Scottie Scheffler lifts the Claret Jug on the 18th green following victory in The 153rd Open Championship at Royal Portrush(. Photo by Stuart Kerr/R&A/R&A via Getty Images)

Scottie Scheffler might not have the charisma of Tiger Woods but he showed he has the game that bears comparison with the arguably greatest player of the modern era when he cruised to a four-shot win in The 153rd Open at Royal Portrush.

There was no final round charge from Rory McIlroy, whose closing 69 left him tied for seventh, six shots behind the world number one.

Numerically speaking, it might have been a runway on a par with Woods’ 15-shot US Open win at Pebble Beach in 2000, his eight-shot romp in The Open at St Andrews that year or his 12-shot Masters breakthrough in 1997.

But it was such a dominant, controlled performance from the adopted Texan (29) that it was no surprise that became the first player since James Braid in 1908 to win his first four majors by at least three strokes.

“I think all you can do is admire what he does and how he does it,” McIlroy said. “I think what he does is one thing, but how he does it is another.

“He just goes about his business. Doesn't do anything overly flamboyant. He’s the best at executing in the game right now, and he's been absolutely amazing over these past two to three years.”

Scheffler began the day four strokes clear of Haotong Li and six ahead of McIlroy, who described the American as “inevitable” on the eve of the final round.

Any hopes of a McIlroy charge were tempered in the first 20 minutes when the Holywood star failed to birdie the first and Scheffler, playing just behind, used a slope right of the pin and watched his approach trickle down to just a few inches from the cup to set up the easiest of birdies.

He was seven shots ahead after making further birdies at the fourth and fifth, and while he had to make 15-footers for par at the sixth and seventh, and then double-bogeyed the eighth after failing to escape a fairway bunker at the first attempt, he birdied the ninth to turn for home with a five-shot cushion.

A birdie at the 12th left him comfortably clear and he could afford to ease up through the closing yards like a sprinter who knows the rest are struggling to keep up.

In the end, a closing 68 gave him a four-shot win over PGA Championship runner-up Harris English on 17 under and the chance to complete the career Grand Slam in next year’s US Open at Shinnecock Hills.

After making just one mistake over the final 36 holes — the double bogey at the eighth — Scheffler described it as “as one of my best performances mentally.”

It was not until he saw his wife Meredith and son Bennett by the 18th green that he gave an emotional reaction, tossing his cap and thrusting both arms skyward in triumph.

After his pre-tournament interview, where he had some wondering if he was suffering an existential crisis because he said the moment of euphoria lasted just two minutes and wasn’t the most important thing in his life, he made a heartfelt attempt to better express his feelings.

:This is amazing to win the Open Championship, but at the end of the day, having success in life, whether it be golf or work, whatever it is, that's not what fulfils the deepest desires of your heart,” he said. “Am I grateful for it? Do I enjoy it? Oh my gosh, yeah, this is a cool feeling. I can't wait to get home and celebrate this championship, you know, with the people that have helped me along the way.”

He added: “It’s something I actually talked to Shane (Lowry) bout this week: just because you win a golf tournament, accomplishment doesn't make you happy, maybe for a few moments, maybe for a few days, but at the end of the day, you know, there's more life thann playing off. But I'm pretty excited to go home and celebrate.”

McIlroy’s hopes evaporated when he got a flyer through the green at the 10th, duffed his third and made double bogey to fall eight strokes behind the player he described as “inevitable” on Saturday evening.

“None of us could live with what he had this week, but for me to be in front of everyone here at home and to get that reception up the last, absolutely incredible,” McIlroy said. “I'll remember that for a long time.”

As for the future and the prospect of battling Scheffler for more majors, McIlroy was asked if he found the prospect motivating or dispiriting.

“Neither,” he said. “All I can do is focus on myself and try to play the best golf that I can. I know that when I do that, I'll have my weeks where I'll contend and hopefully win.”

After watching Scheffler win an Open, two Masters, a PGA, an Olympic gold and another 14 wins over the past four years, he could only express his admiration.

“None of us could hang with Scottie this week,” he said. “He's an incredible player. He's been dominant this week. Honestly, he's been dominant for the last couple years. He is the bar that we're all trying to get to.

“In a historical context, you could argue that there's only maybe two or three players in the history of the game that have been on a run, the one that Scottie's been on here for the last 24 to 36 months. Incredibly impressive.”

As for his own game, he said: “I could have maybe finished second, which would have been better than where I did finish, but only making par off those tee shots on eight and nine and then the double off of 10 after the flier, that did me in. Then I just tried to play a good back nine and finish as well as I could.”

Shane Lowry got a privileged view of Scheffler’s first two rounds, and he echoed McIlroy’s sentiments.

“I thought he was going to birdie every hole,” Lowry said after a sparkling final round 66 that left him joint 40th on two-under. “It was incredible to watch.

“Honestly, I think if Scottie’s feet stayed stable and his swing looked like Adam Scott's, we'd be talking about him in the same words as Tiger Woods.”