Scottie Scheffler receives unsurprising honour during Open Championship week

Scottie Scheffler was named Best Golfer at the 2026 ESPYS ahead of his bid to defend The Open Championship this week.

The annual ESPY awards, which recognise sporting achievements across a range of sports, were held in New York on Wednesday night, the day before the first round of The Open Championship at Royal Birkdale. 

Scheffler, 30, edged out Rory McIlroy, Nelly Korda and Jeeno Thitikul to claim the award of Best Golfer of 2026.

The ESPYS look at sporting action over the past 12 months. 

Despite Scheffler winning just once on the PGA Tour this season, he did win six times last year including two majors at the PGA Championship and The Open. 

McIlroy, 37, came up shy of the ESPYS award, despite becoming just the fourth player in Masters history to retain the Green Jacket at famed Augusta National.

Korda, 27, has also enjoyed a 2026 to remember so far having won the first two majors of the season among four wins on the LPGA. But the World No.1 failed to win a single tournament in 2025. 

Thitikul, 23, also came up shy of the award despite winning three times on the LPGA last season and twice more so far in 2026. 

Scheffler was informed of his ESPYS award just 24 hours before attempting to become the first player since Padraig Harrington in 2008 to successfully defend The Open.

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The World No.1 made a solid start to his title defence at Royal Birkdale on Thursday, opening with a two-under-par 68 to sit a couple of shots off the early lead.

He had raced into the lead with four birdies on the first six holes, but bogeys at the 7th and 17th saw him fall back into the chasing pack in Southport. 

Despite remaining comfortably at the top of the Official World Golf Ranking, Scheffler has won just once during the 2026 PGA Tour season. 

That victory came in his opening PGA Tour start of the year at The American Express at the end of January.

Although his win tally has been lower than many expected, Scheffler's consistency has kept him clear at the top of the world rankings. 

Scheffler has still performed admirably, chalking up nine top-10 finishes this season, and he once again leads the PGA Tour's strokes-gained total statistic.

The American has won 20 PGA Tour titles and four majors.

Scheffler had a chance to join McIlroy and other legends of the game in the career grand slam club at the U.S. Open in June, but despite a late rally on his 30th birthday, he came up shy in tied fourth behind winner Wyndham Clark, who etched his name on the trophy for a second time in his career at Shinnecock Hills. 

The ESPYS, first held in 1993, celebrate sporting achievements across the past year while also raising money for the V Foundation for Cancer Research. 

ESPN says it has helped raise more than $292 million for the charity over the past 33 years.

Elsewhere, NBA star Jalen Brunson was the biggest winner on the night, collecting Best Athlete – Men's Sports, Best Championship Performance and Best NBA Player after helping the New York Knicks win the NBA title. 

A'ja Wilson was named Best Athlete – Women's Sports, while Formula 1's Lando Norris, football icon Lionel Messi, baseball star Shohei Ohtani and tennis player Carlos Alcaraz were also among the winners.

Full list of 2026 ESPYS winners