behind the top-ranked player in the world.

“I’ve been somewhat close to my best over the first two days in little bits here and there,” McIlroy said. “I’m going to need to have it all under control and have it sort of all firing over the weekend to make a run.”

Fitzpatrick was at his lowest point just four months ago when he changed his caddie and coach and began pulling himself up. And now he takes that into the weekend against Scheffler.

“He’s going to have the expectation to go out and dominate. He’s an exceptional player. He’s world No. 1, and we’re seeing Tiger-like stuff,” Fitzpatrick said. “I think the pressure is for him to win the golf tournament. For me, obviously, I hope I’m going to have some more home support than him, but it’s an exciting position for me to be in given where I was earlier this year.”

Scheffler spent 20 minutes after his round going over video with Shane Lowry over Lowry’s ball moving a fraction in the rough on No. 12, which led to a two-shot penalty. Lowry wasn’t sure he caused his ball to move, but he said he would rather take the penalty to avoid even the slightest suspicion.

His attention turned to Scheffler when someone suggested he had been on the fringes of contention before the penalty.

“Eight shots behind Scottie Scheffler isn’t in the fringes of contention the way he’s playing,” Lowry said.

Scheffler was sharp from the start. He hit eight of the 14 fairways – compared with three in the opening round – though his misses never left him too badly out of position. But he is seeing the breaks on smoother Portrush greens, and he looks confident as ever.

None of his eight birdies were closer than 7 feet. Five of them were in the 10-foot range and then he threw in a 35-foot birdie on the sixth. His lone bogey came on a drive into deep grass on the 11th that kept him from reaching the green.

Harman was called the “Butcher of Hoylake” when he won the claret jug at Royal Liverpool two years ago because the British press was fascinated by the Georgia native’s love for hunting. Now it’s about his golf, and it was superb.

Harman played bogey-free, only once having to stress for par as Royal Portrush allowed for some good scoring in surprisingly good weather in the morning.

“They’re very different golf courses, but the golf is similar,” Harman said. “You’ve got to be able to flight your golf ball. You’ve got to know how far everything’s going. Then you can’t get frustrated. You’re going to end up in funny spots where it doesn’t seem fair, and you just have to kind of outlast that stuff.”

The group at 5-under 137 included Harris English (70), Harman’s former teammate at Georgia; Tyrrell Hatton of England (69) and Chris Gotterup (65), who wasn’t even planning to be at Royal Portrush until winning the Scottish Open last week.

Also still around is Bryson DeChambeau, who made a 13-shot improvement from the first round with a 65. Still, he was 11 shots behind.

McIlroy wasn’t at his best in the opening round and was pleased to be only three behind. Now he has a real mountain to climb. But at least he’s still playing, unlike in 2019 at Royal Portrush when he shot 79 and then had a terrific rally only to miss the cut by one shot.

“I didn’t have this opportunity six years ago, so to play an extra two days in this atmosphere in front of these crowds, I’m very excited for that,” McIlroy said. “I feel like my game’s definitely good enough to make a run.”

That was before Scheffler began to run away from so many except a small collection of challengers. But this is links golf. And this is the Emerald Isle, where the weather seems to have a mind of its own.

Still, Scheffler has gone 10 tournaments without finishing out of the top 10 and would appear to present a challenge every bit as daunting as Royal Portrush.

DeCHAMBEAU IMPROVES BY 13 SHOTS

Bryson DeChambeau left the windswept links at Royal Portrush somewhat bashed up after a tough first round and said to himself: “I want to go home.”

The American woke on Friday with a different mindset.

“I said, ‘You know what, I can’t give up,’” said DeChambeau, who has a popular YouTube channel and is one of the biggest draws in golf. “My dad always told me never to give up, just got to keep going, and that’s what I did today.”

Rebounding from an opening 7-over 78, the 15th-ranked DeChambeau shot 6-under 65 in the second round – tied for the second lowest of the day – and made the weekend.

The two-time U.S. Open champion didn’t even feel he played that much better than on Thursday. The putts just dropped this time.

“There wasn’t much different,” he said. “That’s why links golf is the way links golf is.”

DeChambeau made the cut on the number at 1 over. Eleven strokes adrift of Scheffler, he has little hope of lifting the claret jug for the first time.

Other high-profile players have no hope at all.

KOEPKA, MORIKAWA HEADING HOME

Brooks Koepka, another LIV Golf star in search of points to make the U.S. Ryder Cup team, was headed home after a round of 74 that left him on 7 over. The five-time major champion missed the cut at three of the four majors this year, finishing 12th in the other at the U.S. Open.

Cameron Smith, the 2022 British Open winner at St. Andrews and another LIV player, failed to make the weekend at a fifth straight major after rounds of 72 and 78.

It’s three straight missed cuts at majors for 20th-ranked Patrick Cantlay, who shot 73-72.

The highest-ranked player to leave Royal Portrush early was No. 6 Collin Morikawa (75-74), the 2021 champion from Royal St. George’s.

IRISH FAREWELLS

Padraig Harrington, a two-time Open champion from Ireland, was given the honor of hitting the first tee shot at this British Open and was given warm ovations everywhere he went on the Dunluce Lunks.

He won’t be getting anymore after a 76 left him on 9 over.

Other players from Ireland to miss the cut were a veteran – 2011 champion Darren Clarke (75-73) – and a youngster – Tom McKibbin (72-73).

SCHAUFFELE’S STREAK

Xander Schauffele shot 69 and made the cut for the 15th straight major, the longest active streak in men’s golf. Yet, at 2-under par, his chances of winning the claret jug in back-to-back years were slim.

Former No. 1 Dustin Johnson kept a career streak going of never missing the cut at all four majors in the same year – but only just.

Johnson teed off at No. 18 on the number at 1-over par. He hit the flagstick with his second shot, and the ball settled a foot away from cup for a birdie and a 69.

Three players in their 50s will play the weekend: Lee Westwood, Phil Mickelson and 1997 champion Justin Leonard. For Leonard, it is his first cut since 2013 – the year Mickelson won the claret jug at Muirfield.

