Scottie Scheffler insists he will be ‘fighting like heck’ to defend this title at The Open after being left ‘frustrated’ by his multiple near-misses on the PGA Tour this season.
Scheffler headlines the Genesis Scottish Open this week at The Renaissance Club ahead of the final men’s major of the year, where the world No 1 will look to become the first back-to-back winner of The Open since Padraig Harrington.
The four-time major champion made a winning start to his PGA Tour season at The American Express but hasn’t reached the winner’s circle since, posting four runner-up finishes and three further top-fours since January.
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Highlights of the final round of The American Express, where Scottie Scheffler claimed a 20th PGA Tour title
Scheffler fell short in his first attempt to complete the career Grand Slam last month at the US Open, with the 30-year-old finishing second a week later at the Travelers Championship and insisting he is close to finding another victory.
“I feel like I get that question every single week – I haven’t had a good answer yet,” Scheffler admitted in his pre-tournament press conference. “I think I’ve been really close to winning some tournaments and that can be frustrating.
Scottie Scheffler is looking to win the Genesis Scottish Open for the first time
“At the same time, I’ve had some good results – a fourth and a second are not bad results by any means. Margins in golf are really small and I just keep trying to do my best.
“I feel like no matter how the season goes, there’s always shots I wish I could have back. There’s always tournaments I feel like I should have won and I didn’t. That’s just part of the game.
“You’ve got to ride with it, the highs and lows. Like I said last year at The Open: It’s not a satisfying venture playing professional golf, so try to take the good with the bad.”
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After his success at The Open, Scottie Scheffler touched upon his comments before the tournament around the fulfilment he gets from golf
Scheffler claimed a four-shot win over Harris English last year in The Open at Royal Portrush – his second major of the season, a fourth in as many years and the third leg of the career Grand Slam.
The American will have to hand the Claret Jug back next Tuesday ahead of playing in the Heroes Classic, a new team scramble event, with Scheffler already looking ahead to challenging for more major success rather than dwell on past success.
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A look back at Scottie Scheffler’s best final-round moments in the majors, having won four of them so far during his career
“I don’t really sit around too much and think about the past, to be honest with you,” Scheffler added. “I feel like I’m in the middle of my career and probably the end of my career is more a time to reflect.
“Right now, I’m just focused on what I need to do. Maybe I should sit and enjoy things more, but that’s just not my nature – my wife is better at that than me.
“One thing I will say is that I was surprised how much I enjoyed the Claret Jug. I always understood the history and the significance, you see the names on there and how far is goes back. It’s the perfect size trophy – not too big, not too small – and you get to drink out of it, that’s an added bonus.
“It was something that is very special to me. It will be very tough to hand it back on Tuesday next week, but I’ll be fighting like heck to get it back on Sunday.”
Who will win the Genesis Scottish Open? Watch throughout the week live on Sky Sports. Live coverage begins on Thursday from 8.30am on Sky Sports Golf. Get Sky Sports or stream golf with no contract.
When is The Open live on Sky Sports?
Sky Sports is once again the exclusive home of The Open in the UK and Ireland, with over 75 hours of live coverage from across the seven days of tournament week at Royal Birkdale.
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Sir Nick Faldo bumps into McIlroy and asks about his preparations three weeks ahead of The Open. X credit @Sir_NickFaldo
Live coverage begins at 9am for each of the three practice days, before wall-to-wall action from the final men’s major of the year gets under way at 6.30am on Thursday July 16 on Sky Sports Golf.
There will be at least 15 hours of action on both the first two rounds, with bonus feeds available on Sky Sports+ or the Sky Sports App, with extended coverage then starting at 9am on Saturday July 18 and 8am on Sunday July 19.
Who will win The 154th Open? Watch exclusively live from July 16-19 on Sky Sports Golf. Get Sky Sports or stream with no contract.
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