'Tiger stands alone': Scottie Scheffler dismisses Woods comparisons after Open triumph

Scheffler's four-shot victory at Royal Portrush not only secured his second major title of the year and fourth overall - it has firmly established him as the standard-bearer in modern golf.

But don't expect Scheffler to entertain comparisons to Tiger any time soon.

"I still think they're a bit silly," he said. "Tiger won, what, 15 majors? This is my fourth. I just got one-fourth of the way there.

"I think Tiger stands alone in the game of golf. He was inspirational for me growing up. He was a very, very talented guy, and he was a special person to be able to be as good as he was at the game of golf."

At least some of Scheffler's rivals are starting to see shades of Woods' dominance in Scheffler's remarkable run of victories.

"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," said Xander Schauffele, who ended the week seven shots behind Scheffler.

And World No 2 Rory McIlroy may have completed the career Grand Slam at Augusta earlier this year - a feat even Scheffler can't lay claim to yet - but the Northern Irishman didn't hesitate to acknowledge where the game's current benchmark lies.

"You could argue that there's only maybe two or three players in the history of the game that have been on a run like the one Scottie's been on here for the last 24 to 36 months," McIlroy said. "He is the bar that we're all trying to get to."