AP sports writer Steve Douglas contributed to this story.

PORTRUSH, Northern Ireland — Sunlight streaked through a few low-hanging clouds when Padraig Harrington opened the British Open with a piercing 3-iron into the wind. Darkness began covering Royal Portrush nearly 16 hours later Thursday night when the final group trudged off the 18th green.

One of the longest days was also among the more fickle in the 165 years of this major.

Five players from five countries tied for the lead at 4-under-par 67, the biggest logjam in this championship since 1938. There was sun and there was rain, a wee breeze and big gusts, and the Open wasn’t even three hours old.

The one predictable part Thursday: Scottie Scheffler right in the mix.

And what make the massive throng at Royal Portrush tolerate rounds that approached six hours was seeing their favorite son, Rory McIlroy, birdie the 17th to recover from a bad patch on the back nine and join the 31 players who broke par.

Former U.S. Open champion Matt Fitzpatrick of England handled the notorious “Calamity Corner” par-3 16th by chipping in for birdie. Harris English, the unflappable American whose longtime caddie couldn’t get a travel visa for the UK because of prison time served 20 years ago, put his short-game coach on the bag and made seven birdies.

They were joined by Li Haotong of China, Christiaan Bezuidenhout of South Africa and Jacob Skov Olesen of Denmark.

One shot behind was Scheffler, the world’s top-ranked player who has not finished out of the top 10 in the last four months, a stretch that includes another major among three wins.

McIlroy made bogey on the opening hole with an entire country behind him – that was still three shots better than his start in 2019 – and overcame three bogeys in a four-hole stretch with a key birdie on No. 17 that allowed him to break par at 70.

“Certainly dealt with it better than I did six years ago,” said McIlroy, who hit only two fairways. “I was just happy to get off to a good start and get myself into the tournament.”

Scheffler only hit three fairways in his round of 68.

It’s not that golf’s best were necessary wild off the tee. There was that small matter of weather, often the greatest defense of links golf, which brought the occasional rain, the constant wind and rounds that nearly last six hours.

That’s why Scheffler seemed perplexed about so much attention on his accuracy off the tee.

“You’re the second guy that’s mentioned that to me,” Scheffler said. “I actually thought I drove it pretty good. I don’t know what you guys are seeing. When it’s raining sideways, believe it or not (it’s) not that easy to get the ball in the fairway.

“Really only had one swing I wasn’t too happy with on the second hole,” he said. “But outside that, I felt like I hit a lot of good tee shots, hit the ball really solid, so definitely a good bit of confidence for the next couple of rounds.”

There also was his 4-iron to 3 feet on the 16th for birdie, the start of birdie-birdie-par finish.

But no one could go extremely low.

Olesen, the British Amateur champion last year, was the first player to get to 5 under until a bogey at the last. Bezuidenhout was the only player from the afternoon wave to join the crowd at the top.

Fitzpatrick reached a low point in his game at The Players Championship and appears to be back on track, particularly with what he called a well-rounded game in tough conditions on these links. He is coming off a tie for fourth last week in the Scottish Open.

The chip-in was his highlight, from well below the green to the right, into the cup on the fly.

“A bit of luck, obviously,” Fitzpatrick said. “Sometimes you need that. It just came out a little bit harder than I anticipated and on the perfect line.”

Li might have had the most impressive round, keeping bogeys off his card, by holing a 10-foot par putt on the final hole.

Another bogey-free round belonged to 44-year-old Justin Rose, in the group at 69 that included 52-year-old Lee Westwood, former Open champion Brian Harman and Lucas Glover, who was tied for the lead until a pair of bogeys early on the back nine.

Harris walked along with Ramon Bescansa, a former player, occasional caddie and mostly known for teaching putt and chipping.

Eric Larson, who has caddied for English the last eight years, was denied a new travel visa required for the UK. Among the red flags is anyone serving more than 12 months in prison. Larson served 10 years for conspiracy to distribute cocaine, a case of knowing friends in the Midwest who wanted it and people in south Florida who had it.

Bescansa caddies for Abraham Ancer on LIV Golf, who didn’t qualify for the Open. English is in a crucial stretch of the season as he tries to make the Ryder Cup team. The lanky Georgian isn’t bothered by much, and he’s handled the disruption with ease.

The golf has been pretty steady, too

“Was looking forward to coming to this week, and immediately after playing the course, I really liked it,” said English, who didn’t qualify for the Open when it was at Portrush in 2019. “I loved how it frames the tee shots and you get to see a lot more trouble than you would on a normal links course.”

For everyone, the hardest part was staying dressed for the occasion. There were sweaters and then rain suits, and some finished their round in short-sleeved shirts. This is what is meant by “mixed” conditions in the forecast.

Defending champion Xander Schauffele had a mixture of birdies and bogeys that added to an even-par 71. Shane Lowry, the last Open champion at Royal Portrush in 2019, had the nerves of someone hitting the opening tee shot. He handled that beautifully, along with most other shots in the worst of the weather in his round of 70.

And this might just be the start.

“We’re going to get challenging conditions over the next few days,” Lowry said. “Today, for example, the 11th hole was like the worst hole to get the weather we got in. … I think there’s going to be certain times in the tournament where that’s going to happen, and you just need to kind of put your head down and battle through it and see where it leaves you.”

Padraig Harrington, a two-time Open champion, had the honor of the opening tee shot for the 153rd edition of this championship. He made birdie. And then he shot 74.

‘OLDER GENTLEMEN’ START STRONG

Phil Mickelson delivered more magic Thursday, leaving one shot in a bunker and holing the next one from 75 feet away for an unlikely par. He tipped his cap. He gave a thumbs-up to the crowd.

It looked like the Mickelson of old, especially with all that gray stubble in his beard.

Mickelson, who opened with a 1-under 70, already holds the major championship record for oldest winner, capturing the 2021 PGA Championship at Kiawah Island when he was 50.

Now he’s at the oldest championship in golf, the one that least discriminates against age. The Open is where 53-year-old Greg Norman had the lead going into the final round at Royal Birkdale in 2008, and more famously where 59-year-old Tom Watson was an 8-foot putt away from winning at Turnberry in 2009.

