Newly-crowned Open champion Scottie Scheffler insists it is “silly” to compare him to Tiger Woods.
The 28-year-old won his second major of the year after May’s US PGA, his fourth in total, and he is three-quarters of the way towards a career Grand Slam – which he can complete at next year’s US Open in the same four-year time-frame as Jack Nicklaus.
Only 15-time major winner Woods has done it quicker, in three years.
The numbers continue to stack up for the world number one, whose 17-under total gave him a four-stroke victory at Royal Portrush but belied how comfortable his win was.
On Saturday evening Rory McIlroy, a five-time major winner who himself completed the Grand Slam at the Masters in April, said Scheffler was “inevitable” and his play is giving off a Woods-type aura.
He is 111 under par in majors since the beginning of 2020, 46 shots better than anyone else, and is four from four when it comes to converting 54-hole major leads (Woods won his first 14) and has been world number one for 112 consecutive weeks.
“I still think they’re a bit silly,” Scheffler said of the Woods comparison.
“Tiger won, what, 15 majors? This is my fourth. I just got one-fourth of the way there.
“I think Tiger stands alone in the game of golf. He was inspirational for me growing up. He was a very, very talented guy, and he was a special person to be able to be as good as he was at the game of golf.
“I don’t focus on that kind of stuff. That’s not what motivates me. I’m not motivated by winning championships. I don’t look at the beginning of the year and just say ‘Hey, I want to win X amount of tournaments, I want to win whatever it is’.
“I have dreams and aspirations that I think about, but at the end of the day I feel like what motivates me is just getting out and getting to live out my dream.
“I get to play professional golf, and I feel like I’m called to do it to the best of my ability.
“I don’t place much emphasis on things that I can accomplish. It’s just mostly about putting in the proper work and coming out here and competing.
“I’ve always done my best when I’m able to live in the present.”
On Tuesday Scheffler gave a surprisingly revealing press conference at which he admitted being successful at golf did not fulfil him and he prioritises being a good husband and father over anything.
After winning the Claret Jug he felt his comments were taken out of context and insisted he was not disrespecting the game or making light of his achievements.
“I think it really underestimates what I was trying to communicate. Maybe I didn’t do as effective of a job as I hoped to in communicating that,” he added.
“At the end of the day, I have a tremendous amount of gratitude towards moments like these.
“I literally worked my entire life to become good at this game and play this game for a living. It’s one of my greatest joys of my life to compete out here.
“To be able to win The Open Championship here at Portrush is a feeling that’s really hard to describe.
“This is amazing to win the Open Championship, but at the end of the day, having success in life, whether it be in golf, work, whatever it is, that’s not what fulfils the deepest desires of your heart.
“Am I grateful for it? Do I enjoy it? Oh, my gosh, yes, this is a cool feeling.
“It’s just tough to describe when you haven’t lived it.”
