The Open: Scottie Scheffler 'could not care less' about being favourite at Royal Portrush and questions his fulfilment from golf
Scottie Scheffler is pre-tournament favourite to win The Open at Royal Portrush; The world No 1 went on a remarkable tangent on his battle to be fulfilled from golf during his pre-tournament press conference; Watch The Open live this week on Sky Sports
By Ali Stafford at Royal Portrush
Last Updated: 16/07/25 7:42am
Scottie Scheffler insists "he could not care less" about being favourite for The Open this week but "wrestles daily" with his constant desire to enjoy more success.
Scheffler has been a dominant force in world golf over the past four seasons, winning 16 times on the PGA Tour - including three major titles - since the start of 2022 and topping the world rankings since May 2023.
The American has top 10 finishes in each of his last 10 worldwide starts and has already won three times this season, including the PGA Championship, although admits he still struggles to be fully fulfilled by his achievements.
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"It feels like you work your whole life to celebrate winning a tournament for like a few minutes," Scheffler said in his pre-tournament press conference. "It only lasts a few minutes, that kind of euphoric feeling.
"Is it great to be able to win tournaments and to accomplish the things I have in the game of golf? Yeah, it brings tears to my eyes just to think about, because I've literally worked my entire life to be good at this sport.
"To have that kind of sense of accomplishment, I think, is a pretty cool feeling. 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.
"I'm not out here to inspire someone to be the best player in the world because what's the point? That 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.
"There's a lot of people that make it to what they thought was going to fulfil them in life, and you get there, you get to No 1 in the world, and they'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.
"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 FedExCup playoffs? And we're back here again.
"We work so hard for such little moments. I'm kind of sicko; I love putting in the work. I love getting to practice. I love getting to live out my dreams. But at the end of the day, sometimes I just don't understand the point."
Scheffler plays down 'favourite' tag
Tiger Woods was the last reigning world No 1 to win The Open, successfully defending his title in 2006, although Scheffler is the pre-tournament favourite to end that run this week and complete the third leg of the career Grand Slam.
"I could not care any less about being the favourite or not being the favourite," Scheffler added. "We all start even par and the tournament starts on Thursday. That's pretty much all that matters.
"In terms of links golf, I love the style of golf. I think it's really fun and you have to be creative. You have to hit a lot of really good shots. There's a challenge to it, but I think it's a lot of fun.
"Weather has a pretty dramatic effect on how the golf course is going to play. You can play your practice rounds and prepare, but ultimately when you step on the tee on Thursday, whatever the weather presents is going to be probably the strongest part of the test."
Who will win The Open? Watch the final men's major of the year throughout the week live on Sky Sports. Live coverage of the opening round begins on Thursday from 6.30am on Sky Sports Golf. Stream The Open and more top sport with no contract.
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