Scottie Scheffler has already made waves at The Open Championship without even taking a swing, thanks to some comments that have raised a few eyebrows.
Scheffler, who’s no stranger to the winner’s circle these days, says he only takes a few minutes to soak in his victories before moving on.
Among his comments was one that stood out: “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 about two minutes.”
He’s leading the field at Royal Portrush in Northern Ireland as The Open gets underway.
The world number one is looking to add a fourth major title to what’s already been an impressive career.
Padraig Harrington unclear on Scottie Scheffler’s remarks at The Open
J.J. Spaun, the US Open champion, agreed with Scheffler’s comments, but Padraig Harrington wasn’t quite sure what he meant.
Speaking ahead of The Open, the Irishman said: “I’m not sure what he was trying to articulate. And I wouldn’t be putting words in his head. But I know I’m still celebrating my US Open Senior win.
“And it goes on for weeks, every time somebody says well done to me, I get a little… you know bit of acceptance and enjoyment out of it.
“I think he was trying to articulate something. I don’t want to compare myself to him, but I genuinely still have a real love for this game and enjoy every bit of it. It brings me tremendous satisfaction, and I don’t think I have to shy away from that.
“Just because I love golf doesn’t make me a bad father or a bad parent or anything. They’re separate entities.
“You can enjoy everything there is about golf and still be good elsewhere and do the right things. I just love playing golf.”
Padraig Harrington shares what could be next for Scottie Scheffler
Both men have three majors to their names, though they’ve gone about it in different ways. Scheffler has two Masters titles and a PGA Championship, while Harrington’s haul includes two Open Championships and one PGA.
Harrington also warned that Scheffler’s recent comments might come back around, especially if his form dips.
He said: “For him, he’s going to be asked about that for the next… the minute he doesn’t play well that’s what he’s going to… ‘Oh, that was the day’. So he was being honest. But those people are going to ask him about that for a long time.
| Year | Tournament | 54 holes | Score | Margin | Runner(s)-up |
| 2007 | The Open Championship | 6 shot deficit | −7 (69-73-68-67=277) | Playoff | Sergio Garcia |
| 2008 | The Open Championship | 2 shot deficit | +3 (74-68-72-69=283) | 4 strokes | Ian Poulter |
| 2008 | PGA Championship | 3 shot deficit | −3 (71-74-66-66=277) | 2 strokes | Sergio Garcia, Ben Curtis |
“I’ve often said this later on in my life, I wish I spent more time enjoying my wins when they happened. And when I win now I make sure to enjoy it.”
Scheffler doesn’t look likely to slow down any time soon. He leads the world rankings and has been a model of consistency throughout the year.
The American has already picked up three wins from 15 starts on tour this season and hasn’t finished outside the top 25 in any of them.
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