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World No. 1 golfer Scottie Scheffler claimed that he doesn't find true fulfillment in winning as he enters the Open Championship two legs shy of completing the career Grand Slam at the age of 29.
"This is not a fulfilling life," Scheffler said during a press conference at Royal Portrush on Tuesday (July 15) via ESPN. "It's fulfilling from the sense of accomplishment, but it's not fulfilling from a sense of the deepest places of your heart."
Scheffler had two Masters titles, 16 PGA TOUR wins, an Olympic gold medal and won his first PGA Championship at Quail Hollow earlier this year, with only the Open and U.S. Open remaining to become the seventh player to achieve a career Grand Slam, but has downplayed rooting his identity in golf despite being widely regarded as the game's best player.
"That's something that I wrestle with on a daily basis," Scheffler said. "It's like showing up at the Masters every year; it's like why do I want to win this golf tournament so badly? Why do I want to win the Open Championship so badly? I don't know because, if I win, it's going to be awesome for two minutes."
Scheffler admitted that he sometimes doesn't understand the point of winning, even when it comes to major titles, since the nature of golf is to move on to the next week and field the same questions.
"Is it great to be able to win tournaments and to accomplish the things I have in the game of golf? Yeah, it brings tears to my eyes just to think about it because I've literally worked my entire life to be good at this sport," Scheffler said via ESPN. "To have that kind of sense of accomplishment, I think, is a pretty cool feeling. To get to live out your dreams is very special, but at the end of the day, I'm not out here to inspire the next generation of golfers. I'm not out here to inspire someone to be the best player in the world, because what's the point?"
Gene Sarazen (1935), Ben Hogan (1953), Gary Player (1965) and Jack Nicklaus (1966), Tiger Woods (2000) and Rory McIlroy, who achieved the feat by winning the 2025 Masters Tournament, are the only players to achieve the career Grand Slam.