Open Championship 2025: Scottie Scheffler reveals daily struggle to find reason why he plays golf
Scottie Scheffler is the favorite for the Open Championship, but the dominant force in golf often struggles to see why he plays the sport.
Everything tends to look so easy for Scottie Scheffler when he’s out on the golf course. However, there is at least one aspect of the game with which he struggles: finding a reason why he bothers to play in the first place.
Scheffler is the clear favourite to win a fourth major title at this week’s Open Championship at Royal Portrush.
A victory would move the world number one within touching distance of the Grand Slam, with the US Open the only other major he has yet to win.
But, speaking ahead of the final major of the season, Scheffler revealed a struggle to find meaning playing the sport he has come to dominate.
“I’m not out here to inspire the next generation of golfers,” Scheffler told a press conference. “I’m not out here to inspire someone to be the best player in the world because what’s the point? This is not a fulfilling life.”
“I have a deep sense of gratitude and appreciation for it, but it’s just hard to explain. It just doesn’t satisfy is how I would describe it. It’s an unsatisfying venture.
“Playing professional sports is a really weird thing to do. It really is. Just because we put in so much effort, we work so hard for something that’s so fleeting. It really is. The feeling of winning just doesn’t last that long. Sometimes the feeling of winning only lasts a few seconds.”
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Looking back to his victory at the CJ Cup Byron Nelson, a tournament held a little over 30 miles outside of his hometown of Dallas, Texas, last month, Scheffler added: “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.
“You win it, you celebrate, get to hug my family, my sister’s there, it’s such an amazing moment. Then it’s like, okay, what are we going to eat for dinner? Life goes on.”
“That’s something that I wrestle with on a daily basis,” Scheffler explained of his search for fulfilment playing golf.
“It’s like showing up at the Masters every year. 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.
“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.”
“This is not the be all, end all. This is not the most important thing in my life. That’s why I wrestle with, why is this so important to me?
“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 out here for a living.”