Mickelson, 55, was among three players 50 or older who broke par in the opening round, joining 53-year-old Justin Leonard (70) and the 52-year-old Westwood (69).

“The Open gives the older gentlemen a chance to win more than any other tournament,” Westwood said after a day in which he was tied for the lead early in the round until a few bogeys dropped him back.

Westwood is playing the British Open for the first time since he joined Saudi-funded LIV Golf in 2022, going through final regional qualifying three weeks ago to earn a spot in the field.

He has yet to win in LIV Golf and his results would suggest he is riding out the rest of his career. And then he showed up at the major he first played in 1995 – Scheffler was not even born then – and found some form.

Links golf helps.

“There’s not the premium on carrying traps. They don’t make it unplayable for us older guys with length,” Westwood said. “You can use your experience, guile and cunning on them.”

Westwood tripped over his words on the Sky Sports interview and then added, “Not easy to say, but easy to use at our age.”

Mickelson, who has not won since that historic day at Kiawah Island, had missed the cut in all three majors this year. He still has five more years playing the British Open as a champion at Muirfield in 2013.

He started strong with a deft touch with his wedge to easy birdie range on the par-5 second, but the real Lefty showed up on the next hole when he put his tee shot into a bunker, plugged and not far from the steep lip.

The first attempt barely got out, rolling on the edge of grass before tumbling back into the bunker. It looked like a bogey at best. But then he splashed out, carrying it some 25 yards and about 10 feet to the left, and the shot had enough side spin to drop into the cup.

He raised both arms. Mickelson loves moments like these, and he’s had plenty of them.

“That was a crazy one,” Mickelson said. “It was really one of maybe two poor shots I hit, that bunker shot that buried in the lip. And then to make it was obviously a lot of luck. I was just trying to save bogey, and I got lucky it went in.”

And then his name stayed on the leaderboard the rest of the morning – a birdie on the par-5 seventh, a couple of bogeys on the back nine, a 20-foot birdie on the 17th hole.

Mickelson had gone 21 consecutive rounds in a major without breaking par until Thursday. Sure, he had the advantage of missing the rain for all but the last couple of holes. But it was good golf. It’s still there.

“I played really well, and I had an opportunity,” he said. “I really enjoy playing these conditions and playing this tournament. It’s just a lot of fun.”

Not all of the 50-and-older gang had the best of times.

Padraig Harrington, coming off his win in the U.S. Senior Open, had the honor and thrill of hitting the opening tee shot. He made birdie on the first hole. That was the highlight on his card when he signed for a 74.

“I got a little emotional when I was clapped on, and then I calmed down, and I was kind of fine when I was hitting it,” Harrington said.

He three-putted two straight holes and had a lost ball on No. 10. It was an otherwise forgettable day, except for the unforgettable start of hitting the first shot.

“Yeah, it was a tough day on the greens, and it just ate into my game,” he said. “Might have been a little bit of the fact that I was hyped up for the first tee box. Who knows? Certainly felt like I played better, could have played better, should have played better.”

Kennett’s career in golf spanned more than five decades, earning him a place among the most revered figures in the Southern California golf community.

His journey began at Santa Anita Golf Course as a caddie, where his early passion for the sport flourished. After serving in the U.S. Marine Corps and winning the 1950 Southern California Intercollegiate Championship while at USC, he turned professional in 1953.

Kennett made a lasting impact on the Southern California PGA, both as a skilled competitor and a devoted mentor. He served as head professional at San Gabriel Country Club, Los Verdes Golf Club, and Lakewood Country Club, helping shape generations of golfers.

The starting point for Kennett’s contributions to junior golf was when he met fellow Southern California Professional Golfers’ Association Hall of Famer Paul Runyan, who invited him to team up and offer kids free golf lessons.

A love for inspiring the youth was born, and from it came one of Kennett’s lasting contributions to the sport.

In 1955, he founded the Len Kennett Junior Golf Championship, a free annual event that became a cherished tradition for young players across the region. Through his reach in the tournament, he became a well-respected mentor and teacher of the game in the area.

“He was a world-class golf professional,” longtime friend Jorge Badel said in an email. “He was laser-focused on improving your life through the game, be it free lessons for juniors, fitting you for golf equipment, golf tournaments for all, kids, women, seniors, professionals, or novices. He didn’t characterize or judge; you mattered, period.”

He’s a member of the SCPGA Hall of Fame and Long Beach Golf Hall of Fame as well.

His impact was further felt through his company, “People to People”—a U.S. government-sanctioned program promoting goodwill through golf. Kennett and his wife, Marie, hosted and led golf trips around the planet, with the goal of connecting people through the sport. They traveled to over 40 different countries.

“For those of us who were fortunate to work for him, Len gathered us under his umbrella, he pushed us, nurtured us, trained us, loved us, shaped us, humbled us, promoted us, and pushed us some more,” Badel said. “He helped us understand our potential, how to go beyond what we thought possible, and how to think about always raising the bar.”

The R&A is expecting 278,000 spectators for the week at the British Open, which would be the second-largest crowd in the 165-year history of the championship.

Irish eyes will be on Rory McIlroy, the Masters champion and latest to win the career Grand Slam. He is embracing the expectation, unlike in 2019 when McIlroy was so emotional at the reception that he hit his first shot out of bounds and shot 79.

This is the final major of the year, and the most unusual of the four majors because of links golf, where funny bounces and pot bunkers and fickle weather can determine the winner.

Here’s what you need to know going into the British Open:

When is the British Open?

The first round begins Thursday and players in groups of three all start on the first hole. Daylight is not an issue at the British Open because it doesn’t get dark until about 10:30 p.m. The last group won’t even tee off until a little after 4 p.m.

How can I watch the British Open?

There is wall-to-wall coverage, along with an eight-hour time difference between Northern Ireland and the West Coast of the U.S. It will start at 10:30 p.m. PDT Wednesday on the Peacock streaming service, and then USA Network picks up coverage from 1 a.m. until 12:30 p.m.

