Scottie Scheffler got very deep and very real with reporters on Tuesday when asked what winning golf tournaments mean to him before playing in this week’s British Open.
“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 said at Royal Portrush. “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 FedExCup playoffs?’ And we’re back here again.”
Scheffler continued, “We work so hard for such little moments. I’m kind of a 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.
“I don’t know if I’m making any sense or not? I love the challenge. 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.
“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? 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.’’
Scottie Scheffler just gave one of the best (and deepest) press conference answers ever heard. pic.twitter.com/SUIRKuLwgb
— Golf Digest (@GolfDigest) July 15, 2025
Specifically, Scheffler spoke about winning the Byron Nelson Classic earlier this year and the emptiness he felt afterwards.
“I said something after the Byron this year about like it feels like you work your whole life to celebrate winning a tournament for like a few minutes,’’ Scheffler said. “It only lasts a few minutes, that kind of euphoric feeling. 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, ‘OK, what are we going to eat for dinner?’ 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, it brings tears to my eyes just to think about it 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.
“It’s great to win tournaments. It’s a lot of fun. Sometimes the feeling only lasts about two minutes, it seems like when you’re celebrating, and then it’s like, ‘OK, now you’ve got to go do all this other stuff,’ which is great, but sometimes the feeling of winning only lasts a few seconds. It’s pretty exciting and fun, but it just doesn’t last that long.’’
Scheffler, the world’s top-ranked golfer, also emphasized the importance of focusing on each tournament at a time.
“Being No. 1 in the world is a great accomplishment as a golfer,’’ Scheffler said. “As a professional, to be ranked as the best in the world is a huge career accomplishment, and I don’t think it should be taken lightly. But you don’t become No. 1 in the world by thinking about rankings. You don’t stay No. 1 in the world thinking about rankings. Each tournament is its own challenge.
“Look at this week, for example. 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, ‘OK, you won two majors this year; what are you going to do this week?’ That’s the question you’re going to get asked.
“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.’’
