Even the best golfer in the world knows the immense satisfaction and elation of winning is a fleeting feeling.
In what could have been an average pre-tournament press conference at Royal Portrush Golf Club, Scottie Scheffler delivered a deeply honest speech on success, sharing his poignant perspective that underscored the duality of motivation and fulfillment that he said is "something I wrestle with on a daily basis."
"There's a lot of people that make it to what they thought was going to fulfill them in life, and you get there, you get to No. 1 in the world, and they're like, 'What's the point?'" Scheffler told reporters ahead of the 153rd British Open, which begins Thursday. "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."
The PGA World No. 1 player and two-time Masters champion has 16 career wins under his belt, most recently notching his third major title at the PGA Championship at Quail Hollow, and is favored to add a fourth to his illustrious resume this week in Northern Ireland at the world-renowned links course The Dunluce.
"It feels like you work your whole life to celebrate winning a tournament for like a few minutes. It only lasts a few minutes, that kind of euphoric feeling," he said. "This is not a fulfilling life. It's fulfilling from the sense of accomplishment, but it's not fulfilling from a sense of the deepest places of your heart."
The 29-year-old continued, "To get to live out your dreams is very special, but at the end of the day, I'm not out here to inspire the next generation of golfers."
For Scheffler and so many other athletes, celebratory moments after a hard-earned win are almost instantly followed by questions about how that player will replicate the result at the next competition.
"If I win, it's going to be awesome for about two minutes. And then we're going to get to the next week and it's gonna be like, 'Hey, you won two majors this year. How important is it for you to win the FedEx Cup playoffs?'" he said. "We work so hard for such little moments."
Scheffler went on to say on the flip side of the equation -- losing -- "sucks and I hate it, but golf's a game where you just lose a lot more often than you win."
The Texas native is in rarefied air, however, having already proven his ability to build off the momentum of a win this season with back-to-back victories in May, first finishing 31-under at the CJ Cup Byron Nelson in front of his family and hometown crowd, followed by the PGA Championship just 14 days later.
"To win the Byron Nelson Championship at home, I literally worked my entire life to become good at golf, to have an opportunity to win that tournament. And you win it, you celebrate, get to hug my family, my sisters there. It's such an amazing moment. And then it's like, 'OK, now what are we going to eat for dinner?' Life goes on," Scheffler reflected.
Scheffler and his wife Meredith became parents last year, welcoming their son Bennett in May 2024, which he explained is ultimately his greatest priority in life over golf.
"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," he said. "I love being a father, I love be able to take care of my son. I love to be able provide for my family out here playing golf, and every day when I wake up early to go put in the work, my wife thanks me for going out and working so hard. And when I get home, I try and thank her every day for taking care of our son."
"I'm blessed to be 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 with my son, that's gonna be the last day that I play out here for a living," Scheffler said without hesitation. "This is not the be-all, end-all. This is not the most important thing in my life. And that's why I wrestle with, 'Why is this so important to me?' Because I would much rather be a great father than I would be a great golfer."
