Scottie Scheffler: Slam neither ‘motivating factor’ nor distraction at US Open

NEW YORK – Scottie Scheffler has made it known that specific achievements do not motivate him. So it makes sense he would say the same about the possibility of completing the career Grand Slam this week.

At a press conference on June 16 ahead of the US Open at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club on Long Island, the world No. 1 echoed the sentiment from his now-famous “What’s the point?” monologue at the 2025 British Open.

Days before he won that Major for the third leg of the Slam, Scheffler said the sense of accomplishment he gets from being the best golfer he can be could not be mistaken for a truly “fulfilling” life, adding that winning tournaments, even Majors, feels “awesome for two minutes”.

It was more of the same on June 16 when asked the inevitable question about what is at stake in his first opportunity to complete the Slam.

“It’s kind of a funny thing. It’s like... if I win this tournament, that would be amazing. But then I show up the next week and it’s like, OK, now Scottie’s won the Grand Slam... where do we go from here?” the 29-year-old said.

“So no matter what, I think as a player and as a professional athlete, you’re never going to live up to the expectations of people.

“I think sometimes that’s a little bit of the fallacy in our sport is like, if I win the US Open, then I’m going to be satisfied. I’ve won all the tournaments, and my career is essentially over, and I’ve accomplished everything I could want to accomplish. But I think the goal posts are always just moved further and further.”

Scheffler pointed out that he has already achieved more than anyone would expect from a college prospect of his calibre. His national open still holds plenty of meaning to him, however.

“For me, would it be a dream to win the US Open? Of course,” he added. “But at the end of the day, the Grand Slam has never been a motivating factor for me. I always just wanted to be the best version of myself and that got me this far.”

“This far” includes 20 wins on the PGA Tour and four Majors – two Masters titles in 2022 and 2024, followed by the PGA Championship and British Open in 2025. For context, his T14 finish at the PGA Championship at Aronimink Golf Club in May was his worst showing at a Major in nearly two years.

Scheffler has four top-10 finishes at the past five US Opens and the closest he came to victory was a tie for second behind England’s Matt Fitzpatrick in 2022.

If he were to lift the trophy on June 21, Scheffler would be No. 7 in golf history to achieve the Grand Slam and he would be the second in a 14-month span after Tiger Woods was the only player added to the list between 1967 and 2024. Rory McIlroy finally got the Masters monkey off his back in April 2025.

Regardless of how much he is or is not looking forward to it, Scheffler admitted that would be a great thing for the sport and ideally create some new fans.

“I think it would definitely bring more eyeballs to the sport, which is always a good thing,” he said. “I think golf is a great game. I think it’s something that everybody should have a chance to be introduced to. I think you learn a lot about yourself. I think you learn a lot of life lessons through the game of golf.

“Some of my best friends in the whole world I know just from playing golf. It’s something that I would love for more people to get introduced to.” REUTERS