Scottie Scheffler's epic golf rant at The Open: 'This is not a fulfilling life'

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PORTRUSH, Northern Ireland — A lot of time over the past few years has been spent in golf circles trying to figure out what makes Scottie Scheffler tick. On Tuesday at Royal Portrush, the world’s best golfer made one thing clear. It’s not golf.

“I’m not out here to inspire the next generation of golfers,” Scheffler said ahead of the season’s final major. “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.”

“I have a deep sense of gratitude and appreciation for it, but it’s just hard to explain,” Scheffler added. “It just doesn’t satisfy is how I would describe it. It’s an unsatisfying venture.”

The 29-year-old from Texas has taken over the sport, and proven to be the most dominant player since Tiger Woods in his prime. Scheffler has even reached the point where his talents and statistical domination have been compared to the 15-time major-winning Woods.

Except he’s not quite sure why he cares so much about it.

“Playing professional sports is a really weird thing to do. It really is. Just because we put in so much effort, we work so hard for something that’s so fleeting. It really is. The feeling of winning just doesn’t last that long,” he said. “Sometimes the feeling of winning only lasts a few seconds.”

Scheffler remembers the moment he won his hometown Byron Nelson Classic in Texas.

“To win the Byron Nelson Championship 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, okay, what are we going to eat for dinner? Life goes on.”

The similarities between Scheffler and Woods don’t extend to their personalities where Scheffler displays none of the cold-blooded nature of Woods’ steely persona, and has none of the flair for exuberant celebrations the golf legend used to captivate and transcend the sport.

Scheffler also seems to have very little in common on a personality front with his greatest generational rival, Rory McIlroy. The Northern Irish star has long been a complicated figure, a wholehearted deep thinker who for most of his 18-year professional career has wanted the world to know not only what’s on his mind, but what philosopher he’s studying, and what book he’s reading.

On Tuesday, Scheffler was asked about reading.

“You’re asking me about books?” he responded, slightly puzzled. “I have a devotional book that I read on my iPad. I have another book that I’m reading right now, which is definitely not a golf book. It’s another spiritual book. Basically that. My Bible is pretty much it. I’m not really a huge reader.

“I have read a couple books about golf course design. Sorry, I shouldn’t say read. Skimmed would probably be a better description.”

Scheffler’s fascinating rant on the unfulfilling nature of professional sports shows that at least one parallel that can be drawn between all these superstars of golf, although Scheffler is the only one who has ventured to admit it publicly.

McIlroy has struggled mentally with motivation since completing the career grand slam at the Masters in April, and has seemingly battled with the question of finding purpose now that his greatest dream has been accomplished.

In many ways, Scheffler put words to McIlroy’s struggles that the Northern Irish star either hasn’t figured out yet, or is afraid to admit to himself.

“That’s something that I wrestle with on a daily basis,” Scheffler said about the unfulfilling nature of the game. “It’s like showing up at the Masters every year. 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.

“We work so hard for such little moments. I’m kind of sicko; I love putting in the work. I love getting to practice. I love getting to live out my dreams. But at the end of the day, sometimes I just don’t understand the point.”

Woods’ colder personality makes him different. Perhaps it was having a green beret father who served two tours in Vietnam or perhaps it came from his Buddhist mother, but Tiger’s unflinching attitude served him well in this endless pursuit of greatness. That said, Woods has never come across as fulfilled, and in a twisted way it was part of his charm.

Scheffler’s lengthy speech could be seen by some as more of a religious statement from a devout Christian, except there was no preaching in his words. This wasn’t a man looking to tell the answers, this was a man asking questions.

“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?” he said.

“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.”

Until Tuesday, Scheffler could be best described as the neighbour most likely to invite you to a backyard barbecue to talk about the weather and last night’s game. Now we know there are plenty of hard questions lurking behind those soft eyes.