Scheffler and Stark evoke memories of legends

Big wins for Scottie Scheffler and Maja Stark are evoking memories of legends of nan athletics pinch nan value of nan performances and their humanities resonance.

Stark's triumph successful nan Women's US Open was nan first by a European successful nan female game's astir prestigious tourney since Annika Sorenstam won it for nan 3rd clip successful 2006.

Scheffler's successful defence of nan Memorial arena successful Ohio came nether nan watchful oculus of nan legendary Jack Nicklaus, pinch nan world number one's burgeoning assemblage of activity besides continuing to gain parallels pinch different great, Tiger Woods.

This was nan 28-year-old's 16th PGA Tour triumph and came basking connected nan heels of his 3rd awesome astatine past month's US PGA astatine Quail Hollow. It has taken Scheffler only 3 years and 3 months to spell from 1 to 16 wins.

Nicklaus took 2 months less to scope nan aforesaid milestone and nan spread betwixt Woods' first circuit triumph and his 16th was 3 years, 3 months and 3 days. Sam Snead was nan quickest, taking conscionable two-and-a-half years.

These are titans of play that Scheffler's shape rates alongside. "He's a awesome player," Nicklaus said past Sunday aft his tourney was won by nan Texan by 4 shots.

"Look astatine nan grounds that he has successful nan past fewer years. It's unbelievable."

Having converted 9 consecutive 54-hole leads into trophies, Scheffler is nan first to triumph consecutive Memorial titles since Woods won 3 successful a statement astatine nan move of nan century.

And do not hide he won 9 times past season, including nan Masters and nan Paris Olympics. The Texan's commencement to 2025 was disrupted by a freak manus wounded aft he sustained a nasty trim while preparing a Christmas meal.

But, since returning to apical shape he has won nan Byron Nelson by 8 shots, commandingly claimed nan Wanamaker Trophy successful North Carolina and now this trophy defence astatine Jack's spot - Muirfield Village, which tests each facet of a golfer's game.

"He reminds maine truthful overmuch of nan measurement I liked to play," said Nicklaus, nan victor of a grounds 18 awesome titles. "I don't deliberation I played astir arsenic good arsenic he played.

"He's playing amended than I played, and much consistent. He's conscionable been playing fantastic, and I emotion watching him play. Any clip he's playing, I want to watch."

According to Data Golf, which crunches nan numbers crossed each tours, Scheffler gains strokes successful each facet of nan crippled and peculiarly excels pinch unerring attack play.

While nan charismatic play rankings do not recognise nan breakaway LIV tour, Data Golf includes performances successful that 54-hole format. Behind Scheffler and Masters victor Rory McIlroy connected Data Golf's rankings beryllium LIV stars Bryson DeChambeau and Jon Rahm.

And that is nan only caveat to Scheffler's PGA Tour supremacy, because we tin only spot him pit his skills against those 2 starring performers astatine nan majors.

That said, he near reigning US Open champion DeChambeau and Spaniard Rahm disappearing successful his helping mirrors astatine past month's US PGA.

Nicklaus made a telling study of nan players who trailed successful Scheffler's aftermath past week. "Ben Griffin's a bully player, Sepp Straka is simply a bully player, Nick Taylor is simply a bully player," nan 85-year-old said.

"Those were each nan guys that were location fundamentally coming down nan stretch. But he [Scheffler] knows that those guys are not successful his league. He has nan expertise to bring his level to immoderate level it needs to be."

Stark, meanwhile, was celebrating her breakthrough awesome triumph and her first title connected American ungraded acknowledgment to her composed two-shot triumph complete Nelly Korda and Rio Takeda astatine Erin Hills successful Wisconsin.

The 25-year-old Swede gave European play a immense fillip connected Sunday by winning America's nationalist championship, resisting nan chasing battalion connected a tense last day.

"I wasn't arsenic tense arsenic I thought that I would be," Stark revealed. "It felt for illustration I had somewhat power of my crippled and I benignant of cognize what's going on.

"With nan pressure, your mistakes get bigger but it felt for illustration I could power thing that was thrown astatine me."

Stark's short-range putting withstood aggravated unit to adhd to her six Ladies European Tour wins and subordinate chap Swedes Sorenstam and Liselotte Neumann arsenic a US Open winner.

"It's truthful cool," said nan caller champion. "They texted maine and conscionable benignant of said, 'bring it home'.

"That was already cool to conscionable get those texts. Just looking astatine each nan names connected nan trophy. I emotion nan US Open. I'm truthful happy that it's excavation now."

Erin Hills - peculiarly astatine nan weekend, erstwhile nan greens played importantly firmer and faster - was a formidable and emblematic US Open test, much truthful than erstwhile Brooks Koepka won nan men's title location successful 2017.

Like St Andrews, nan location of past year's AIG Women's Open, nan people was played arsenic intended because nan golfers were having to deed longer clubs to mini targets pinch unforgiving run-off areas.

But connected nan downside, nan people is distant and wide open, which made nan galleries look unflatteringly sparse. This was not a bully look for nan women's crippled and nan players merit amended showcasing.

The last brace of Stark and rookie Julia Lopez Ramirez mislaid a spread connected nan group successful beforehand which highlighted nan problem of glacial gait of play and again detracted from nan spectacle.

Nevertheless, Stark tin observe a hugely important triumph which mightiness animate European Solheim Cup team-mates specified arsenic compatriot Linn Grant and Britain's Charley Hull successful nan 3 remaining fields of nan year.

Looking further ahead, England's Lottie Woad reaffirmed her immense imaginable by comfortably making nan trim and taking nan amateur honours, finishing successful a stock of 31st.