Scottie Scheffler comes clean on chat with manager at The Open - 'What have I done?'

Daily Mirror

a day ago

Scottie Scheffler has recalled an antsy chat with his manager after worrying that his comments at the Open Championship may have caused controversy among golf fans and media members
Scottie Scheffler shared mixed feelings about winning ahead of this year's Open Championship at Royal Portrush. Despite being a strong contender for the title, Scheffler downplayed the significance of celebrating such a potential victory.
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Addressing the press before the tournament began, he said: "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.
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"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.
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"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," reports the Mirror US.
The New Jersey-born PGA Tour pro triumphed with his second major of the year and fourth of his career in Northern Ireland, finishing a comfortable four strokes ahead of Harris English with an impressive 17-under-par by Sunday's close. He later admitted to feeling worried that his pre-tournament remarks might have come across as unappreciative.
On the Pardon My Take podcast, Scheffler recalled: "I remember walking out of that room and I'm looking at Blake, my manager I've known since I was like 10 years old and I'm like, 'Gosh, why did I start ranting like that.
"This is why I don't say anything, things get taken out of context.' I'm just like, 'I don't know why I did that, I hope that made a little bit of sense to some people.' He was like, 'Nah, it's alright, let's go.'"
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When asked about what he intended to convey to the media and fans globally before the tournament, Scheffler added: "I'm sitting there in the media centre again, they're like, 'Hey, how are you going to do this to win this week? What's going to happen this week?'
"And I'm just sitting there thinking like, 'Guys, I'm answering the same questions over and over again.' If I win this tournament, I'm going to show up at the next tournament and you're going to be like, 'Alright, how are you going to win this week?'
"And it's like we just live in this timeframe when we're always onto the next thing and that's really how it feels sometimes. Just when it comes to celebrating, it feels awesome for those few fleeting moments of just pure elation after you win a tournament.
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"When the ball finally goes in the hole Sunday, give Teddy a hug, shake hands, see my wife and my son...it's the craziest feeling in the world, but it just does not last. That adrenaline, that feeling just lasts for a few moments and it's like a drug, you want more of it.
"But the feeling of happiness and satisfaction, being able to accomplish a lifelong dream will last for me for a long time. It's a pretty amazing thing for me to be able to accomplish something like that, and it's something that I'm very grateful for. But like you said, it's not the only thing in my life. Striving to win golf tournaments as the only thing is going to lead to a lifetime of disappointment basically."
Presently positioned at World No. 1 in the OWGR rankings, Scheffler has experienced a remarkable 2025 so far. He claimed his maiden victory of the season at the CJ Cup Byron Nelson in May, before capturing his first PGA Championship crown weeks later.
A further triumph on the PGA Tour materialised with May's Memorial Tournament at Muirfield, before triumph at the Open Championship followed last weekend. Whilst Scheffler is anticipated to make a comeback to the PGA Tour for the FedEx St. Jude Championship in August, it's evident that golf isn't his sole focus in life, with family and his Christian faith also taking precedence.