PORTRUSH, Northern Ireland – On the brink of a tournament that will allow Scotty Schaeffler to three of the four legs of a career grand slam at age 29, the best unsuspected player in the world said he can’t find a real sense of fulfillment in his victory.
“This is not a fulfilling life,” Schaeffler said. “It’s fulfilling from a sense of accomplishment, but not from your deepest sense of place in your heart.”
Schaeffler has won two masters and added a third major this year when he won the PGA Championship at Quazlo Hollow, earning a 16-time professional career. He has spoken at length in the past about not taking root in his identity in golf despite acknowledging how badly he wants to win every time he tees it.
“That’s what I struggle every day,” Schaeffler said at the Royal Portrush. “It’s like it’s like it appears every year at the Masters. Why do you want to win this golf tournament so badly? Why do you want to win the Open Championship so badly?
“It’s something I struggle every day. It’s like showing up to the master every year. Why do I want to win this golf tournament so badly?
Scotty Scheffler
Schaeffler said Tuesday that he doesn’t even understand the point of winning, and even the major championship, because he knows the nature of the sport is simply moving on to next week and asking the same questions about where he’s going from here.
“Is it great to be able to win tournaments and accomplish what I have in golf games? Yeah, I literally worked for the rest of my life to be good at this sport, so it brings tears to my eyes to think about it,” Schaeffler said. “I think it’s a pretty cool feeling to have that kind of sense of accomplishment. It’s very special to make your dream come true, but at the end of the day, I’m not here to inspire the next generation of golfers.
For example, Schaeffler raised the Byron Nelson event on the tournament, the PGA Tour. Earlier this year, Schaeffler shot 31 to win the event outside Dallas, but he still said he was impressed by how the moment felt.
“You win it, celebrate it, embrace my family, my sister is there, it’s a great moment. Then it’s okay, what will we eat for dinner? Life goes on,” Schaeffler said. “It feels like I’m working for a lifetime to celebrate winning a tournament for just a few minutes. It only lasts a few minutes.”
Still, Schaeffler admitted that even though he knows statistically he’s more likely to lose than win every time he plays, he’s forced to continue searching for that feeling.
“That’s terrible. I hate it, I really do,” Schaeffler said he lost. “We work so hard in these few moments. I’m a bit sick. I love working. I love practicing. I love making dreams come true. But at the end of the day, sometimes I don’t understand the points.”
The key to many players on the field this week is to develop a jug of claret on Sunday. Schaeffler has not escaped sharing that sentiment and he does everything with his power to prepare to win his fourth major championship.
In his four appearances at Open, Scheffler has two top 10 finishes and two top 20 finishes. This is evidence of his consistently high play in the major championship that this tournament is likely to be something that his performance is not in line with his other major starts.
“If you come second this week or die the last time, we will always continue next week,” Schaeffler said. “It’s one of the beautiful things about golf and it’s one of the frustrating things because you can get such great results, but the show continues, and that’s exactly what it is.”