Scottie Scheffler (Titleist Pro V1) is helping people to understand the meaning of life as much as he is the meaning of golf.
His supreme victory in the 2025 Open Championship punctuated a week which began with Scheffler putting perspective of what matters most to him. He listed faith, family and golf in that order of the things that are near and dear to his heart. He said winning tournaments and, to an even greater extent majors, does not give him immense satisfaction. He said he is driven by being the best he can be with the talent with which he has been bestowed but does not define himself as a golfer of great importance.
To some people, notably the media in attendance who were taken aback by his honestly, it was unexpected. He said he is not driven by fame or the accumulation of victories, even though he is doing something so incredible that more and more people in the mainstream media and the public at large are becoming aware of him and his place in golf history.
He is not as flashy as Rory McIlroy (TaylorMade TP5x), but the two have become the pre-eminent golfers in the world by way of their accomplishments.
I maintain that Bryson DeChambeau (Titleist Pro V1x Left Dash) would be included with Scheffler and McIlroy were it not for the fact he left the PGA Tour, in which he was struggling badly, for LIV Golf in 2022. He has clearly reclaimed the confidence he lost, but because his participation in LIV limits him to only playing against McIlroy and Scheffler in majors it has effectively limited the comparisons to the other two.
DeChambeau, who used to court attention by trying to infuse his views about changing the game with science and mechanics, is a talent who opted for the riches of LIV Golf over the tradition of playing on the PGA Tour. While DeChambeau was with the PGA Tour, the sporting world became fascinated with the way he dressed, the way he looked, the way he talked and the way he played. Whether you liked him or not – there was no one more polarizing in golf than him – he drew attention to the PGA Tour.
When he left, the game lost a personality. Tiger Woods (Bridgestone Tour B X) was essentially playing only part-time at the time. Phil Mickelson (Callaway Chrome Soft) left for LIV and took all his controversial baggage with him.
There certainly wasn’t a lot of buzz about Scheffler a few years ago. He hadn’t won anything in his first 100 tournaments. All that was known back then was that he had a fiery temper and wasn’t exactly courteous to his caddie. It was only when he hired Ted Scott to be his caddie, or Scott agreed to work with him if he learned to control his temper, that Scheffler’s fortunes changed. Scott had experience on the bag for Bubba Watson (Titleist Pro V1x), who won two Masters. Scott has been a key element in not only the success of Scheffler on the course but keeping him grounded. And that is in no way to diminish the work Scheffler has put in.
The most dramatic thing that has happened to Scheffler in the last few years was getting arrested on route to the second round of the PGA Championship for assaulting a police officer, a charge that was later withdrawn. It happened while the sports world was tracking a story about McIlroy and his wife separating. Scheffler does not court attention and, in fact, is more than happy to enjoy his anonymity.
Fast forward to today. Scheffler is clearly on a trajectory to potentially win a career Grand Slam, perhaps as early as next year, if he finishes first in the U.S. Open. The final round is on his 30th birthday. If it doesn’t happen, it probably won’t crush him because he said he is not motivated by such accomplishments.
Scheffler said the problem with winning on the PGA Tour is that it doesn’t allow much time to savor the victory because it’s on to the next tournament. I didn’t quite understand it that. But if you think about what happened to McIlroy, who went into a funk after winning the Masters this year to complete his career Grand Slam after a 10-year journey, it makes sense. McIlroy dropping to his knees and shaking after winning the Masters was one of those moments that is frozen in time. It is breathtaking no matter how many times you see it. Clearly all the anguish that was inside of him was being released.
McIlroy’s effort in the Open Championship was impressive. The pressure on him to win in his home country and near where he grew up was immense. The last time the tournament took place at Royal Portrush, he failed to make the cut. He seemed either more dialed in or more at ease this time around.
When he made the walk up to the 18th green, he received heartfelt applause from the crowd. He carded a final round two-under par and finished tied for seventh at 10-under par. He was not going to catch Scheffler, who finished 17-under par and with a four-stroke lead over runnerup Harris English (Titleist Pro V1).
A short while after McIlroy, Scheffler made the same walk to the 18th hole and the crowd gave him a similar warm reception. He had put on a clinic and had also backed up what he said at the start of the week – it wasn’t necessarily about winning but more about faith, family and then golf.
OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP ODDITIES: Perhaps there was nothing stranger than McIlroy hitting a ball in the third round and unearthing a hidden ball underneath it.
“That is the most weird, ridiculous thing I’ve ever seen,” he told the media afterward. “Then my ball came out really weird and spiny. Yeah, just so strange.”
What are the chances of that? Moreover, do you think it will ever happen again?
And what about Shane Lowry (Srixon Z-Star X) taking a practise swing in the second round and moving his ball incrementally, though he didn’t know it at the moment, and then being given a two-stroke penalty after the round? It’s not the first time something like this has happened, but it might have been one of the most glaring examples. He was fortunate the penalty did not cause him to miss the cut because he was teetering on it.
Both examples gave new meaning to the luck of the Irish, or lack thereof, though it could have been much worse.
THE NIKE EFFECT: Scheffler has a Nike logo on his hat and golf shirt, but did anyone notice his wife, son, and parents were also wearing the famous swoosh? Even Scott wears a Nike logo on his cap. Clearly Nike knows the visibility is good for business.
