OUTHPORT, England — A year ago, Scottie Scheffler sounded like he was in the throes of an existential crisis as he was about to begin playing the 155th British Open at Royal Portrush.
Despite the fact that he was entrenched as the world No. 1, Scheffler, in his pre-tournament press conference at Portrush, morphed into an out-of-the-blue, deep, meaning-of-life riff with reporters that left most walking out of that interview room bewildered at what they’d just heard.
Then, five days later, Scheffler went out and won the Open, securing the third leg of the career Grand Slam.
On Tuesday, in advance of this week’s 156th Open Championship at dry, firm and crispy Royal Birkdale, Scheffler joked with reporters that “I’ll try to keep that stuff to myself this week.’’
“It’s weird I said that stuff last year,’’ he said. “I guess the gist of it was, what’s the point? I felt like if you listen to the whole thing — I don’t even feel like I recommend anyone doing that — (but) if you’re going to write about it, please watch the whole five minutes.
“I guess the point for me was like always figuring out your ‘why,’ like why am I doing this? Why do I want to win this tournament so badly? Why do I choose to play this sport for a living? When I have a really good understanding of what my ‘why’ is when I’m playing, that’s when I’m always at peace the most.’’
There has been speculation about whether Scheffler has been at peace this year with his frustration seemingly growing with each week he leaves a golf tournament without a trophy.
Scheffler, coming off winning six times in 2025, including the PGA Championship and the British Open, and seven times in 2024, including the Masters, Players Championship and Tour Championship, has one win in 2026. That was the American Express in January, which must feel like six years ago to him.
He’s played in 15 tournaments this year, winning that one time, finishing second four times, third two times and in the top-5 nine times. That’s a lot of close-but-no-reward golf.
Worse yet, Scheffler — gasp — missed the cut at last week’s Scottish Open, which is the first time in 15 events this year he’s failed to make the weekend and it ended a run of 78 consecutive made cuts.
“You never want to have a weekend off, but going into a tournament when you’re defending, there’s always a bit more stuff to do, so it wasn’t the worst thing in the world, albeit it was quite frustrating,’’ Scheffler said. “I feel at peace. It’s never the best thing to miss a cut, but sometimes having a couple days off, resetting, getting some time away (is good).
“I’ve played a lot of high-level golf for a few years now. Later in the season, I think sometimes you get a little bit more tired. I think that’s almost probably why I started going off the rails last year in the (British Open) press conference.’’
Scheffler pointed to what he termed “a very solid year’’ in 2026 and conceded it’s been “frustrating at times because I’ve been close and I haven’t been able to get it done like I have been in years past.
“Overall, I feel like I know what my why is, why I’m out here playing, and I’m excited to try and defend my title this week.’’
If he does, Scheffler, at age 30, will push himself further into the stratosphere as the best golfer of his generation since Tiger Woods with a fifth career major and 21st win since 2022.
“To be completely honest, I don’t really play for a place in history,’’ Scheffler said. “I’m not playing for anything like that because … this is going to sound a little morbid, (but) 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 the 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.
“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. I’ve never been one to play for history or legacy or anything like that.’’
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: nypost.com
