Rory McIlroy and Scottie Scheffler are the two best golfers in the world by some distance right now.
McIlroy has 30 PGA Tour wins to his name, including six major championships, while Scheffler has won 20 times on the PGA Tour, including four majors.
The Northern Irishman and the American have huge respect for each other, and why wouldn’t they?
Scottie Scheffler has set the standard over the past four years, while Rory McIlroy has been at the top of the game for more than 15 years now.
Scheffler and McIlroy are two of the hardest workers in the game, if not the hardest workers.
However, what is it that actually motivates them? Winning golf tournaments? Setting records? Or merely competing?
Scottie Scheffler comments on his lack of motivation to set records
We all know that Scheffler prioritizes his family life over his golf career.
So with that in mind, it was interesting when the topic of his motivation to set records came up, or lack thereof.
Scheffler was asked by reporters on Tuesday how much he is motivated by setting records.
“To be completely honest, not really,“ he replied.
“I don’t really play, like, for a place in history. I’m not playing for anything like that because – this is going to sound a little morbid – at the end of the day, I’m going to live my life, and it’s going to end. When it ends, I’m going somewhere else, and I’m not going to be here anymore.
“Legacy and all that stuff was never really something that motivated me. For me, it was always competition. I loved playing golf. I loved waking up with butterflies because I’m going out to play a tournament and I get a chance to compete today. I love those feelings, and when I retire, I’m going to miss them.
“For me, I was always trying to get out, play, get the most out of myself, and I love the challenge of trying to play golf. I love trying to get the most out of myself, trying to manage not only my body but my mind as well, and trying to control this little golf ball and to get it to do the things that I want to do with it. Those are the things that motivate me and try to get the most out of myself. I’ve never been one to play for history or legacy or anything like that.“
Rory McIlroy reacts to Scottie Scheffler’s comments about setting records
The Northern Irishman was asked by reporters what he thinks about Scheffler’s comments on not being motivated by setting records.
“Yeah, I think it would be — I’m sure Scottie said something similar, but I think it would be a pretty unfulfilling pursuit if you’re just chasing records and chasing results,“ McIlroy said.
“You have to enjoy the process. You have to enjoy the journey to get there. I’ve learned that the hard way at times by chasing results and chasing records too much.
“You start to focus on your craft and your practice and doing the things you need to do to try to become a better golfer, and then if you do that, the results and the winning almost take care of themselves, or at least you put yourself in position enough to at least step through the door a few times.
“Yeah, it’s not like when I step onto the golf course — you’re obviously trying to win, but winning is such a — like it’s not a real tangible goal, right?
“So the real goal is I want to do this with my swing or I want to hit this sort of shot or I want to feel good when I’m over the ball, whatever it is. If you do that stuff enough times, hopefully you get yourself in a position to win. Then from there, yeah, you can start to think about winning the tournament. But if all you’re thinking about is winning and results, you’re playing the wrong game.“
Perhaps the fact that both McIlroy and Scheffler are not actually motivated by setting records is the reason why they are both such accomplished winners.
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