The Open concludes at noon Saturday and 11 a.m. Sunday, both on NBC.

Who are the betting favorites?

Scottie Scheffler has been the favorite at every major this year, and the British Open is no exception. BetMGM Sportsbook lists Scheffler at +550, slightly ahead of home favorite Rory McIlroy at +700. They are Nos. 1 and 2 in the world.

Jon Rahm is next at +1100, followed by defending champion Xander Schauffele (+2000) and Tommy Fleetwood of England (+2200). Bryson DeChambeau, who has a poor Open record, is listed at +2500.

The British Open is the only major where Scheffler has not had a serious chance at winning on the back nine on Sunday. But he hasn’t finished out of the top 10 since late March.

What are the tee times?

Padraig Harrington, a two-time British Open winner from Ireland, will hit the first tee shot at 6:35 a.m. local time Thursday (10:35 p.m. PDT Wednesday) .

Scottie Scheffler goes out at 7:09 a.m. in the same group as Shane Lowry, the winner at Royal Portrush in 2019, and Rory McIlroy is among the later starters at 12:10 p.m.

Starting times are more important than at any other major because the British Open features 15 hours of golf in the opening rounds, and there’s never any telling what the weather will do.

Players look at their starting times. And then they check the weather. There have been times when someone gets the worst of the weather Thursday and Friday. Lowry got the best of the weather when he won six years ago.

What’s the forecast?

Mixed. That’s the term often used in these parts to indicate a little bit of everything, and sometimes that can be in one day.

Practice on Monday temporarily was suspended because of thunderstorms. There was some rain Tuesday, some sunshine Wednesday, but the forecast is showers and even more thunder Thursday. There will be wind, too. This is normal.

What’s at stake?

The winner gets a silver claret jug, the oldest trophy in golf. As part of a new tradition, Xander Schauffele had to return the jug to the R&A on Monday in a short ceremony. Then he has four days to win it back.

The winner also gets introduced as the “champion golfer of the year,” another tradition. He also will get a five-year exemption to the other three majors, an exemption into the British Open until age 55 (past winners could play until 60) and a five-year exemption on the PGA Tour.

Who are the players to watch?

Scottie Scheffler is No. 1 in the world and usually in contention no matter how he is playing. But this is the British Open, and this is Northern Ireland, so this week starts with Rory McIlroy. There is pressure to perform, but he also is relieved of the burden from having not won a major in 11 years. He took care of that by winning the Masters and bringing home that green jacket.

If Scheffler were to win, he would go to the U.S. Open next year for a chance at the Grand Slam.

Schauffele is trying to become the first repeat winner since Padraig Harrington in 2007 and 2008. But the Californian was slowed by a rib injury early in the year and still hasn’t won yet.

British hopes lies with the likes of Tommy Fleetwood and Tyrrell Hatton, while Jon Rahm of Spain can also get within one leg of the Grand Slam with a British Open title.

Why is it the British Open when it’s being played on the island of Ireland?

Royal Portrush is in Northern Ireland, which is part of the United Kingdom. The official title is The Open Championship or simply The Open. The Associated Press, along with several U.S. newspapers, have referred it to as the British Open for more than 100 years to distinguish it from other national opens like the U.S. Open and Australian Open.

The R&A once referred to it as the “British Open” in official films in the 1950s.

PORTRUSH, Northern Ireland — Scottie Scheffler has won more tournaments and majors than anyone over the last three years. He is the top-ranked player in the world and no one is close to him. Nothing would mean more to him than leaving Royal Portrush with the silver claret jug.

And then?

That’s where golf gets a little complicated for Scheffler, who loves his job and all the work it entails, but who found himself searching Tuesday for what it all means.

He delivered an amazing soliloquy ahead of the British Open about fulfillment. The short answer: It’s not the two Masters green jackets, the Wanamaker Trophy he won at the PGA Championship, the three Jack Nicklaus Awards as PGA Tour Player of the Year or the FedEx Cup.

“Is it great to be able to win tournaments and to accomplish the things I have in the game of golf? Yeah, it brings tears to my eyes just to think about because I’ve literally worked my entire life to be good at this sport,” Scheffler said.

“But at the end of the day, I’m not out here to inspire the next generation of golfers,” he said. “I’m not out here to inspire someone to be the best player in the world because what’s the point? This is not a fulfilling life. It’s fulfilling from the sense of accomplishment, but it’s not fulfilling from a sense of the deepest places of your heart.”

His comments came in a year when Rory McIlroy fulfilled his life dream of winning the Masters, which gave him the career Grand Slam. McIlroy spoke last month about growing weary of being asked about his next set of goals, the next mountain he wants to climb.

“I probably just didn’t give myself enough time to let it all sink in. But that’s the nature of professional golf,” McIlroy said. “They do a very good job of keeping you on the hamster wheel, and you feel like it’s hard to get off at times.”

This is where Scheffler might be different. He seems to enjoy the hamster wheel. There is no next mountain to find because he’s busy scaling the one he is on.

He loves the chase. He wants the prize. He finds satisfaction in putting in the work. The thrill comes from competition. Scheffler also hates losing, no matter what’s at stake.

“Scottie don’t play games when he’s playing games,” said his caddie, Ted Scott.

They played a match at Cypress Point this year. It was Scheffler’s fourth day swinging a club since puncturing his right hand with a wine glass in a freak accident while making ravioli.

Scheffler gave him 10 shots, and the countdown began.

Scott hit his approach into 5 feet and was feeling good about his chances, right up until Scheffler’s shot spun back and hit his caddie’s golf ball. They both made birdie. Scheffler won the next hole and said loud enough for Scott to hear, “Nine.”

He won the next hole with a par and said even louder, “EIGHT.”

“He was 6 under through six,” Scott said. “I gave him the $100 and said: ‘Don’t say anything else. I want to enjoy my day.’”

This is what drives Scheffler – winning the Masters, winning a bet with his caddie, winning anything. He has won 19 times since his first title at the 2022 Phoenix Open. Strictly by his math, that would be 38 minutes worth of celebrating.

