Defending champion Scottie Scheffler and four-time major winner Rory McIlroy have both shared philosophical insights ahead of the 154th Open Championship at Royal Birkdale this week. Scheffler, who won the Claret Jug last year, began his Open week with a victory in the inaugural 'Heroes Classic' competition on Tuesday.
Scheffler's Early Success and Mindset
Scheffler, alongside Justin Rose and Paula Martin Sampedro, accumulated 11 points in the Texas Scramble-format contest played over three holes. Despite being the bookmakers' favourite to retain his title, the American offered a reflective perspective on his motivations. "I guess the point for me was figuring out your 'why'," he explained. "Why am I doing this? Why do I want to win this tournament so badly? Why do I choose to play this sport for a living? I think that's when I'm at peace the most."
McIlroy's Candid Take on Legacy
When asked how he wanted to be remembered in 100 years, McIlroy responded with characteristic bluntness: "I don't really care. I would like to think that the people that love and care about me think a certain way of me, but yeah, I'll be long gone. I'll be dead. I don't think I'll be seeing what people say about me. I'll be six feet under. I don't think I'll be a ghost. I don't think I'll be, you know, like – yeah, I don't care."
McIlroy, the Masters champion and second favourite to win his seventh major title, acknowledged after last weekend's Genesis Scottish Open that there were issues to address in his game. "Depends what hour of the day you get me, I think," he said when asked about his form. "It's funny, I felt really good the first two days in Scotland and then felt like my game just sort of deteriorated as the week went on. Even though I shot a good score on Sunday, it didn't feel very good. I've done a good bit of work the past couple of days, getting the TrackMan out, seeing what my numbers are, and just trying to match up the feels of my swing with what I'm seeing. Also, I played 30 holes on Sunday. I felt a little bit tired yesterday, so I didn't make it to the course. That allowed me a bit more time to hit some balls and dig into the swing a little bit. Felt good on the range. Felt good out on the course today. Definitely trending in the right direction."
Fitzpatrick's Form and Energy Management
Sheffield's Matt Fitzpatrick is also being tipped as a contender after an impressive season. Fitzpatrick has won three times on the PGA Tour this year, risen to number three in the world rankings, and tied for fourth in last year's Open. He emphasised the importance of managing his energy: "A lot of this year, certainly since I started playing well, first win at Valspar, since then has really been about kind of managing my energy as best I can and obviously maintaining the form as best I can. I think that's come with much lighter Monday to Wednesdays than I've had previously in my career, really. I think the big thing with that is that you're trying to do the bare minimum that's going to give you the biggest impact of maybe keeping or maintaining your game as well as just trying to get a little bit of improvement, particularly as the season goes on and it becomes longer. You get yourself in contention a few more times, and that takes it out of you."
The Open Championship at Royal Birkdale promises to be a compelling contest, with Scheffler defending his title, McIlroy seeking his seventh major, and Fitzpatrick aiming to capitalise on his stellar form.
