The number one golfer in the world told everyone how he really feels about the game earlier today.
Scottie Scheffler, like many other professional golfers, is currently preparing to compete in the year’s last major championship: The Open. Also referred to as a the British Open, the historic and revered major championship is being played at Royal Portrush Golf Club in Northern Ireland this week. And Scottie is one of the favorites to lift up the Claret Jug.
But does he even want to win the golf tournament?
I only ask that question because Scottie Scheffler gave one of the deepest and most existential press conferences in the history of sports ahead of the Open Championship earlier today. The 29-year-old golfer, who seemingly can win tournaments with his B-game when other pros have to have their A-game, was asked how long he typically celebrates his victories.
His answer to that question was shocking to say the least:
“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, because what is the point? Why do I want to win this tournament so bad? That’s something that I wrestle with on a daily basis.
Showing up at the Masters every year, it’s like, why do I want to win this golf tournament so badly? Why do I want to win the Open Championship so badly? I don’t know. Because, if I win, it’s going to be awesome for two minutes. Then we’re going to get to the next week and it’s: ‘Hey, you won two majors this year; how important is it for you to win the FedExCup playoffs?’ And we’re back here again.”
And when I say shocking, it’s more in the sense of you don’t always expect athletes to wear their hearts on their sleeve like that. Scheffler opened up to the media as if he was talking to his therapist, and it was honestly a very refreshing answer to a question that could have easily been satiated with a couple of emotionless words.
The 16-time PGA Tour winner did go on to say that he loves getting to practice and live out his dreams, but reiterated that golf isn’t the most important thing in his life. Being a husband and a father is, and the best golfer in the world said that if the game he plays for a living ever got in the way of his family, he’d walk away in a heartbeat:
“I love being able to provide for my family out here playing golf. Every day when I wake up early to go put in the work, my wife thanks me for going out and working so hard. When I get home, I try to thank her every day for taking care of our son. That’s why I talk about family being my priority because it really is. 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.”
Again, just an unbelievable – but very much appreciated – thing to hear from one of the best athletes in the world.
Scheffler went on for a good five minutes with his answer, which at it’s core questioned if anyone really gets fulfilled doing what they do for a living. He kind of drove that point home as he wrapped things up, saying that he loves working hard at being the world’s best, and winning tournaments, but at the end of the day it’s not what satisfies him as a human being:
“We put in so much effort, and we work so hard for something that’s so fleeting. It really is. The feeling of winning just doesn’t last long. When I sit back at the end of the year and I kind of try to reflect on things… having that sense of accomplishment from winning the Masters Tournament, from winning the PGA Championship, I have a deep sense of gratitude and appreciation for it.
But it’s just hard to explain how it just doesn’t satisfy. That’s how I would describe it. It’s an unsatisfying venture. And so I guess what I’m trying to say is this is not the place to look for your satisfaction. This is something where you can have a great appreciation for and a great amount of thankfulness to be able to do this. It’s literally one of the most fun things that I can do in my entire life. I love being able to come out here and play golf and compete, but at the end of the day, it’s just not what satisfies me.”
All in all, Scottie turned what would typically be a throw-away interview ahead of the Open Championship into an answer that could very well stay with some people. If you’ve got the time to check out Scheffler’s full response, what he had to say is well worth the listen:
