Scheffler: Winning 'is not a fulfilling life'

World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler likes to win - and is used to it - but that doesn't mean he gets true gratification from it.

"This is not a fulfilling life," Scheffler said Tuesday at Royal Portrush in Northern Ireland before the Open Championship begins Thursday, according to ESPN's Paolo Uggetti. "It's fulfilling from the sense of accomplishment, but it's not fulfilling from a sense of the deepest places of your heart."

Scheffler has won two Masters and one PGA Championship and has been the world's top-ranked golfer since May 2023. But the 29-year-old said he constantly wrestles with his desire to win, adding that the excitement that comes with victory doesn't last long.

"It's like showing up at the Masters every year; it's like, why do I want to win this golf tournament so badly? Why do I want to win the Open Championship so badly?" Scheffler said. "I don't know, because if I win, it's going to be awesome for two minutes."

He added: "Life goes on. It feels like you work your whole life to celebrate winning a tournament for, like, a few minutes. It only lasts a few minutes."

Despite all that, Scheffler, like anybody else, would much rather win than lose.

"I hate (losing), I really do," Scheffler said. "We work so hard for such little moments. I'm kind of a sicko; I love putting in the work, I love getting to practice, I love getting to live out my dreams. But at the end of the day, sometimes I just don't understand the point."