Scottie Scheffler explains his ‘why’ (and what people do wrong)

Scottie Scheffler made it clear at the start of this year’s pre-Open press conference: He didn’t want a repeat performance from last year.

“I think I’ll try to keep those things to myself this week,” he said with a smile.

Brace yourself – this whole article is a bit meta. It’s about Scottie Scheffler talking about Scottie Scheffler talking. That’s just the kind of thing Scottie Scheffler rolls his eyes at. And it’s the kind of thing Scottie Scheffler thinks a lot about. Which brings us back to the beginning.

However, by “those things” Scheffler was referring to his thoughts at last year’s pre-Open press conference in Portrush, where he reflected aloud on the transient nature of winning with a long answer that spread like wildfire, and, he felt, lost some context as it grew.

He won that event, his first Open Championship and fourth major title, further cementing his position as World No. 1. He still holds that position. And his search for purpose remains compelling.

“I think your point was, what is the point?” he said Tuesday with a smile. “I am not recommending anyone [rewatching] clip. But if you are going to write about it, please watch the whole 5 minutes. I will recommend it to you guys [media] but no one else.”

Now it was Scheffler trying to say last year? He couldn’t resist the urge to clarify, too.

“I think the point for me was like I’m always figuring out why,” Scheffler said. “Like, why am I doing this? Why do I want to win this tournament so badly? Why do I choose to play this game for a living? I’m always figuring out why. I think when I understand why I’m playing when I’m playing, I think that’s when I’m most at peace.”

Some people seem to take Scheffler’s comments as ungrateful or dismissive of his accomplishments. I don’t think that’s right. Scheffler never says this is meaningless or irrelevant; you know it does and you know how much you care. You know there is something why. But he does not always know what it is; it can be as difficult as a twisted thought. The good news for this Open, however:

“Overall, I feel like I know my stuff why why I’m out here playing, and I’m happy to try to defend my title this week,” he said.

So why his? He didn’t write it right. But he offered this:

“If I retire and live alone, I will lose the feeling of waking up in the morning and not being able to eat breakfast because your stomach hurts because you are waiting for the day.

In other words, he loves the arena, the competition, the stakes, the chase. There’s a lot of why there. Apathy has never been a problem. Finding out what to do about how much you care? That is a work in progress.

Scheffler talked about dealing with his frustrations, learning to “take off your hat and shake hands” regardless of the outcome. He also reflected on pre-round butterflies at the 2017 US Open at Erin Hills, when he was in college.

“I almost couldn’t eat for a week before that,” he said. “My stomach was hurting; I was burping at bits of food. They were giving me things so I could digest things. Over time I feel like I’m getting better at finding a way to control those feelings. You have to be able to eat to go out and play. I’m not going to be starving all the time.”

Care remains, although the challenges – and expectations – have changed. Take this season, which Scheffler called “tough” but “frustrating at times” given that he’s had the lead but only one win. In one of three tournaments he finished second, third and fourth among golfers in the world (Rory McIlroy at the Masters, Matthew Fitzpatrick at the RBC Heritage, Cameron Young at Cadillac, respectively) and two weeks ago he lost to Viktor Hovland in a playoff at the Travelers. At the Scottish Open last week, he missed his first round in four years. He’s still the best golfer in the world, but he has plenty of reminders of how hard it is to live here.

This is where Scheffler was most insightful: to the certain pressures and demands that come with being World No. 1 in the present.

“It’s always noisy at golf tournaments,” he said. “For example, this week, I arrive on Sunday [at Birkdale] I think there will be no fans there. We go out there on the 1st hole, and there are fans there. I love being able to play in front of fans; that’s a lot of fun. But as I get to the basement in the first hole, and I turn around, and within six meters of me there are literally like two cameras in my face. I turn around and look at the guys, like ‘hey, y’all, are you going to be around like this all day, or can we get a little place?’

“I think, just being in the spotlight all the time puts a burden on the player in this day and age. Everything is recorded. When [someone] he said hello, they took out a cell phone. Like, you’re walking on eggshells a little bit, and that can wear people off … being filmed all the time, I’m far from perfect, and you know – I’m trying to find the right words, but I think sometimes it can be difficult when you’re being filmed all the time.”

Everything is what it is contenteach time. Sports are growing. Interest is increasing. It’s no wonder why it can be a little confusing when you’re in the middle of it all.

But Scheffler sounded excited to be back on the field. He was inspired by this week’s tough, fast, burning links test at Birkdale.

“I’m looking forward to getting out here on a solid golf course,” he said. “I think it’s going to be a lot of fun and interesting to play in. St Andrews [in 2022] I was strong, but other than that, I haven’t played an extremely strong Open Championship, so I’m excited to come out and see what it’s like under the tournament.”

Good news: He says he has the answer to that most important question yet.

“As I said last year, what is the point because we keep wanting more. The heart is insatiable, and we always want more.

“But that’s also the fun part: The chase.”

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