Scottie Scheffler calls Tiger Woods comparisons ‘silly' after his Open triumph
The 28-year-old won his second major of the year after May's US PGA, his fourth in total, and he is three-quarters of the way towards a career Grand Slam – which he can complete at next year's US Open in the same four-year time-frame as Jack Nicklaus.
Advertisement
Only 15-time major winner Woods has done it quicker, in three years.
The numbers continue to stack up for the world number one, whose 17-under total gave him a four-stroke victory at Royal Portrush but belied how comfortable his win was.
Champion Golfer of the Year.
pic.twitter.com/oXijPBYOli
— The Open (@TheOpen)
July 20, 2025
On Saturday evening Rory McIlroy, a five-time major winner who himself completed the Grand Slam at the Masters in April, said Scheffler was 'inevitable' and his play is giving off a Woods-type aura.
He is 111 under par in majors since the beginning of 2020, 46 shots better than anyone else, and is four from four when it comes to converting 54-hole major leads (Woods won his first 14) and has been world number one for 112 consecutive weeks.
Advertisement
'I still think they're a bit silly,' Scheffler said of the Woods comparison.
'Tiger won, what, 15 majors? This is my fourth. I just got one-fourth of the way there.
'I think Tiger stands alone in the game of golf. He was inspirational for me growing up. He was a very, very talented guy, and he was a special person to be able to be as good as he was at the game of golf.
Explain this one @ golf gods
pic.twitter.com/pDBfFsKdEs
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR)
July 20, 2025
'I don't focus on that kind of stuff. That's not what motivates me. I'm not motivated by winning championships. I don't look at the beginning of the year and just say 'Hey, I want to win X amount of tournaments, I want to win whatever it is'.
Advertisement
'I have dreams and aspirations that I think about, but at the end of the day I feel like what motivates me is just getting out and getting to live out my dream.
'I get to play professional golf, and I feel like I'm called to do it to the best of my ability.
'I don't place much emphasis on things that I can accomplish. It's just mostly about putting in the proper work and coming out here and competing.
'I've always done my best when I'm able to live in the present.'
Advertisement
On Tuesday Scheffler gave a surprisingly revealing press conference at which he admitted being successful at golf did not fulfil him and he prioritises being a good husband and father over anything.
It all adds up to the Champion Golfer of the Year.
@NTTDATA
|
#ShotView
pic.twitter.com/Ut1FGjQU1l
— The Open (@TheOpen)
July 20, 2025
After winning the Claret Jug he felt his comments were taken out of context and insisted he was not disrespecting the game or making light of his achievements.
'I think it really underestimates what I was trying to communicate. Maybe I didn't do as effective of a job as I hoped to in communicating that,' he added.
'At the end of the day, I have a tremendous amount of gratitude towards moments like these.
Advertisement
'I literally worked my entire life to become good at this game and play this game for a living. It's one of my greatest joys of my life to compete out here.
'To be able to win The Open Championship here at Portrush is a feeling that's really hard to describe.
'This is amazing to win the Open Championship, but at the end of the day, having success in life, whether it be in golf, work, whatever it is, that's not what fulfils the deepest desires of your heart.
'Am I grateful for it? Do I enjoy it? Oh, my gosh, yes, this is a cool feeling.
'It's just tough to describe when you haven't lived it.'
