Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy have both dismissed concerns about how their future legacies are perceived ahead of their latest bid for greater success at The Open.
The world’s top two are among the favorites to win the final men’s major of the season, with Scheffler returning as defending champion and McIlroy looking to build on his victory at The Masters in April.
The pair have cemented their status as generational talents and among the best players of the 21st century with 10 major wins and 50 PGA Tour titles between them, although both claim not to care how they are remembered when they are no longer around.
“No, I don’t care,” McIlroy said in his pre-tournament press conference. “I’d like to think that the people who love and care about me think a certain way about me, but yeah, I want to be long gone. I want to be dead.
“I don’t think I’m going to see what people say about me. I’m going to be six feet under. I don’t think I’m going to be a ghost… I don’t care!”
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See the best photos from The Open archives featuring Rory McIlroy, Tiger Woods, Jordan Spieth and more
He later added: “I think it would be a pretty unfulfilling pursuit if you just chase records and chase results. You have to enjoy the process. You have to enjoy the journey to get there. I’ve learned that the hard way at times by chasing results and chasing records too much.”
“You start focusing on your craft and your practice and doing the things you need to do to try to become a better golfer. If you do that, the results and the winning almost take care of themselves, or at least you put yourself in a position enough to at least walk in the door a few times.
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See a selection of Rory McIlroy’s best shots over the years at The Open
“Obviously you’re trying to win, but winning isn’t a real tangible goal, right? The real goal is I want to do this with my swing, or I want to hit this kind of shot, or I want to feel good when I’m over the ball, whatever it is.
“If you do those things enough times, hopefully you’ll put yourself in a position to win. So from there, yeah, you can start thinking about winning the tournament. But if all you’re thinking about is winning and results, you’re playing the wrong game.”
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Scheffler looks set to become the first player since Padraig Harrington to win back-to-back editions of The Open, a year after he questioned his satisfaction in the game in his pre-tournament press conference before victory.
The defending champion was philosophical again this time, telling reporters: “I’m not really playing for a place in history. I’m not playing for something like that because — this is going to sound a little morbid — at the end of the day, I’m going to live my life and it’s going to end.
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Open defending champion Scottie Scheffler reflects on his 2025 victory and looks forward to a tough Royal Birkdale
“When it ends, I’m going somewhere else and I’m not going to be here anymore. Legacy and all that was never really something that motivated me. For me, it was always competition. I loved to play golf.”
Scheffler added: I never once thought about how I want to be remembered. To me it really doesn’t matter from a sense of similar performance. When I die, ‘hey, Scottie won four majors and 20 tournaments and he won this much money’ – it has no effect on me.”
McIlroy’ trending ahead of a new major bid
The Northern Irishman admitted he was struggling in his game after an inconsistent week at the Genesis Scottish Open, finishing fifth after a final-round 64, with McIlroy still making adjustments ahead of his bid for a seventh major title.
McIlroy played a nine-hole practice round with Shane Lowry early Tuesday morning
“It depends on what time of day you get me, I guess,” McIlroy said of the state of his game. “It’s funny, I felt really good the first two days in Scotland and then felt like my game just got a bit worse as the week went on. Even though I shot a good score on Sunday, it didn’t feel very good.
“I’ve been doing a good job the last few days, getting the TrackMan out, seeing what my numbers are, and just trying to match the feel of my swing with what I’m seeing. Also, I played 30 holes on Sunday. I felt a little tired yesterday, so I didn’t make it to the course.
McIlroy will play alongside Matt Fitzpatrick and Xander Schauffele over the first two rounds
“It gave me a little more time to hit some balls and dig into the swing a little bit. Felt good on the course. Felt good out on the course today. It was definitely trending in the right direction.”
Scheffler, who missed his first cut since 2022 at the event, added: “You never want a weekend off, but going into a tournament when you’re defending there’s always a little bit more to do. So it wasn’t the worst thing in the world, although it was quite frustrating.
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Scottie Scheffler misses a six-foot par putt on his final second-round hole at the Genesis Scottish Open, ending his 78-event cut streak.
“I’d say missing a cut is probably the hardest thing. I don’t think it hurts as much as coming close to winning and finishing second. I wanted to finish second at Travelers hurt more than missing the cut, but missing the cut is significantly more frustrating.”
When is The Open live on Sky Sports?
Sky Sports is once again the exclusive home of The Open in Great Britain and Ireland, with wall-to-wall action from the final men’s major of the year getting underway at 6.30 Thursday on Sky Sports Golf.
There will be at least 15 hours of action on both of the first two rounds, with bonus feeds available on Sky Sports+ or Sky Sports appwith extended coverage thereafter from 9 on Saturdays and 8 on Sundays.