Scottie Scheffler might be the No. 1 professional golfer in the world, but he admitted there’s a lot more to life than racking up tournament victories.
Scheffler, 29, gave a candid, lengthy response when asked about his state of mind heading into this week’s 153rd Open Championship at Royal Portrush.
“It feels like you work your whole life to celebrate winning a tournament for, like, a few minutes,” Scheffler told reporters on Monday, July 14. “It only lasts a few minutes, that kind of euphoric feeling.”
Scheffler specifically referenced winning the CJ Cup Byron Nelson tournament in May, which took place in McKinney, Texas, roughly 30 miles away from where he grew up in Dallas.
“I literally worked my entire life to become good at golf to have an opportunity to win that tournament,” he said. “And you win it. You celebrate. Get to hug my family, my sister’s there. It’s such an amazing moment. And then it’s like, ‘OK, now what are we going to eat for dinner?’”
Scheffler continued, “Life goes on. Is it great to be able to win tournaments and to accomplish the things I have in the game of golf? Yeah, I mean it brings tears to my eyes just to think about because I’ve literally worked my entire life to become good at the sport and to have that sense of accomplishment, I think is a pretty cool feeling. To get to live out your dreams is very special.”
However, Scheffler said he doesn’t feel the motivation to “inspire somebody else to be the best player in the world.”
“Because what’s the point?” Scheffler questioned. “This is not a fulfilling life. It’s fulfilling from the sense of accomplishment, but it’s not fulfilling from the deepest places of your heart. There’s a lot of people who make it to what they thought was going to fulfill them in life. Then you get there and all of a sudden you get to number one in the world and they’re like, ‘What’s the point?’”
In a hushed media room, Scheffler laughed, adding, “I don’t know if I’m making any sense or not.”
When it comes to what actually does fulfill him during the grind of a golf season, Scheffler turned his attention to his family.
“I love being a father,” he said. “I love being able to take care of my son. I love being able to provide for my family out here playing golf. Every day when I wake up early to go put in the work, my wife thanks me for going out and working so hard.”
Scheffler has been married to his wife, Meredith, since December 2020. The couple welcomed their first baby, son Bennett, in May 2024.
“When I get home, I try and thank her every day for taking care of our son,” Scheffler continued. “It’s why I talk about family being my priority, because it really is. I’m blessed to be able to come out here and play golf. But if golf ever started affecting my home life or it ever affected the relationship I have with my wife or with my son, that’s going to be the last day that I play out here for a living.”
Scheffler added, “This is not the be all, end all. This is not the most important thing in my life.”
The 153rd Open Championship begins Thursday, July 17, at Royal Portrush Golf Club in Northern Ireland.
Read the full article here
