Scottie Scheffler's act emerges after The Open that speaks volumes about Rory McIlroy rival

Daily Mirror

6 days ago

Scottie Scheffler is the man of the moment after winning a second major of the year at The Open Championship, but the world No.1 has not forgotten his golfing roots
Scottie Scheffler has proved he hasn't forgotten his roots as he continues his domination of the golfing world. Fresh off his victory at the Open Championship at Portrush, where his great rival Rory McIlroy finished tied-seventh, it has emerged he has offered to fund the renovation of the Texas Longhorns' practice facility at the University of Texas (UT) Golf Club, where he played and studied.
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Scheffler, who also clinched the PGA Championship earlier this year, is now three-quarters of the way towards achieving the career Grand Slam. He could complete this feat at next year's US Open, matching the four-year time frame set by the legendary Jack Nicklaus.
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Despite his meteoric rise and stunning wealth, Scheffler hasn't forgotten those who contributed to his development and the youngsters who would love to follow in his footsteps. Since his four-shot win at The Open, his former college coach, John Fields, has revealed that Scheffler will foot the bill for UT's revamp.
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The facility will be christened 'Scheff's Kitchen' in honour of one of their most distinguished alumni. Scheffler remains close to Fields and his wife, Pearl. When the 29-year-old returned to Austin last year for Texas' alumni pro-am, he allowed Pearl to wear his recently won Olympic gold medal from the Paris Games.
Per NBC Golf, Field said: "That helped him because he knew everyone wanted to see that gold medal... and Pearl got to be an Olympian for the day. He just finds fun ways to enjoy that moment but not be too overwhelmed by it, and he's really good about it."
Despite his impressive achievements, Scheffler remains humble, shrugging off any comparisons with golf legend Tiger Woods. After clinching the Open, he insisted: "I still think they're a bit silly.
"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."
Scheffler also opened up about his motivation, which isn't solely driven by accolades. He explained: "I don't focus on that kind of stuff. That's not what motivates me. I'm not motivated by winning championships.
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"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.'
"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."