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Sun
23 minutes ago
- The Sun
Darts star Daryl Gurney ‘held back by security' in furious backstage row with Gerwyn Price
GERWYN PRICE and Daryl Gurney were involved in angry backstage scenes after their World Matchplay bust-up. The pair ended their clash with a fiery ruckus on Monday night with the Welshman aggressively grabbing his rival's hand. 1 But it kicked off behind-the-scenes with Gurney having to be restrained by security as Price did his post-match interview with talkSPORT. Damian Vlottes, from the Dutch Darts Draait Door podcast, said: 'Gurney was literally at the door with his head round the corner. 'Two security guards had to hold him back. He clearly wanted to confront Price again. He came in swearing.' Former top player Vincent Van der Voort added: 'He was ready for a nice, friendly chat! 'He was absolutely fuming. Still insisting he did nothing wrong, that it was all on Price. 'I only spoke to Daryl afterwards. All he said was, 'I didn't do anything wrong.' He was angry, really angry. There was no calm conversation. He made it clear he's not a fan of Price. 'But I imagine Price would say the opposite. There's so much emotion involved. I don't mind it though, adds spice to the sport. As long as it doesn't turn physical, this sort of tension has its place.' The players have history of aggro and the contest, won 10-7 by Price, became more feisty as it progressed. Gurney was clearly winding up the Welshman with mocking gestures and facial expressions. Price responded with his typical super-loud leg-winning celebration roars. The first flashpoint came immediately after the match concluded. Vlottes said: 'He gave him the handshake, very firmly. I thought it was a fantastic moment to watch. Then Price said something, Gurney looked taken aback and stormed off the stage. You could see how intense it was. 'You could tell Gurney was already starting to wind things up. Constantly provoking.' Van der Voort added: 'There was a bit of mimicking, body language… you could feel the tension rising between them. 'He was at it throughout, gesturing, little games. That's fine. But to blow up like that straight after the match… clearly a lot of bottled-up frustration. It's unfortunate, but at least we've got something to talk about now.' Despite the incident dominating social media and on Sky Sports, Price asked not to be questioned about Gurney in the post-match press conference. Vlottes continued: 'No questions about it were allowed. We had plenty lined up, but we were told not to ask. That wasn't the journalists, it was the PDC's decision.' Van der Voort added: 'That's where they fall short, in my opinion. It's a shame. Sport is emotion, and this sort of thing happens in every sport.' Price did touch on the subject, saying: 'I've learnt to try and keep my emotions in tact at key points sometimes. I did today in two or three legs where my head was going to blow off. I just had to keep it in.' Price did later post on his Instagram story: 'Have to be careful these days I'm down to light cruiser weight.' In amongst all the aggro, Michael van Gerwen made a light-hearted attempt to calm down the situation. Van der Voort said: 'He came out of the players' room, he had to play next and said, 'Come on lads, calm down' in the corridor.' It's not the first time the pair have clashed, they have had previous rows in the Premier League which started at Sheffield in 2019 and had to be separated by security on that occasion.
The Sun
23 minutes ago
- The Sun
England vs Italy live stream FREE: How to watch huge Women's Euros semi-final without paying a penny
ENGLAND face Italy tonight in what is expected to be a thrilling Women's Euros semi-final - and fans can watch it all unfold for FREE. The Lionesses' trophy defence was on the brink of coming to an abrupt end when they went two goals down in 25 minutes during their quarter-final clash against Sweden. However, two goals in two minutes from Lucy Bronze and Michelle Ageymang, plus a chaotic penalty shootout win, saw Sarina Wiegman's side book their spot in tonight's final four match. And many will have the Lionesses as favourites to beat Italy, who have never won a major tournament in their entire history. But the Italians should certainly have the wind in their sails as Cristiana Girelli's double against Norway, fired Italy to their first Women's Euros semi-final since 1997. This match has all the ingredients to be an all-time classic, and SunSport can provide fans with information on how to tune in without paying a penny. How to watch England vs Italy for FREE England's huge 2025 Women's Euros semi-final against Italy will be broadcast for FREE on ITV 1. Coverage is scheduled to get underway from 7pm BST. You can also stream the match for FREE via the ITV X app or ITV website. Alternatively, SunSport's live blog will bring you minute-by-minute coverage as the Lionesses look to progress to the final. When is England vs Italy? England vs Italy will take place TONIGHT - Tuesday, July 22. The thrilling 2025 Women's Euros semi-final is set to kick off at 8pm BST. Stade de Geneve in Switzerland is the chosen venue for this contest and it can host approximately 30,000 fans. The Lionesses thrashed Italy 5-1 when the two countries last met in a 2024 friendly. England's team news Lionesses manager Sarina Wiegman will be hoping her captain, Leah Williamson is fit again after being forced to come off during the heroic win against Sweden. Besides that, we could see the same team that started in the quarter-final win despite Chloe Kelly and Michelle Agyemang's crucial involvement.
BBC News
23 minutes ago
- BBC News
'Players are not ready' or 'we can beat Midtjylland'?
We asked for your views on Hibernian's next potential opponents in Europe, should they what some of you said:Sam: Partizan Ultras travelling to Edinburgh mid-festival and just after the Oasis concerts, that'll be a quiet night at the Full focus must of course be on the very tough tie against Midtjylland. Should we progress, the Europa League draw looks a lot more favourable than the Conference League, with Partizan Belgrade in particular looking an ominous draw. However, the odds are probably stacked against us in our current tie so there's no point getting ahead of ourselves. Can hopefully bring the tie back to Easter road with all to play for there. Hopefully the pre-season has given David Gray an idea of what line-up to Everyone seems to be worried about playing teams such as these, but really they are a similar standard to Hibs or why else would they be in qualifying rounds like we are? We can beat Denmark's Midtjylland, and move on, one way, onwards and A trip to Belgrade sounds like a The team looked slack and unfit against Bolton. Concerned they're not If we can't beat Bolton Wanderers then it really doesn't matter who we play in Europe.
