PORTRUSH, Northern Ireland — Scottie Scheffler has won more tournaments and majors than anyone over the last three years. He is No. 1 in the world and no one is close to him. Nothing would mean more to him than leaving Royal Portrush with the silver claret jug.
And then?
That's where golf gets a little complicated for Scheffler, who loves his job and all the work it entails, but who found himself searching Tuesday for what it all means.
He delivered an amazing soliloquy ahead of the British Open about fulfillment. The short answer: It's not the two Masters green jackets, the Wanamaker Trophy he won at the PGA Championship, the three Jack Nicklaus Awards as PGA Tour player of the year or the FedEx Cup.
''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 because I've literally worked my entire life to be good at this sport,'' Scheffler said.
''But at the end of the day, I'm not out here to inspire the next generation of golfers,'' he said. ''I'm not out here to inspire someone to be the best player in the world because what's the point? 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.''
His comments came in a year when Rory McIlroy fulfilled his life dream of winning the Masters, which gave him the career Grand Slam. McIlroy spoke last month about growing weary of being asked about his next set of goals, the next mountain he wants to climb.
''I probably just didn't give myself enough time to let it all sink in. But that's the nature of professional golf," McIlroy said. ''They do a very good job of keeping you on the hamster wheel, and you feel like it's hard to get off at times.''