Scottie Scheffler Notices Claret Jug’s Strange Tribute To Global Pandemic After Winning The Open

Scottie Scheffler was pulled in every direction after winning The Open at Royal Portrush. Still, amid the media circus, the 29-year-old managed to take a few seconds to look at the Claret Jug and soak in the fact that he was holding the oldest trophy in the game.

Holding the Claret Jug is, quite literally, holding a piece of history, and reading the list of legendary names engraved on it has to be surreal. However, Scheffler's attention wasn't immediately drawn to his name or anyone else's on the trophy, but rather to a statement.

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Shortly after Scheffler became the Champion Golfer of the Year, the R&A published a behind-the-scenes video of Sunday's action and the celebration that ensued for Team Scheffler. In one of the clips, Scheffler is on the set of Golf Channel's ‘Live From,' and shares what was the first thing he noticed on the Claret Jug.

"The first thing I noticed is this," Scheffler said while pointing at a point on the trophy. "2020, no championship owing to global pandemic."

While you can't see the engraving as Scheffler points to it, there is photo evidence of the tribute to the pandemic:

Global pandemic note on the Claret Jug. (Raymond Davies/R&A/R&A via Getty Images)

You would imagine that something along the lines of ‘No Tournament’ or ‘No Open Held' would suffice, but the championship put the trophy engraver to task by asking them to fit that weird and very long note on the iconic trophy.

The professional golf world shut down in March 2020 in the middle of the Players due to the pandemic, and while the three other major championships in the sport were played, The Open was ultimately canceled that year due to uncertainties surrounding COVID-19 and international travel.