“Sometimes the feeling only lasts about two minutes,” he said. “It’s pretty exciting and fun, but it just doesn’t last that long.”

So where does fulfillment come from if it’s not winning?

Scheffler is grounded in his faith, in a simple family life with a wife he has been with since high school, a 15-month-old son, three sisters and friends that are not part of the tour community.

“I love the challenge. I love being able to play this game for a living. It’s one of the greatest joys of my life,” he said. “But does it fill the deepest wants and desires of my heart? Absolutely not.”

He often says golf doesn’t define him as a person, and he said if it reached a point where the sport ever affected life at home, “that’s going to be the last day that I play out here for a living.”

He’s had moments of appreciation, for sure.

There was one moment last summer when his wife, Meredith, was in the living room and he was in his office. He walked out with the Masters green jacket and the plaid jacket from winning Hilton Head. He had The Players Championship trophy in one hand and another trophy in his other hand.

“Wassup, Mere,” he said to his wife.

Scheffler laughed telling the story. He’s not sure why he did it, except it was fun. And then it was back to work. There’s always the next tournament.

“There’s a lot of people that make it to what they thought was going to fulfill them in life, and you get there – you get to No. 1 in the world – and they’re like, ‘What’s the point?’ I really do believe that because what is the point? Why do I want to win this tournament so bad? That’s something that I wrestle with on a daily basis.

“It’s like showing up at the Masters every year. Why do I want to win this golf tournament so badly? Why do I want to win The Open Championship so badly? I don’t know,” he said. “Because, if I win, it’s going to be awesome for two minutes.

“Then we’re going to get to the next week.”

Xander Schauffele spent time with him at the Olympics last summer. Schauffele won two majors last year, including the claret jug. What they have in common is not lingering on laurels.

“That’s why he’s been No. 1 and hasn’t even sniffed looking backwards,” Schauffele said. “If he was sitting there looking at all his trophies every day, I’m sure he’d still be playing great golf, but I don’t think he’s that guy.”

PORTRUSH, Northern Ireland — Rory McIlroy practically had Royal Portrush all to himself Monday morning, but not for long. By the time he finished his first practice round for the British Open – his first time back on these links in 2,187 days – there was a big crowd that weathered rain and sunshine to see him finish.

The circumstances are far different now.

McIlroy remembers being ill-prepared for the wave of emotions that hit him on the first tee in 2019. He has tried to forget the opening tee shot that sailed out-of-bounds and led to a quadruple bogey. And there was thunderous support for him on that Friday when he made a furious rally only to miss the cut by one shot.

On Monday, he walked over to dozens of spectators wanting his autograph, including on one large flag of his native Northern Ireland with emblems of all four majors in each corner.

The pressure to perform has not left. But that flag was an example that he returns home to Northern Ireland to be celebrated as much as the fans want to see him end a more special year on a spectacular note.

This was different from 2019, when he wanted to treat that British Open like any other, ignoring that it was the first time golf’s oldest championship was on his home soil in 68 years.

“I think in ’19 I probably tried to isolate, and I think it’s better for everyone if I embrace it,” he said. “It’s nice to be able to accept adulation, even though I struggle with it at times. I think it’s more embrace everything that’s going to come my way this week and not try to shy away from it or hide away from it. And I think that’ll make for a better experience for everyone involved.”

He is rarely home these days, living in Florida, preparing to move to London, traveling the world for golf. There was never a reason to be at Royal Portrush – caddie Harry Diamond came over a few weeks ago on a scouting trip – but it felt good to be home.

“When I was looking at the calendar for 2025, this was the tournament that was probably circled, even more so than the Masters for different reasons,” he said. “It’s lovely to be coming in here already with a major and everything else that’s happened this year.”

That “everything else” was the Masters, the major that teased him for so many years and then brought him so much joy when he won in a playoff to complete the career Grand Slam.

The next two months were a struggle, from listless play to so much fatigue from questions of “What now?” and how to reset goals. He went six straight rounds at majors without talking to the media. He didn’t seriously contend in any of his six tournaments.

“I think everyone could see over the last couple of months how I struggled with that. I’ve done something that I’ve told everyone that I wanted to do, but then it’s like I still feel like I have a lot more to give,” McIlroy said.

“I probably just didn’t give myself enough time to let it all sink in. But that’s the nature of professional golf. They do a very good job of keeping you on the hamster wheel, and you feel like it’s hard to get off at times.”

But coming back to these parts has recharged him. He nearly won the Scottish Open last week, losing on the back nine to Chris Gotterup, flew straight over to Portrush on Sunday night and checked into his hotel at 1 a.m. He was on the first tee six hours later.

“By the time I got to the back nine today, there was a nice crowd out there,” McIlroy said. “After the 18th and seeing all the kids and signing autographs, it’s really, really nice, and I’m sure that’ll just build as the week goes on.”

It was a smart move. Play was suspended a couple of times because of severe weather, the occasional pounding rain and possibly lightning. Turns out not all of the electricity in the air was about McIlroy.

“I don’t know if that rain will have a massive effect on the course, depending on how heavy it is. I don’t really plan to approach the course any differently,” said Shane Lowry, the champion golfer of the year at Royal Portrush in 2019.

“I forgot how well-bunkered it is. There’s a lot of options off tees. You just have to go with what you feel. You’re going to see a lot of people hitting different clubs off different tees, playing the golf course differently,” Lowry said.

Scottie Scheffler, the world’s top-ranked player, was in his rookie year on the PGA Tour in 2019 and now is making his first trip to Royal Portrush. Jordan Spieth was a Monday arrival, home in Dallas last week as his wife gave birth to a boy, Sully, their third child.

The town already is hopping, with throaty singing at the Harbour Bar late Sunday night, Ryder Cup captain Keegan Bradley engaging with spectators, everyone buzzing about how the 153rd Open will unfold, most interest on McIlroy.

“I still feel like there’s a lot left in there,” McIlroy said. “The story certainly isn’t over.”

