Scottie Scheffler shoots Sunday 67 as conditions deteriorate at Royal Liverpool

Whatever comes to mind regarding a “proper Open test,” you’re probably seeing it Sunday at Royal Liverpool Golf Club.

No player was better equipped to handle the deteriorating conditions than world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler, who fashioned a 4-under 67 to finish his week at at the 151st Open at even par (284). He won’t win (54-hole leader Brian Harman began the day at 12 under), and his streak of 18 straight top-12 finishes on TOUR might end as well.

But the fact Scheffler’s streak is still alive, after beginning Sunday in a tie for 66th, is a testament to this round’s merits.

Players were greeted by entirely different conditions at Royal Liverpool as they arrived on site Sunday morning. Gone was the gentle breeze and occasional misty rain, replaced with heavy rain – in sheets at times – and whipping winds. It meant certain holes would require two to three more clubs than on prior days, and the idea of a “routine par” would be thrown out the window.

As players began to move backwards in gnarly conditions, Scheffler offered a vintage Sunday grind, making five birdies against one bogey to match Poland’s Adrian Meronk for the morning’s low score. It marked a valiant effort in his quest to keep a remarkable streak alive; his last finish outside the top 12 on TOUR came at THE CJ CUP in South Carolina last October. The run has included victories at the WM Phoenix Open and THE PLAYERS Championship, as well as a T10 at the Masters, runner-up at the PGA Championship and a third-place finish at the U.S. Open.

This week, he needed something special just to play the weekend. He arrived at the par-5 18th hole Friday one off the cut line, and his second shot found a greenside pot bunker, inches from the wall. His third shot deflected off the wall, onto a line slightly left of the hole, then fed off a slope to within inches. It was just enough to make the cut with rounds of 70-75; a third-round 72 in relatively benign conditions meant a spot among Sunday morning’s dew-sweepers.

Playing in Sunday’s seventh twosome off No. 1, Scheffler holed out from 48 yards for birdie at the first, true to form as one of the day’s premier short-game artists – and a sign of things to come. He drained a 48-footer for birdie at the third, then got up and down from a greenside bunker with an 8-foot birdie at the fifth. He made a more standard birdie at the par-4 11th with a wedge to 8 feet, and he rebounded from a missed 11-footer par try at No. 14 – his only bogey of the day – with a two-putt from 26 feet at the par-5 15th.

Padraig Harrington, the last player to win The Open in back-to-back years (2007 and 2008), also played early Sunday and shot 74. He offered a veteran perspective on what the leaders might face coming down the stretch.

"I think the course itself is set up very generous," Harrington said after his round. "Pin positions were easy with the softness in the greens. Obviously they knew the weather coming in. They knew the difficulty of the wind ... I think if it clears up, you could definitely see somebody shooting a low score out there. I think if it stays windy -- windy will probably be the most challenging day for Brian because somebody still could shoot a good score.

"The pins are quite accessible. If it's really tough -- I think Brian wants it tough for everybody because he's not only a solid player but he's got a good short game, so he won't mind it being difficult."

Some conditions require a Houdini-like effort to break 70. In the coming years, we might start referring to such a performance as a Scheffler-like effort.

He authored one Sunday at the season’s final major.