Imago
Image Courtesy: IMAGO
Imago
Image Courtesy: IMAGO
Unlike Oakmont, there is no Church Pew at Royal Portrush. And yet, even before the first tee shot of the 153rd Open Championship has been struck, there have been some deep soul-searching, some extraordinary confessions and revelations of fantasy.
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It all started with Scottie Scheffler and his rather existential introspection of being the most successful golfer in recent times. A couple of hours later, Bryson DeChambeau nearly squealed in delight at the possibility of a 400-yard wind tunnel where he could practice playing shots in all kinds of wind. And it ended with defending Open champion Xander Schauffele’s stunning admission that he had no idea where all his trophies, including his Olympic gold medal, were.
Scheffler said he feels “awesome for a couple of minutes” after his wins. And then it’s back to the drudgery of getting ready for the next week.
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“This is not a fulfilling life. It’s fulfilling from the sense of accomplishment, but it’s not fulfilling from a sense of the deepest places of your heart. You get to No.1 in the world, and what’s the point?” said the man who has won three majors, 13 other PGA Tour titles, and just his on-course earnings on the PGA Tour have reached an eye-watering $87.9 million in the past six years.
Of course, you ask him what feels fulfilling.
“I love playing golf. I love being able to compete. I love living out my dreams. I love being a father. I love being able to take care of my son. I love being able to provide for my family out here playing golf,” explained Scheffler.
Most people would consider it an extreme reaction to success. However, I believe it is exactly this thought process that helps Scheffler excel in his chosen profession.
Ask any professional golfer, and they’d say the most important thing in the sport is to have routines and the ability to follow processes. And they’d add that not thinking about results is equally important.
And that is the point.
That’s what Scheffler is doing on the golf course, and that’s what he is doing in life. He continues to work hard on his game but is not attaching any importance to his golfing outcomes. It’s the absolute ideal space for any sports person to be in.
World No. 3 Schauffele, one of his best mates on the Tour and biggest rival, was asked about what makes Scheffler tick.
“He is very routine… extremely routine. His process is great, and I think he was kind of talking about going on to the next thing. I just think that’s why he’s been No. 1 and hasn’t even sniffed looking backwards. If he were sitting there looking at all his trophies every day, I’m sure he’d still be playing great golf, but I don’t think he’s that guy,” Schauffele said.
It is this kind of thinking that has led to him becoming the favorite this week, ahead of such proven links course players like Rory McIlroy, Jon Rahm, and Tommy Fleetwood.
Written by
Edited by
Siddharth Shirwadkar