William Mouw hits a tee shot on the 17th hole in the final round of the ISCO Championship 2025 at Hurstbourne Country Club on July 13, 2025 in Louisville, Kentucky. (Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images)

William Mouw hits a tee shot on the 16th hole during the final round of the ISCO Championship 2025 at Hurstbourne Country Club on July 13, 2025 in Louisville, Kentucky. (Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images)

William Mouw hits an approach shot on the 15th hole during the final round of the ISCO Championship 2025 at Hurstbourne Country Club on July 13, 2025 in Louisville, Kentucky. (Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images)

William Mouw and his wife Hannah pose with the trophy after winning the ISCO Championship 2025 at Hurstbourne Country Club on July 13, 2025 in Louisville, Kentucky. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)

William Mouw reacts after making a par on the 18th hole in the final round of the ISCO Championship 2025 at Hurstbourne Country Club on July 13, 2025 in Louisville, Kentucky. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — William Mouw overcame a seven-stroke deficit on Sunday to win the ISCO Championship for his first PGA Tour title, shooting a 9-under 61 and waiting nearly two hours to see if his 10-under 270 total would hold up.

Mouw won when third-round leader Paul Peterson – who was playing the 10th hole at Hurstbourne Country Club when Mouw finished – missed a 55-foot birdie try from the front fringe on the par-4 18th.

“I was mentally ready for a playoff, and if it came to that, I was ready,” Mouw said. “But that wasn’t the case and I’m just blessed to be the winner.”

Mouw won in his 20th start on the PGA Tour. The 24-year-old former Ontario Christian High and Pepperdine player received a two-year exemption and a PGA Championship spot next year, but not a spot in the Masters.

“I have job status for two more years and I get to use that to play some really good golf and try to win another golf tournament,” Mouw said. “But as my life, it doesn’t change my life very much.”

Peterson shot a 69 to finish a stroke back in the opposite-field PGA Tour event also sanctioned by the European tour.

Mouw birdied the first three holes and added two more on Nos. 7-8 in a front-nine 30. He birdied Nos. 10, 11, 13 and 17 on the back nine in the lowest score in his brief PGA Tour career. He’s the third rookie to win this season, following Karl Vilips in the Puerto Rico Open and Aldrich Potgieter at the Rocket Classic.

“I knew that if everything clicked and I did the right things, I could go pretty low. I’m just thrilled that it happened.”

The 37-year-old Peterson, also making his 20th career PGA Tour start, made a 24-foot birdie putt on 14 and a 30-footer on 16, then parred the final two holes.

“It’s tough to come up one short, but I played some good golf this week,” Peterson said. “Thought that was a pretty fiery, good test and I felt like I handled myself and my emotions really well.”

European tour player Manuel Elvira was third at 7 under at 66, and Kentucky native Vince Whaley (70) and David Skinns (70) followed at 6 under.

Auburn junior Jackson Koivun had a 68 to tie for sixth at 5 under. He tied for 11th last week in the John Deere Classic.

Chan Kim, five strokes ahead after opening rounds of 61 and 68, had weekend rounds of 75 and 73 to tie for 14th at 3 under.

Peterson and Kim were among the 12 players who finished the suspended third round Sunday morning,

“I don’t know how it happened, really,” Kim said after an eagle-birdie-eagle finish to win on the second playoff hole against Jeeno Thitikul.

A final round at Evian Resort that nearly saw Lottie Woad become the first amateur to win a major in 58 years ended with Kim standing upright after her 12-foot eagle putt dropped, with her hand over her mouth, motionless as she tried to digest what had transpired.

Two shots behind on the final hole, Kim hit a 4-hybrid so perfectly that it slowed at the top of a slope behind the flag and rolled back to 2 feet for an eagle and a 4-under 67 to force a playoff with Thitikul.

Her approach to the par-5 18th in a playoff bounced off a cart path, over rocks and into the water, while Thitikul was in good position to make birdie. Tournament over? Not quite. Kim pitched over the pond and across the green and into the cup for birdie to stay alive.

“I was pretty bummed to find out that my ball was in the middle of the water. But, again, it’s not quite finished until the very end,” Kim said. “Just wanted to make sure I got it there. Yeah, just happened to have chipped it in. I don’t know if I can do it again.”

Back to the 18th for a third time — twice in the playoff — the Australian again hit 4-hybrid to 12 feet. Thitikul, who missed an 8-foot birdie putt in regulation for the win, missed the green to the left and chipped to 5 feet. She never had to putt.

Kim holed the eagle putt to capture her first major, and second LPGA title.

She is a four-time winner of Karrie Webb’s scholarship, which entails spending time with Australia’s greatest golf champion. She was at Hazeltine in 2021 when Hannah Green won the Women’s PGA. She is the second straight Aussie to win a major, following Minjee Lee.

“It’s a huge achievement for me,” Kim said. “I’ve had a lot of doubts early this year. I was kind of losing motivation. I kind of had to get some hard conversations done with the team. Yeah, kind of had to wake up a little bit. So to be sitting here next to this trophy is definitely surreal.”

It was a big setback for Thitikul, who along with Ai Miyazato is the only woman to have reached No. 1 in the world ranking without winning a major.

Thitikul’s biggest challenge had been Woad, the No. 1 amateur who was coming off a win in the Irish Women’s Open and at one point had the lead on the back nine of Evian Resort. She closed with 64 and then waited to see if that would be enough.

Woad was bidding to become the first amateur to win a major since Catherine Lacoste at the 1967 U.S. Women’s Open.

Thitikul birdied the 17th to take the lead, and the Thai player was on the verge of her first major when she laid up short of the pond and hit wedge into 8 feet on the final hole.

But then Kim appeared with the sublime 4-hybrid to 2 feet for eagle. Thitikul’s birdie putt for the win just missed to the right and she shot 67 to join Kim at 14-under 270.

“I think I’m so proud of myself on battling out there today,” Thitikul said.

Woad tied for third with Lee (68) and now has secured an LPGA card for the rest of this year and all of next year if the senior-to-be at Florida State chooses to turn pro. Woad already is in the Ladies Scottish Open and Women’s British Open.

