Scheffler sees the bigger picture as the seeks Open success
Scottie Scheffler of the United States looks on as he practices on the driving range prior to The 153rd Open Championship at Royal Portrush Golf Club on July 15, 2025 in Portrush, Northern Ireland. (Photo by Oisin Keniry/R&A/R&A via Getty Images)
Artistry trumps science when it comes to links golf but it would be foolish to write off Scottie Scheffler or Bryson DeChambeau as contenders for The Open simply because they play by numbers.
US players have been more successful in The Open than those from any other nation with 47 wins by 32 players.
Tom Watson won five, Walter Hagen four and Jack Nicklaus, Bobby Jones and Tiger Woods three apiece.
So, while there is a narrative that Scheffler and DeChambeau lack the artistic nous to become the Champion Golfer of the Year, they are not only determined to solve the puzzle; they also possess the talent.
For all his inexperience, Scheffler has two top-10s in four starts and remains convinced he has the creativity to win.
“I think it fits my strengths because I like to do things very creatively, and I think out here you kind of have to,” Scheffler said. “I think each year we come over, I start learning a bit more and more."
Perhaps his greatest asset is his ability to separate golf from real life.
“This is not the be all, end all,” he said. “This is not the most important thing in my life. That's why I wrestle with, why is this so important to me? Because I'd much rather be a great father than I would be a great golfer. At the end of the day, that's what's more important to me.”
As much as he loves winning and hates losing, it’s not what defines him.
“It only lasts a few minutes, that kind of euphoric feeling,” he said, explaining how much he enjoyed winning the Byron Nelson this year. “Then it's like, okay, what are we going to eat for dinner? Life goes on.”
Scottie Scheffler of the United States plays a shot on the 15th hole during practice prior to The 153rd Open Championship at Royal Portrush Golf Club on July 14, 2025 in Portrush, Northern Ireland. (Photo by Alex Pantling/R&A/R&A via Getty Images)
Going deeper still, he added: “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.
“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? 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.”
When it comes to DeChambeau, three missed cuts in seven starts do not bode well for a player who has not yet found a way to compute the variables in his scientific mind and control his irons.
“It goes back to horses for courses,” Paul McGinley explained. “At this moment in time, certainly with the strong crosswinds last year at Royal Troon, Bryson was left wanting. It’s interesting to see what he’s going to bring to the party this time. But what we can’t do is leave him out.”
DeChambeau admitted yesterday he’d love to go into the lab in a 400-yard “tent” or wind tunnel and work out how to play in the wind.
“That's what I imagine, like in a hangar or something like that in a big stadium,” he said. “That would be cool to test, one.
“But two, all I've really done is hit more half shots and tried to play into the wind a lot more. If it's a left-to-right wind, I'll draw it. If it's a right-to-left wind, I'll try to cut it more often than not.”
DeChambeau finds it difficult to accept the vagaries of links golf— capricious weather, unlucky bounces and the magnetic qualities of pot bunkers.
“Whether it's fair or not, it's very subjective,” he said, adding that his goal was to “bring in a good perspective.”
Acceptance that this is real golf is key and Jon Rahm gets it.
“In my opinion, The Open Championship is the most prestigious event you can win in golf,” he said. “The type of golf we play, the links courses where in theory (the game) is meant to be played, the elements, the weather, it's quite unique.
“I don't think there's a word to describe it, but all together it's what makes it so special.”
