Rory McIlroy and Scottie Scheffler may be the two best golfers in the world, but they disagree on one key point as they prepare for this week's US Open at Shinnecock Hills. Scheffler, the world number one, stands on the brink of golfing immortality, but unlike McIlroy, he insists the prospect barely crosses his mind.
Scheffler's Perspective
If Scheffler wins the US Open, he will become just the seventh golfer to complete the modern career Grand Slam, joining an elite club that includes McIlroy, Tiger Woods, Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player, Ben Hogan, and Gene Sarazen. However, Scheffler remains unfazed. “The Grand Slam has never been a motivating factor for me,” he said. “I always just wanted to be the best version of myself.”
He added: “As a professional athlete, you’re never going to live up to the expectations of people. The fallacy in our sport is if I win the US Open, I am going to be satisfied, I’ve won all the tournaments, and my career is essentially over because I’ve accomplished everything I want to. But I think the goalposts are just moved further and further.”
McIlroy's Burden
That perspective stands in stark contrast to McIlroy, who spent a decade carrying the burden of trying to complete the career Grand Slam. The Northern Irishman had his first chance in 2015 but had to wait 10 years before finally winning a Green Jacket at Augusta National last year. Speaking in 2016, McIlroy admitted the prospect weighed heavily on his mind.
“If I can win a Green Jacket and become just the sixth player in history to win a Grand Slam, then I would retire happy knowing I have joined an exclusive list,” he told the BBC. He reiterated that point a year later: “If I didn’t have a Green Jacket, there would be a tiny piece that would just be missing. It really would be. I wouldn’t be fulfilled if I didn’t get it.”
Freed from that burden, McIlroy went wire-to-wire earlier this year to record back-to-back Masters victories and arrives at Shinnecock Hills hopeful of adding a second US Open title. McIlroy will tee off at 12:52pm UK time, with Scheffler starting shortly after at 1:14pm.