She had mixed emotions at the end, happy about her opportunity to play the LPGA, bummed about not getting birdie on the 455-yard closing hole.

“I’m going to be thinking about one shot probably for a while, but I’m very happy how I played today,” said Woad, who won the Augusta National Women’s Amateur in 2024. “Great week.”

Kim’s victory extended what already is a record streak in the LPGA Tour’s 75-year history, the 18th consecutive tournament to start a season with a different winner. It also makes 13 different winners in the last 13 majors.

Sometimes you’re an afterthought. Anyone remember Tommie Aaron, younger brother of baseball slugger Henry Aaron? Or Chris Gwynn, brother of Tony? And how about Seth Curry, younger brother of Steph?

Ah, but then there are the younger siblings who become more, or at least equally, memorable: Serena Williams, younger sister of Venus. Or Eli Manning, younger brother of Peyton. And sometimes it’s a dead heat, as in Cheryl and Reggie Miller, both Naismith Basketball Hall of Famers, both alumni of Riverside Poly and later proud alumni of USC and UCLA, respectively.

Is another sibling story developing here?

Amari Avery is the older sister at 21, a golf prodigy from the age of 4 who went on to play at USC and is currently playing professionally, working her way up on the Epson developmental tour. She has five top-10 finishes in 21 events on that tour and is 14th in that circuit’s “Race for the (LPGA Tour) Card,” standings. And she made the cut under crazy circumstances at the U.S. Women’s Open in late May, finishing tied for 45th in her third Open but first as a professional.

Don’t look now, but 18-year-old Alona Avery is taking careful notes.

Alona was Big West Conference Freshman of the Year and first team all-conference at UC Irvine this past spring, and she finished first in her qualifying round for next month’s U.S. Women’s Amateur, firing the low round of 68 in the qualifier June 18 at Chula Vista’s Enagic Golf Club.

That earned her a ticket to Bandon Dunes Golf Resort in Bandon, Oregon, for the Aug. 4-10 Women’s Amateur. One of the rewards for the winner: an exemption into next year’s U.S. Women’s Open at Riviera.

Before that, Alona will compete in the 125th Women’s Western Amateur, beginning Monday at Red Run Golf Club in Royal Oak, Michigan.

Is there a sibling rivalry? On the golf course, naturally, Alona and Amari compete. But overall, this is less about competition and more about inspiration.

“Me, my dad (Andre) and my sister would always be out there grinding, just hitting golf balls till we couldn’t any more,” Alona said during an interview this week at the Victoria Club in Riverside. “And yeah, just seeing her success throughout the years, even recently, (has) been like the hugest impact in my career.

“Obviously it’s really cool to see my sister do all these amazing things. And she’s my role model. She’s my inspiration, so I just have always looked up to her. And whatever she does, I want to do that or even better and try to beat her in whatever she does.”

The origin stories here differ only slightly. Growing up in Riverside, both girls had a golf club in hand at the age of 3. Amari was competing a year later, while Alona said she “started a little bit later competitively,” at 8.

“I think it all started with Andre,” Maria Avery of her husband. “He was a big influence in them growing up and taking an interest in golf. He used to play golf, and it started obviously with Amari when she was 3. We bought a little set of clubs from the toy store, and she would hit it and continue to hit it and hit it and Andre noticed that, hmm, she might really like this, so let’s go take it to the range or whatever.

“Alona was younger, so she was always with them, with us during practice and training, and so she started picking (it) up as well. And yeah, they would always support each other for tournaments. They even caddied for each other. … Now that (Amari is) on tour with the Epson tour, she gives Alona advice so that she can further her experience and the love of the game.”

The Averys have structured their family around the sport. Maria is a manager in an L.A. County Sheriff’s Department office. Andre, who had been employed with the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department, now accompanies Amari on tour; they’re currently in Milford, Connecticut, for this week’s tour stop.

Both sisters were homeschooled, Maria said, “so that they would be able to practice throughout the day, and also attend tournaments out of state and try to balance schoolwork as well. So that’s kind of challenging for them. But we felt, for our family, that was the best formula for success for the girls, that I remain at work and that he go with them.”

So, just how does that dynamic of motivation work? Some of it is silent – Alona sees what Amari does and is inspired to equal or better it – and some is Amari providing her sister verbal encouragement.

“I mean, we’ve always been there for each other, obviously very competitive towards each other as well,” Alona said. “So there’s always that sort of motivation like, ‘Hey, you know, maybe you didn’t have the best round or the best week or whatever, because that’s just the game of golf and you’re not always going to play your best.’ She’ll always be there to kind of give me that little bit of motivation.”

And when they get together on the course, head-to-head? Not so comforting.

“We always have some sort of friendly match here and there – but I don’t particularly take it as, like, friendly,” Alona said. “I try to beat her and I’m pretty sure she does the same. … We’re always in competition with each other, always trying to beat each other in anything. Not even just golf, (but) whatever we find competitive.”

But she doesn’t do any trash talking, does she?

“Uh, a little bit,” she said, with a laugh. “When I’m feeling some sort of heat and she’s getting under my skin, I got to beat her one way or another. If I can’t beat her on the golf course, there’s going to be a little bit of trash talk.”

But those moments come and go. Watching what her sister is accomplishing, and realizing the possibilities for herself, is more substantial.

“Just … seeing what she’s done with this game, that’s just a huge motivator for me,” Alona said. “And to have someone in my family who’s so close, or who I’m so close with, to be my inspiration – I don’t think there’s anything better than that, to have your sister, who’s only a couple years older than you, do so many amazing things, and I can look up to that.”

Then, she noted that she has been “in my sister’s shadow for the most part,” and said she’s still in the process of discovering who she is as a golfer.

“It’s just a work in progress,” she said. “I’ve been kind of finding myself recently. I feel that I’ve just been … putting my head down and working as hard as I can so that I can be on the big stages my sister has been and still is. So I can kind of get that experience for myself.”

Yeah, I’d say that’s motivation.

jalexander@scng.com

But I’ll tell you this: Everyone who happened to be near a San Dimas High School golfer – past or present – on Sunday likely heard about what Spaun did.

