World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler is back at the Open Championship this week, defending the Claret Jug he won last year at Royal Portrush - the same tournament where his pre-event comments about the emptiness of chasing trophies went viral.
Last summer, Scheffler told reporters, "This is not a fulfilling life," admitting he sometimes questioned why winning golf tournaments mattered so much to him. The remarks spread widely online, often stripped of context. What got lost in the moment, Scheffler has since clarified, was the rest of what he said: that his faith and family, not his trophies, are what actually fulfill him. Five days after that press conference, he won the Open by four strokes and said he was grateful for the victory - while noting the "hamster wheel" of professional golf never stops.
Asked this week at Royal Birkdale whether he had any more "crises of the soul" to share, Scheffler joked he'd "try to keep that stuff" to himself this time. But he didn't walk back the substance. "I feel like I know what my why is, why I'm out here playing," he said, adding that this season has been "frustrating at times" despite a solid year overall.
Scheffler's faith has remained a consistent thread through his career. His caddie, Ted Scott, is a fellow believer he specifically sought out, and the two co-host an annual retreat for college golfers through the College Golf Fellowship. Scheffler is also a regular at the PGA Tour's weekly Bible study.
Scheffler tees off this week's title defense alongside Bryson DeChambeau and Tyrrell Hatton.
