World No 1 Scheffler admits to being unfulfilled by golf on eve of Open Championship

As pre-tournament comments go, having the golf’s best player admit that he doesn’t feel fulfilled despite all the winning he does, is a curious way to set out a stall for the 153rd Open Championship at Royal Portrush in Northern Ireland.

But that’s exactly what American world No 1 Scottie Scheffler admitted in his pre-Open media engagement.

Scheffler is among the favourites for the title, although his record on links courses and at the Open falls some way short of his prowess on parkland layouts. His best finish at an Open is seventh.

Still, whenever Scheffler tees it up, he is expected to be near the top of the leaderboard on Sunday. That’s what drives him, but as it turns out, that’s not what fulfils him.

“This (being a professional golfer) is not a fulfilling life,” the 29-year-old current PGA Champion Scheffler said. “It’s fulfilling from the sense of accomplishment but it’s not fulfilling from a sense of the deepest places of your heart.

“Like you work your whole life to celebrate winning a tournament and then that euphoric feeling lasts a few minutes. You get to No 1 in the world, and you’re like, ‘what’s the point?’

“I really do believe that because what is the point? Why do I want to win this tournament so bad?

“That’s something that I wrestle with on a daily basis. It’s like showing up at the Masters every year; it’s like why do I want to win this golf tournament so badly? Why do I want to win the Open Championship so badly? I don’t know because, if I win, it’s going to be awesome for two minutes.

“Then we’re going to get to the next week, hey, you won two majors this year; how important is it for you to win the FedEx Cup playoffs? And we’re back here again.

“So, we work so hard for such little moments. I’m kind of sicko; I love putting in the work. I love getting to practise. I love getting to live out my dreams.

“But at the end of the day, sometimes I just don’t understand the point. I love being able to play this game for a living. It’s one of the greatest joys of my life, but does it fill the deepest wants and desires of my heart? Absolutely not.”

Desire to win

These comments will no doubt draw criticism, especially from golfers far less successful than Scheffler, who devote the same amount of time and effort to their craft but still struggle.

But it was a brutally honest assessment of his life and how he views being a professional athlete. And perhaps that’s why he’s won three majors and dominated the world recently – because winning golf tournaments doesn’t define him.

“I’m blessed to be able to come out here and play golf, but if my golf ever started affecting my home life or it ever affected the relationship I have with my wife or my son, that’s going to be the last day that I play for a living,” Scheffler said.

“This is not the be-all and end-all. This is not the most important thing in my life. I’d much rather be a great father than I would be a great golfer.”

That mustn’t be confused with his desire to win though – however fleeting his joy is at the actual victory.

“What’s the best-case scenario? I win this golf tournament, and then I’m going to show up in Memphis, and it’s like, okay, listen, you won two majors this year; what are you going to do this week? That’s the question you’re going to get asked,” Scheffler said.

“If I come in second this week or if I finish dead last, no matter what happens, we’re always on to the next week. That’s one of the beautiful things about golf, and it’s also one of the frustrating things because you can have such great accomplishments, but the show goes on. That’s just how it is.

“It’s great to win tournaments. It’s pretty exciting and fun, but it just doesn’t last that long.”

McIlroy magic?

Since winning the Masters in April to complete the career Grand Slam Rory McIlroy’s form has dipped.

But he returns to the course on which he grew up and where, the smart money says, he should triumph.

But back in 2019 when Portrush hosted the Open, McIlroy was the overwhelming favourite to win, and he missed the cut. These are the vagaries of golf.

But this year, with the Masters in the bag and a 10-year major drought ended, could he use his experience at the course to win a second Open?

His form is trending in the right direction with a tie for second at last week’s Scottish Open.

“I don’t spend a lot of time in these parts anymore, just with travel schedule, living abroad, all that stuff,” McIlroy said after his practice round earlier this week.

“To be here, to see a lot of familiar faces… every hole on the course has a different team of marshals from different golf clubs, and just to see people that I’ve met throughout the years out there this morning was really nice.

“I’m certainly encouraged by how I’ve played the last two starts, especially last week in Scotland.

“When I was looking at the calendar for 2025, this was the tournament that was probably, I don’t know, circled, even more so than the Masters for different reasons.

“It’s lovely to be coming in here already with a major and everything else that’s happened this year.

“I’m excited with where my game is. I felt like I showed some really good signs last week. I feel like I’m in a good spot… not that last week was a pure preparation week, but I definitely feel like it put me in a good spot heading into here.”

South Africans

There are 11 South Africans in the field, including the 2025 SA Open winner Dylan Naidoo, who makes his Open debut.

“It’s an unbelievable feeling. My head was spinning when I heard the good news (about qualifying for the Open). I don’t even know what to say,” Naidoo said after his SA Open victory.

“Here’s hoping it’s the first of many, but it’s the first and I’m going to treasure it. I can’t thank the R&A, DP World Tour and Sunshine Tour enough for creating this pathway for us.”

Louis Oosthuizen, who won the 2010 Open is in the field – a rare outing at a major since his defection to LIV Golf.

Thriston Lawrence, who was in contention at the US Open last month, could be a dark horse. He tied for fourth at the 2024 Open and knows how to handle himself on links courses.

The long-hitting Aldrich Potgieter also makes his Open debut thanks to his recent win on the US PGA Tour. DM