Because the Saints have known about Spaun for years, and they’ve been following closely, all the way until his 64-foot birdie putt that punctuated his fairytale Father’s Day finish at Oakmont Country Club in Pennsylvania. And “once he hit that putt,” said Madison Haas, a former Saint who was home after her freshman year at UCLA, “me and my family went crazy.”

“It was just a constant back and forth with players,” said Jason Clark, San Dimas’ golf coach. “During the weather delay, on the edge of our seats, and then everybody’s neighborhood was woken up when he made the 64-foot putt on the 18th hole.”

“It was electric,” said Adrian Nazzal, who is now at the University of San Diego, studying math and computer science and golfing recreationally whenever he has time, using the Srixon clubs that Spaun gifted every member of the 2023 San Dimas team.

Clark knows he sounds like a broken record, continually telling people, “It couldn’t happen to a nicer person.”

But what else can he say about Spaun, the Dodgers- and Lakers-loving #GirlDad, the hard-working, (previously) unheralded underdog?

About the 34-year-old who turned pro in 2012 and didn’t forget his roots, showing up after he won his first PGA Tour event to pay homage to his late high school coach Doug Shultz, donating a bench on campus in his honor?

About the former San Diego State Aztec walk-on who, in this weekend’s instant classic, was the only player to shoot below par, the Southern Californian solving soggy Oakmont as it confounded so many of the world’s best golfers?

Sometimes a nice guy finishes first.

Because, oh, what’s possible when a nice guy doesn’t give in!

“As bad as things were going, I just still tried to just commit to every shot,” Spaun told reporters at the event, where he had found himself four shots behind when he was saved by the rain delay that allowed him to reset and finish his second U.S. Open at 1-under 279.

“I tried to just continue to dig deep,” the 34-year-old said. “I’ve been doing it my whole life.”

Listening to Spaun string together pearls of motivation during his championship news conference, I would have believed it if you’d told me he was a swing coach or a life coach. Either one, because the message was clear: Don’t give up.

“I just felt like you keep putting yourself in these positions, like eventually you’re going to tick one off,” he said. “I don’t put myself in this position often, or at all, for a major, that’s for sure. This is only my second U.S. Open. But all the close calls that I’ve had on the PGA Tour this year has just been really good experience to just never, never give up.”

That was true during Sunday’s round.

It was true after being cast as Rory McIlroy’s playoff victim in this year’s Players Championship in March, when the 39-time winner made short work of Spaun, whose only win, then, had come in 2022 at the Valero Texas Open.

And it was true when Spaun was much younger, too. Clark said locally, at San Dimas’ Via Verde Country Club and Pomona’s Mountain Meadows Golf Course, Spaun is remembered as a diligent kid who put in a lot of time working on his game. Nonetheless, “I wasn’t really groomed to be a professional golfer,” he said Sunday. “I didn’t get put through academies. I didn’t play the AJGA. I played local stuff.”

So he found himself at San Diego State, where longtime coach Ryan Donovan remembers, “I didn’t even give him a scholarship, just offered him a spot on the team and said, ‘See if you can get better.’” You betcha. He became the Mountain West Conference’s best player in 2012, and a two-time all conference selection and a five-time college winner, someone who Donovan assumed would have a steady career making $1.5 million a year or so after beginning his pro career in Canada and then joining the PGA Tour in 2017.

So when, a few years later, Spaun was toiling on Tour, lonely and grinding and feeling the urge to focus instead on family, he called Donovan and told him: “I think I’m done.”

Donovan understood, he said, but his honest advice: “If you can still do it, you’re very gifted and talented, and hopefully you can overcome this.”

He took his coach’s counsel, put the idea of teaching to the side and kept competing, kept fighting, kept pushing and until he found himself in contention this past weekend at the U.S. Open, where he weathered the weather and came out on top, having a day that changed his life – as some days will.

Clark, San Dimas’ coach, said Spaun’s unsolicited, unexpected outreach in 2023 changed the lives of not just the players in his program – which has, since then, added a girls’ team and moved up four divisions in four years after winning three consecutive leagues titles on the boys’ side – but that it changed his, too.

In 2023, Clark had recently lost his older brother. He remembers feeling the weight of grief and new responsibilities, thinking he wasn’t the guy to lead a team of young golfers.

“I felt like if I wasn’t going to be helpful, then I shouldn’t be doing it,” he said.

But then Spaun showed up and lit a fire – or in Clark’s case, rekindled it.

It wasn’t just getting new clubs that gave San Dimas that “booster shot,” Clark said. It wasn’t even necessarily the behind-the-scenes VIP tour of the Srixon corporate facility that Spaun arranged for, either, though that was “very cool,” Haas said.

“It was just meeting him,” Nazzal said. “Really a pure-hearted guy … it wasn’t like a ‘higher person’ coming and giving something for the good of his image. It felt like a personal, genuine act of duty.”

It was that he took time on his visits to campus to share memories of playing the same courses the San Dimas players did, to answer questions about college and pro golf, what to do and what not to. To chat with Haas, who had been the only girl on the then-all-boys’ team, and when he learned she also played three other sports, tell her she reminded him of a Mookie Betts, the Dodgers’ all-around athlete: “Honestly, I live off that,” said Haas, who had been a sophomore short on confidence. “I was like, ‘Wow, that’s such a compliment.’ It was something I needed to hear.”

A literal San Dimas Saint, Spaun.

How could Clark quit after witnessing that?

“I remember it like it was yesterday, how much it hit home for me,” Clark said. “He gave me the love back, that feeling I needed again: ‘I can do this, I’m going to stay committed and let’s rock and roll.’”

The Saints haven’t looked back, and they haven’t quit golfing either, Clark said, continuing to play in various capacities as collegians, better for having golf in their lives.

Not only because it’s bred confidence and given them social connections, Nazzal said, but because it’s inspired him to pay it forward too.

“I’ve always thought about being able to bless people with the blessings I have myself,” Nazzal said. “But seeing someone doing it for me, being on that end and knowing how great it feels, that makes me want to do it even more. I want to give that same feeling.”