Top-ranked Scottie Scheffler calls golf an 'unsatisfying venture' entering British Open
The three-time major champion is once again the favorite for the tournament, which will be held from Thursday through Sunday at Royal Portrush Golf Club in Northern Ireland.
"When I sit back at the end of the year and try to reflect on things, having that sense of accomplishment from winning the Masters Tournament and winning the PGA Championship, I have a deep sense of gratitude and appreciation for it," Scheffler said. "But it's just hard to explain how it just doesn't satisfy.
"It's an unsatisfying venture. This is not the place to look for satisfaction."
Scheffler earned three wins through 15 events this season. He placed inside the Top 25 in all of those appearances, including 12 Top-10 performances. Scheffler also cashed in $16.1 million in 2025. He won seven events and earned 16 Top-10 finishes out of 19 events last season, when he earned nearly $30 million.
For his career, Scheffler won 16 PGA Tour events and totaled $87.8 million in prize money. He finished inside the Top 10 in nearly half (71) of his 145 career PGA Tour appearances.
"It feels like you work your whole life to celebrate winning a tournament for like a few minutes," said Scheffler, a Dallas resident. "It only lasts a few minutes, that kind of euphoric feeling. To win the Byron Nelson Championship [in McKinney, Texas] 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."
Scheffler said that he loves putting in work, playing professional golf and living out his dreams, but prioritizes being a father. Scheffler and his wife, Meredith, welcomed their first child, son Bennett, on May, 8 2024.
"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," Scheffler said. "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. 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?
"I really do believe that. ... Why do I want to win this tournament so bad? That's something that I wrestle with on a daily basis."
Scheffler emphasized that expectations for his next tournament chase away the fleeting feeling of victory. He also said that he would quit the sport if it impacted his relationship with his family.
"That's why I talk about family being my priority because it really is," Scheffler said. "I'm blessed to be able to 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 my son, that's going to be the last day that I play out here for a living.
"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? Because I'd much rather be a great father than I would be a great golfer. At the end of the day, that's what's more important to me."
The 2025 British Open will air on NBC, USA Network, Golf Channel, Peacock, NBCSports.com and the NBC Sports app.
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